USAirways....LONG RANT

[Dopey Sharon]

I have been going 'round and 'round with USAirways about this and I don't know where else to turn.

We booked a cruise back in May. We booked our air separately, with USAirways. We were so looking forward to this cruise, a first for all six of us. Unfortunately, our cruise was on Carnival's Sensation, sailing out of New Orleans.

The Sensation is one of the ships the government paid Carnival for housing some victims of Hurricane Katrina. They are supposed to use the ship until at least March, maybe longer. Our cruise was in April. We can't wait to see if they use the ship past March, because we were cruising over Easter and if we wait until then, we won't find availability anywhere.

So, needless to say, we cancelled our cruise. We had no problems getting our money refunded from Expedia. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about USAirways! They won't waive the $100 fee to change each ticket! We still want to go away, the same dates, just to a different destination, but they won't budge.

We're probably going to go to Orlando, which is going to cost more, so they will still make money, but they still won't waive this change fee.

Does anyone have any advice on what else I can to or who I can contact to see about getting this fee waived?

 

[Ms. Belle]

I stopped flying USAir 9 years ago due to a similar problem. I was flying from BDL to ATL and due to weather USAir cancelled the flight. I rebooked, but the day I was due to leave again, there was another storm. When I asked about getting on an earlier flight, USAir said yes, I could get on it for a $75 charge. I couldn't believe it! and they wouldn't waive it. I ended up paying the fee and then went back and forth for months with no resolution and haven't flown them since. Luckily, Song started flying from BDL and when I moved to Arkansas, I can still fly Delta pretty much everywhere. USAir stinks.

 

[MAH4546]

Although your situation is unfortunate, when you purchased the ticket you agreed to the fare rules, which state a $100 change fee. They haven't done anything wrong. Most airlines have change fees. They can't waive them because you decided to cancel your vacation, it is not their fault. If they were at fault, then they should, and would, waive the fee with no problems.

 

[debden]

Dopey Sharon,So sorry US Airways won't help you considering the situation going on right now.
Hope you don't mind I make a suggestion? Rebook your cruise right now and just wait on your tickets.You have until next April? Well in my experience anything can happen with the airlines schedule between now and then...
Just hold tight to the tickets and wait and see if any of your flights are cancelled or changed by more than a few hours.....
I had a reservation with Delta Airlines and 4 weeks before my flight I called to change my ticket and pay the $100 change fee but to my suprise (they never contacted me) they cancelled the last leg of my journey. So I was able to 'cancel' my ticket completely and get a full Refund.It worked out great because my friend was flying on US Air!!
Just keep checking your flights/times and I can almost assure you something is going to change.They keep changing flights/schedules constantly.
Whatever you decide to do,Good Luck!
Debbie

 

[Letsbgoofy]

Forgive me for not being well informed, but didn't they scrap that plan to house people on the ships? I thought I saw that on CNN last week.

 

[safetymom]

Most of the airlines have a change fee. That is what you agree to when you buy a non refundable ticket.

I suggest visiting www.flyertalk.com go to miles and points and then the USAirways forum.

 

[seashoreCM]

Ithe day I was due to leave ..., there was [a] storm. When I asked about getting on an earlier flight, USAir said yes, I could get on it for a $75 charge. nks.

Did you ask on the phone or ask when simply showing up at the airport early? If you simply showed up at the airport early, asked, refused to pay any fee, and was not let on the earlier flight which left with empty seats, you may have had a case* to get compensation from the airline in the event your original flight was cancelled, weather reasons included. This is because given all the circumstances the airline did not endeavor to transport you.

Forgive me for not being well informed, but didn't they scrap that plan to house people on the ships? I thought I saw that on CNN last week.

Some ships are now in use to house essential personnel such as police and firefighters.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

*to be ultimatedly settled in a courtroom if the airline refused to settle it at a ticket counter or by mail.

 

[Brian Noble]

Unfortunately, I don't think you are likely to get them to waive the fee, and nearly every other airline I can think of (excluding Southwest) would do the same thing. This is the risk of buying non-refundable tickets.

