experiences flying US Airways?

[madenon]

What are your experiences with flying US Airways? Fingers crossed, I'll be back to WDW next year. This september I flew NWA and allthough I had a good experience with regards to the FA and can get over the rude GA's at DTW, I'm not ever wanting to fly them again. During those 4 flights they managed to break both of my wheelchairs (and that's hard work when it comes to my manual, even I can't break it ) and it turns out this happens because of their 'not too smart' way of loading wc's and bagage. Their customer-service was the lost drop, a chair can allways be damaged but when you act like you don't give a, well we know what, about the consequences of it all and give me the runaround about paying the repair-bill, you've got me mad allright!

So now I'm looking into which other airlines to fly. KLM and NWA are the only ones that fly from here to the US that I've got experience with, so I need some input. I found out that US Airways has a very good airfare. Continental now seems to offer the same fare -didn't do that last week, hmm-. Other options amongst others are Delta or United (about 50/60% more expensive). Also Lufthansa might be an option, allthough they aren't very affordable (more than double the US Airways price).

In theory, our own Martinair also is an option, but I don't like their overall service, let alone their wc-service. It's crap more or less.

Anyhow, experiences about flying with there airlines are very welcome. Not only of those flying with a wc (although ofcourse also very welcome), but any experience. Afterall; the wc service offered can almost allways be found out at either the site of the airline or by mailing/calling them.

Leaves me with just two more questions;

- how 'standard' is it in the US to be allowed to take both a manual and powerchair for one person along on the flight without having to pay for either? Might be a stupid question (don't know what the ADA says about this?), but I'm used to a 'take one, pay second'-system and taking both does make life so much easier.

- are there standard rules that overrule airline rules about carry on? I know each airline has their own set of rules and I can live with that. But again; overhere we've got different rules per airline as to how much weight you can bring with you extra when it comes to medication etc. Hoe does this work in the US? Can the airline set their own rules or does the ADA dictate anything? (It's not like I'm dragging tons of weight with me -makes travelling too difficult for me to-, but in size it all adds up real quickly.)

 

[CarolA]

Well I can't respond to your questions on wheelchairs, but I will warn you. Most frequent flyers find that USAir has the worst baggage handling service in the US.

USAir Baggage Handlers hate their management.... thier solution. Delay, break, lose etc.... it's not a pretty scene! They honestly seem to care NOTHING about thier customers.


Continental actually has a good reputation on thier international flights so you might try them!

In the US if you can get it in the overhead or under your seat you can carry it on. Size is the limiting factor not weight. Now if you cannot get it in the overhead and it the weight is considered excessive your FA may make you check it. It is not thier job to put heavy luggage in the overhead. (It is generally not thier job, but since you appear to have physical limits they generally will help)

 

[safetymom]

Stay away from US Airways if you want a smooth vacation. Many many frequent flyers have quit flying them. The employees attitudes have gone downhill.

 

[tiki23]

Well bother. Guess who we're flying in December?

Looks like we'll have to pack our carry-on luggage like boy scouts and bring along some extra patience for this trip.

 

[madenon]

Thnx for the info so far, ladies. Sounds like USAirways is going to be off the list.

 

[Sleepy]

I must have had an unusual experience this past summer with US Airways. Flew from Munich to PA to VA and then on return from VA to NC to Munich. Had no problems. I found the FAs to be very friendly.

I have been doing some research for upcoming trip next summer. Have looked into Expedia, etc, then also considering booking my own through possibilities like Lufthansa, US Airways, etc. Somehow, Lufthansa has been giving me better rates than US Airways. I also prefer to stay away from Gatwick, so Lufthansa is the way I am leaning. BTW, I think Lufthansa and US Airways are partners just as Delta and Alitalia are. Strange how the rates are different even though they use the same planes under each name.

 

[bavaria]

I may be the exception, but I have had a number of USAirways flights which were pretty 'ok'. For the most part, I don't know why infrequent travellers here are so concerned about which carrier is 'better' than others. Most domestic US carriers are pretty much on par when it comes to service levels, seating for non-elites, etc.

Having said that, as both DebbieB and Safetymom have had bad experiences on USAirways, I would tend to avoid them. (Unfortunately I will be honest and say that I trust reports from frequent flyers over infrequent flyers, simply because we have a greater experience of flights, and also understand that things can and do go wrong every so often)

But service is also a personal thing. Lufthansa is my airline of choice, but they are often bashed by American travellers over on flyertalk.com who don't understand that the FAs are German and are thus not going to be as overtly friendly as US based FAs. I prefer that; others may not.

In contrast, I don't like the overly personal questions often asked by US based FAs, and if I ever meet 'Huggy the Gate Agent' at the UA gates in DEN, I will certainly tell him what I think of the inappopriateness of hugging strangers, especially female passengers!

Ultimately, you must choose what is most important to you - we can't decide for you as you know what you value most. Do you value price? service? food service? legroom? ability to collect miles/points? comfort of seating? All of those vary. I pay more to fly Lufthansa and United because I don't value low price over other factors. That is MY preference; others will differ.

And yes, carry on restrictions do vary by carrier and may be overridden by the local restrictions such as at LHR.

 

[sbakersub]

So far this year I've flown American Airlines (4x), Alaska Air (1x) and US Airways (1x). I was worried about US Airways when I booked because of others' experiences, but our flights were on time, connections were made as scheduled, and all luggage was properly delivered. Their MCO agents were friendly and helpful. That said, the planes we flew in were very old, and had horribly hard, uncomfortable seats . US Airways is not my preference, but if they have a very significant price savings over alternative carriers (which was the case this time) I would consider using them again.

 

[CarolA]

I may be the exception, but I have had a number of USAirways flights which were pretty 'ok'. For the most part, I don't know why infrequent travellers here are so concerned about which carrier is 'better' than others. Most domestic US carriers are pretty much on par when it comes to service levels, seating for non-elites, etc.

Having said that, as both DebbieB and Safetymom have had bad experiences on USAirways, I would tend to avoid them. (Unfortunately I will be honest and say that I trust reports from frequent flyers over infrequent flyers, simply because we have a greater experience of flights, and also understand that things can and do go wrong every so often)

But service is also a personal thing. Lufthansa is my airline of choice, but they are often bashed by American travellers over on flyertalk.com who don't understand that the FAs are German and are thus not going to be as overtly friendly as US based FAs. I prefer that; others may not.

In contrast, I don't like the overly personal questions often asked by US based FAs, and if I ever meet 'Huggy the Gate Agent' at the UA gates in DEN, I will certainly tell him what I think of the inappopriateness of hugging strangers, especially female passengers!

Ultimately, you must choose what is most important to you - we can't decide for you as you know what you value most. Do you value price? service? food service? legroom? ability to collect miles/points? comfort of seating? All of those vary. I pay more to fly Lufthansa and United because I don't value low price over other factors. That is MY preference; others will differ.

And yes, carry on restrictions do vary by carrier and may be overridden by the local restrictions such as at LHR.

You are lucky... I flew into Rome last year and while we were waiting on our Delta luggage there was a near riot at the USAir baggage claim while the agent tried to explain that the baggage handlers "forgot" to load at least two carts of luggage onto the plane so thier luggage would arrive tomorrow! (Considering that luggage handling in Rome was horrid already this was not a good scene. These folks had been at baggage claim for over two hours. We were there around 90 minutes and our luggage did come.)

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

The last 2 times we flew USAirways, we didn't get our luggage until several hours later or the next day. Both times it was for a cruise. I travel a lot and understand that occasionally, stuff happens. It's not that it happens, it's how they handle it. The 1st time an entire plane was not loaded except maybe 25% got their bags. We waited for the next flight to bring the rest since I didn't trust them to deliver to the ship like they said they would.
The 2nd time, we had flown down the night before the cruise and none of my mother's bags arrived. They promised to deliver to the hotel. When it didn't come the next am, they called USAirway's baggage hotline which gave them a recording that the voice mailbox is full. They ended up taking a cab back to the airport to get their bags. USAirway's solution was that they'd deliver to our 1 port of call.
What's even sadder is that I have tons of FF miles with them which eventually will take kids to Cancun but in the meantime we love SWA.

 

[Sleepy]

You are lucky... I flew into Rome last year and while we were waiting on our Delta luggage there was a near riot at the USAir baggage claim while the agent tried to explain that the baggage handlers "forgot" to load at least two carts of luggage onto the plane so thier luggage would arrive tomorrow! (Considering that luggage handling in Rome was horrid already this was not a good scene. These folks had been at baggage claim for over two hours. We were there around 90 minutes and our luggage did come.)