If you bought trip insurance, you might be able to make a claim through that, but they probably will not honor it---I would think that most insurance carriers would view this as a voluntary cancellation until the cruise line says that the specific cruise you are booked on will not sail.

 

[SB in KY]

I agree with Debden...USAir is notorious for changing/cancelling flights....and they do it every couple of months big time....I would just hold on to what I had and wait for them to change your flight times (you will have to watch, because they are terrible about notifying you)....if any of your flight times change by more than 60 minutes they will let you rebook at no charge on any flight with available seats or get a full refund for the price of your tickets.

If you were on Delta or United they would do the change/rebooking for you without a hassle....my experience has been that Continental and US Air will eventually let you change or give you a refund, but they will fight and claw until the bitter end...but hold your ground...if the Agent you speak with when you call states they cannot do it then ask for a supervisor or the customer service number...be nice but firm and insist they change your flight or offer a refund.

Since you are travelling to a different destination changing times obviously won't work for you and they are liable to buck even more if you tell them you want to fly someplace else...I would just hold out for a refund.

Since you bought a non-refundable ticket and it is not the airlines fault that Carnival might or might not run the cruise you booked, you really can't blame US Air...but I really think if you hold out they will most likely change the flight times on you and you will come out OK.

Carnival would likely have put another ship on for your cruise anyways if this one is out of service....although I think at this point deciding that your cruise would not sail might be premature...have you cancelled already??

If not you might look into holding on to what you have (air and sea) and wait it out a while longer....you can always book something else that is refundable if cancelled within a reasonable time frame as a back up (cruise or hotel) and just hold off on air reservations....it is really too early for anything you book to be reliable (from a flight time standpoint) at this point anyways.

 

[DebbieB]

I think you would have a better case if Carnival actually cancelled the cruise. At this point, it is your choice to change destinations.

Regarding standbys, USAir charges $25 per person to standby for a different flight.

 

[j's m]

...USAir is notorious for if any of your flight times change by more than 60 minutes they will let you rebook at no charge on any flight with available seats or get a full refund for the price of your tickets.

I didn't know this, US Air just changed our November flights, 55 minutes earlier on the flight to WDW and 30 minutes later on the flight home. Now I know why 55 minutes.

Sharon, good luck with them. But I wouldn't wait too long to re-book a flight if you are going over Easter, what if you hold out to not pay the no change fee and then spend even more for the airfare?

OT, I'm in Sewell!

 

[Dopey Sharon]

j's m....technically I'm in Sewell, too, but I consider this Turnersville. We just use Sewell's post office.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I booked a hotel in Orlando tonight for our dates. If this wasn't over Easter I would hold off, but I don't want to wait until March and end up with nothing.

I'm not giving up on USAirways. I contacted our local consumer news reporter today and he's going to see what he can do.

I know I bought a non-refundable ticket. I never had to change a flight before and didn't realize I would be charged $100 to do that. That is my fault. I just don't understand, considering the circumstances, why USAirways won't bend this rule a little. We're not asking for our money back, as a matter of fact, we will be paying more money.

Just because the airport opens and they can fly there, why would anyone, if the officials actually let people do that, which I doubt. They don't need that with everything else that's going on.

Thanks for listening.

 

[safetymom]

I am sure the city is glad the airport is reopening. That is a lot of people that will be able to go back to work. Think of flying through there as support for the city.

 

[MAH4546]

I just don't understand, considering the circumstances, why USAirways won't bend this rule a little. We're not asking for our money back, as a matter of fact, we will be paying more money.

Just because the airport opens and they can fly there, why would anyone, if the officials actually let people do that, which I doubt. They don't need that with everything else that's going on.

They already are bending the rules by having waived all change fees through the end of October. By the time April comes around, things will be a lot closer to normal in New Orleans, and, trust me, New Orleans residents will be very grateful to have people flying into MSY. It is not your fault, but it is not US Airways' fault either, and they shouldn't have to be penalized either.

The good news for you is that US Airways, and all other airlines, will no doubt be running a heavily reduced MSY schedule for the near future. There is a good chance your flight may be canceled in the new schedule, and that entitles you to a refund.