And what you don't understand is that Italian work ethic is far different from other societies. They will "get to it" when they feel like it. If coffee break is 20 minutes away they will go ahead and take the break and if it is time to go back, they will take 10-20 minutes longer. Same goes for vacation days. If tomorrow is a holiday, most call in "sick" and the ones who do show up feel they should not have to perform to peak becazuse after all, tomorrow is a holiday and might as well be prepared for same response day after a holiday. Ever encountered a society where maternity leave starts at any point in a pregnancy and a job legally has to be held for up to 5 years AFTER giving birth?
I go with the flow because I know what to expect. It's not just US Airways. You just got lucky in Rome too. Your luggage crew at Delta probably already finished their coffee break

 

[tiki23]

Your luggage crew at Delta probably already finished their coffee break

Our friends were in Italy last year - your comments summed up their experience nicely! They are both type A people and didn't get the Italian culture at all.

 

[madenon]

For the most part, I don't know why infrequent travellers here are so concerned about which carrier is 'better' than others.

I used to think the same way and would fly just about any airline that flies and isn't blacklisted for it's disregards to safety. OK, I liked some better than others, but it can all be a fluke and hey; it got me from A to B.

What changed? My health. It not only dictates rules for flying and having a holiday or flying and ending up in bed or hospital, it also caused there to be a much bigger difference between the outcome of good or poor service/additude when something does happen.

There are airlines out there that won't allow me to get a seat pre-assigned because of medical reasons, nor will they make accomodations if you make sure you're checking in hours and hours earlier than needed. I can only fly in a bulkhead seat without running the risk of having to go into hospital and with the seats near the emergency exit (ofcourse!!) being of limits, this greatly reduces the amounts of possible seats. I don't fly those airlines. And the list goes on. But; those are all 'special service'-stuff and not something the 'standard' flyer can tell me more about.

Now, it all comes down to service. If an airline gives you crap about 'loosing' a suitcase for a week, I'm not that comfortable to trust them with an aid I can't do without. Anything can happen, and if I want a 0% risk, I shouldn't fly, its as simple as that. And if something does happen; crap, ok let's deal with it. This is where it becomes interesting; how does the airline deal with it? Some policies are crap. Lovely, because than I know upfront not to fly them. Darned thing is, service is more than just policy. A policy can sound pretty good, but service can turn out to be at a level lower than the floor. Anything can happen, we're all people. How airlines deal with stuff that happens; that's what counts big time for me. A simple "we're sorry, let's see if and if so; how we can try and fix this" can work miracles. Neither will have prevented the problem, but most likely the outcome will be totally different from the "oh well, things happen, bad luck, nop nothing we'll try or do, next!".

I'm no silly, I take risks and insure myself against certain risk so if anything does happen, at least I'll have some security it'll get dealt with asap. I just refuse to fly any airline that treats me like anything less than dirt. I don't want to run into a customer'service' that says 'did we break it? oh well, can happen, nop, we don't do nothing, next!' when we talk about my chair. I like to fly without having to constantly hear that voice in the back of my mind going; 'will my chair be safe'. Call me crazy, after that flight from hell (especially the 2 flights back home when I first knew they ruined one chair, and later found out they ruined 2 chairs and they don't protect the chair properly) with NWA, I want some piece of mind. I like to read about others experience with overall airline service, besides contacting the airlines themselves and see what's possible. No, it wont garantee me anything, but at least I'll be a lot more comfortable during the flight before finding out anything might have happened.

Service absoluty is my number one criterium, directly followed by the type of airplane they plan to fly on that leg -which ofcourse is no garantee-. The smaller planes like a 737 don't agree with my body too much, so it's up to me to either avoid them or suck it up. With value and timetable at a fast number 3. (nop, you don't get 'rich' overhere on disability either )

I totally agree with Bavaria that service is something that's very personal. But some things can be learned from the reputation an airline has -not just basing it on one country nor one source- and the experience people who have flown them have. It's tricky to pick an airline you haven't flown before when it comes to service and you can make mistakes with that choice -hack, I did last time-. But it's worth the try, better than using darts to decide which airline I'll fly next.

 

[bavaria]

I'm going to be very frank here and hopefully not offend you (or others)

I don't think that you are going to find the answers that you are looking for here.

Most flyers here are leisure or infrequent flyers. Those of us who are frequent flyers receive different levels of service than the infrequent flyers. Is that fair? We would say 'yes', the infrequent flyer might say 'no'. But it IS the reality.

I understand about being a special needs flyer - trust me, I have first hand experience. My family suffers from the same wanderlust as I, and my 90 year grandfather still flies about 40,000 miles a year. So do other members of my family with chronic and terminal illnesses.

The reality however is that airlines have to balance the needs of all travellers. Sometimes that means that there is no bulkhead seat unassigned by the time a special needs traveller books their ticket. The airline will do all that it can to move other passengers, but sometimes they can't move those passengers either.

Lost luggage? I agree that there is a certain base level of courtesy expected, but many travellers don't understand the difference between 'lost' and 'delayed' luggage and create unnecessary stress. I have had excellent service with delayed luggage; most recently United put my luggage on Delta flights as they did not serve the area to which I had driven, and Lufthansa gave me $100 as an apology for the delay and state of my luggage. I DO know that a non-elite flyer most likely would NOT receive that level of service. That is the reality - airlines are very clear as to what compensation will be given.

If you ask here 'has anyone had a bad experience with XYZ airline?' you will hear all types of 'horror' stories from infrequent flyers. The regular flyers tend to reply with 'that is just one of the realities of airline travel today'

What is a 'horror' story to an infrequent traveller is 'irregular ops' to the frequent traveller, and thus we react differently. I have had a few VERY irregular ops situations in my lifetime - most of the ones that we see here (flight delays, delayed bags, lost seat assignments, etc) are not that bad (although they are a frustration to the person who had the experience).

As a last example - you require a bulkhead seat, so the airline moves another passenger. You are pleased; the other passenger has a 'crisis' on their hands.

My suggestion would be to read everything here with a grain of salt. When I post about United here, I caution travellers that my experience will most likely not be their experience. I would head to www.flyertalk.com and review some of the threads there to see how frequent flyers feel about their airlines - that may be a better indicator than by polling a group of leisure flyers.

 

[madenon]

Bavaria, I like being frank and no, you didn't offend me. You didn't even come close. ;-)

The discussion about difference between service for infrequent flyers and frequent flyers can be an interesting one, but let's be honest; airlines would be crazy NOT to do that bit more to try and keep their frequent flyers flying with them.

What you've explained about the bulkhead seat is understandable, or better said; I think it is (I know some people will blow up about this). That is why I like for instance the american airlines, as I can check online which seats are taken yet, seconds before I book. Either they're taken and that's too bad for me; no flight. Or they aren't taken, in which case I'll call the airlines special services department about 10 seconds after booking the flight to make sure I've got that chair. Those airlines that do assign seats before due to medical reasons tend to never give me any hassle, after I explain how important it is. (let's be honest, some do tell a bit of a fib to try to get the 'more legroom', and I can't blame airlines for being weary about that at first) As soon as they find out I'm a flexible and cooperative passenger, they tend to give me the same right back. It's a bit of give and take.

Another thing that comes with bulkhead seats are the babycribs (do they call them cribs?) when flying intercontinental. A lot of persons don't seem to like them. Well take it or leave it. That baby needs a place and as long as there are cribs; it's going in the crib. And yes, sometimes babies cry. Oh well. We all once did the same. ;-)

The horror stories, lol. It's the same with anything, aint it. Airline, Disney, food, weather, it's all over. I think I'm a pretty laid back person on that. I take it all with a grain of salt and most wouldn't bother me. You know, I can laugh about the grumpy FA, the missing my connecting flight, 'oh well, the flight got delayed, don't like it, but it is like it is, where's my book so I can kill the time?'.

It's more like if there were 50 "airline X is disaster" versus 5 "airlines Y and Z are a disaster", that would get me thinking about 'it's probably no real big difference, but let's be safe.

Thnx about the tip of flyertalk, I'm definately going to read there. We've got some frequent flyers in the family (such a shame they don't fly to the US but only Asia and Australia, could use their info) and you are right that info from them tend to be a bit more..... with a grain of salt.

Have you flown LH yet on the nonstop Frankfurt to MCO? I like their reputation, but I'm not too happy about transferring in Europe. (I know, weird personal thing, I hate coming back, flying for hours, than having to wait for a only one hour flight back) Must say their schedule isn't greatgreat flying in, but back is and the totall traveltime isn't bad at all compared to some others.

 

[bavaria]

well, since CarolA, Safetymom, and DebbieB all now give US Airways a thumbs down, I would say avoid them if you can.

As to 'cots' or 'bassinets' in the bulkhead row - many FF avoid Economy bulkhead rows due to this reason (I actually usually fly in Business or First on longhaul, so I don't have this issue). So you may have more luck with a bulkhead row than you expect.

I haven't flown the MCO-FRA LH route; Flossbolna did get a great 400 Euro fare for next January. The MCO route doesn't serve my needs, actually. There are few times that I am going to/from Germany to/from Florida although I spend quite a bit of time in each place. (I travel about 300 days a year)

LH has been very good to my family - my grandparents are routinely upgraded to C from Y. But my parents are not so lucky, even though they have more health issues. LH in general does quite a few upgrades to C, sometimes to the frustration of the frequent flyers (ask me how I feel about them putting three or four babies in the mini C cabin - an upgrade for them, but a downgrade for those who have the few seats in the cabin taken up by babies. And yes, that is a whole other debate!)

I would suggest taking any airline (except US Airways!) that doesn't have a lot of bad press online. US Airways seems to get more than most, since the recent merger.

Most European carriers have generally good reviews in longhaul; I avoid LH Y as the seat pitch is small and the seats are especially hard; AC Y is similar as they apparently have a similar layout and seat pitch/quality for longhaul routes.

My parents have often flown via AMS as they are from the north; they have no complaints about KLM or Martinair, and actually like their Y better than LH Y.

 

[bavaria]

one last answer for you - re the FRA transfer - I don't find it that bad. I usually try and get an onwards flight FRA-MUC so that I don't have to drive that awful stretch (will be doing it again this week thanks to 49 Euro fares!)

So long as one is an EU citizen, the transfer is painless and doesn't take any time at all. Plus I like the chance for a quick Brezel, chocolate, and coffee before my last flight home. And if I time my layover correctly, I also enjoy a shower in the lounge before my connection so that I arrive home fresh from the flight.

 

[CarolA]

And what you don't understand is that Italian work ethic is far different from other societies. They will "get to it" when they feel like it. If coffee break is 20 minutes away they will go ahead and take the break and if it is time to go back, they will take 10-20 minutes longer. Same goes for vacation days. If tomorrow is a holiday, most call in "sick" and the ones who do show up feel they should not have to perform to peak becazuse after all, tomorrow is a holiday and might as well be prepared for same response day after a holiday. Ever encountered a society where maternity leave starts at any point in a pregnancy and a job legally has to be held for up to 5 years AFTER giving birth?
I go with the flow because I know what to expect. It's not just US Airways. You just got lucky in Rome too. Your luggage crew at Delta probably already finished their coffee break

So why is the Italian work ethic to blame for USAir not loading the luggage??? It was suppose to load in Philadelphia!!!!

(Considering I wait 90 minutes in Atlanta for luggage I don't think we can blame this issue on the Italty "culture" as this post suggests LOL!)

As for expecting service...... Well. most of us are flying on airfares that don't cover the cost of getting us to our destination. So service gets cut. Air travel today is a cattle call industry.

If it were me and I had to have more room for medical reasons I would look into business class for international travel and just travel half as often. Since really the only row with more space is the bulkhead row. (Exit rows aren't an option if you are in a wheelchair) There are some options. Watch Flyertalk.com's boards for deals, check into the "discount" business class class airlines that might be require more connections, but might be worth it.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

I'm another who has given up on US Airways. It just isn't worth the hassle anymore.

I've had good experiences with Delta and Continental.

 

[Sleepy]

So why is the Italian work ethic to blame for USAir not loading the luggage??? It was suppose to load in Philadelphia!!!!

(Considering I wait 90 minutes in Atlanta for luggage I don't think we can blame this issue on the Italty "culture" as this post suggests LOL!)

You did mention Rome as having horrid baggage handling- it seemed to imply overall. I was only giving information to anyone traveling this area so they know what to expect.