US Airways: CLT-EWR-CLT 16 Apr-20 Apr 2012 by Bruce

Thanks to my compadre in travel, Bruce, for reviving my blog!

Mon., 16 Apr 2012
US1972 dep CLT 15:10 arr EWR 17:06 (737-400)

Fri., 20 Apr 2012
US1291 dep EWR 13:15 arr CLT 15:09 (737-400)

It’s been five months since I was last on a plane, so I got to the airport extra early to soak up the atmosphere. As is normal at Charlotte, the shuttles from the long term lot bunch up – nothing for ten minutes and then three in a row. I was finally at the terminal at 12:00 where I easily printed a replacement boarding pass at one of the US kiosks. This flight will be credited to Mileage Plus and my Star Gold status meant that it printed with Zone 1.

Security was a breeze with no queue at the B terminal where I used the priority lane even though there was no one waiting in the regular lane. There are still none of the advanced screening devices there, so I emptied my stuff into bins, removed my shoes and belt and pulled my laptop. I did not set off the magnetometer and did not earn any additional screening. The TSOs were friendly.

A 20-minute shoe shine ($5 plus $2 tip) and then I spent two hours in the C/D Club. Free soft drinks and the snacks were good – fruit and a big bowl of pretzels. I liked the individual packs of Milano cookies and grabbed a handful for later.

At the gate (the last one in the C terminal), they were offering $250 vouchers for volunteers. I was tempted, but the next flight wasn’t until 9 PM. Boarding was called right on time with F and then by zone. The gate fleas were not too bad.

Seat 5A in Y is the second row in coach. There was plenty of room in the overhead when I got there but the seat was far from Choice. No premium economy and a tight pitch. A married couple exchanged with a guy across the aisle so that they could have B and C. I did not see any empty seats in the aircraft.

We pushed back on time, were first for takeoff on 36L and there was a beverage service (half can, no lime) that was picked up a half hour later. Decent into Newark was from the north and the landing was good. We were at the gate a few minutes later, which was 14 minutes ahead of schedule. I was out at the taxi stand a few minutes later.

For the return, more of the same. The ID check for the concourse was well backed up, even for priority passengers. That took ten minutes and they pulled a few people forward who were headed to Miami. There was a whole body scanner being used for one of the security lanes, but I bypassed that and went further in where there was not one of those. I did not set off the magnetometer and was not selected for additional screening. Security took about 20 minutes from start to finish.

The concourse where US has its gates is served by an Admirals Club, so I had a sandwich at Phillips Seafood and then waited with the rest of the cattle. Boarding was again F first, then Zone 1. The usual obliviots with Zone 2 and higher were standing in the flow.

Otherwise, the flight was the same. It could well have been the same aircraft as the outbound with the same tight pitch and lack of power or IFE. Smooth flight, half can, and we landed 15 minutes early on runway 23.

Summary: I’m glad I decided to keep my UA status and not return to US. The lack of premium economy, power, and IFE would make this a very uncomfortable flight for anything more than a short trip. There’s no way I could do a transcon in that seat. When we talk about a bus in the sky, this is it. The rest of my flights to Newark on this engagement will be on United metal. Grade: C.

Total Trip Cost: $ 406.10
Actual Airfare: $ 359.07
Actual Miles Flown: 1057
Yield: $ 0.340 per mile
Taxes & Fees: $ 47.03, 11.58% of ticket price

My latest trip on US Airways

As some of my friends and followers know, I have a sordid relationship with US Airways. It was my carrier of choice until after a disastrous year of air travel in 2007, where I earned around $1200 in vouchers due to countless incidences of mishandled irregular operations and poor customer service. I went from Chairman’s Preferred to Platinum Preferred to Silver Preferred to non-elite from 2007-2009. I still find it hard to give US Airways my money.

Recently I flew a four-segment, roundtrip award ticket to Providence, RI on US Airways by redeeming Continental OnePass miles. Overall, the travel was just OK. It was very basic transportation. The two longer, mainline segments between Charlotte and Providence were honestly quite boring. There is no in-flight entertainment, no power outlets for one’s own portable electronic devices, no Gogo inflight Internet, and no food at all (free or for sale). There is one pass of the beverage cart.

One incident I found bothersome is that US Airways, like other carriers, sells “Choice” and exit row seats. Before departing Charlotte, a flight attendant invited anyone to come sit in the exit row. There was a lady seated there who had paid an extra $27 for her exit row seat and she was upset that people were invited to sit there for free. In this case, I think the flight attendant was just trying to help people have more room, but what she did was contrary to company policy. The woman who purchased the seat had a right to be angry and she told the flight attendant she would be writing to complain. I don’t blame her. Either sell the seats or don’t sell the seats, but don’t give away paid seats in front of paying customers.

My trip ended with a delayed US Airways Express flight. First we had no aircraft, then no crew, and then we sat on the runway for at least 30 minutes waiting in line to take off. When I arrived at my home airport, my bag didn’t make it, and I had to stop and file a baggage claim. The end result was that I arrived late for an appointment and my bag was delivered five hours later.

My recommendation regarding US Airways is that if you want a no-frills, bare-bones method of air travel, then this is the airline for you. However, if you want more, select another carrier.

TRI-CLT-SFO roundtrip on US Airways 11-14 July 2011

This was a 50,000-mile first class award ticket redemption booked on continental.com. It was very easy to research and book and I was able to find the US Airways record locator by entering my flight number and passenger name at usairways.com. I was automatically assigned seats according to my preference (aisle).

The day I was scheduled to depart, I went to check in for my TRI-CLT flight and usairways.com wouldn’t let me. Then I checked my BlackBerry and my first flight had been canceled, according to the Tripit Pro alert I received. Since I am affiliated with a travel agency, I called the US Airways travel agent center to be rebooked. Luckily there was another flight option I could take so that I could make my original connection to SFO. However, I was never notified directly by US Airways that my flight was canceled.

The rebooked first flight was rather uneventful, except that it was blazing hot on the Dash 8-100 prop plane. The flight attendant said that US Airways almost canceled that flight due to the heat. It was in the 90s on the East Coast and she indicated that maintenance would be waiting on the plane upon its arrival in CLT. To help compensate for the heat, she offered us an unscheduled beverage service.

Upon arriving in CLT, I spent my time waiting in the club until I received a Tripit Pro alert, not a US Airways alert, that my flight was delayed until 6:40 pm. Around 6:10 pm, I headed to the gate and when I arrived, the gate agent announced that there was a weather/ATC delay into SFO and that he had not received any updates from operations except that the flight’s wheels-up time was estimated to be 8:45 pm. However, he advised customers to stay in the gate area. 6:40 pm came and went with no further updates, so I returned to the club and hoped that I could rely on my Tripit Pro alerts to keep me informed. When I reached the club, I overheard another passenger on my flight asking the club agent the CLT-SFO flight status and the club agent promised to contact the gate and monitor the flight. After that, there was no further information about the flight provided. The flight even dropped off the departure board, as operations neglected to keep the ETD current.  Finally at 7:45 pm, the club agent announced that customers should go to the gate for an 8:00 pm boarding time. The flight did board around that time and we pushed back and headed toward the runway. However, just short of the runway, the pilot announced that the plane was overheating and we had to return to the gate. We spent another hour at the gate while the plane was repaired and finally took off around 9:40 pm, three and a half hours late. In-flight service in first class consisted of two dinner choices and beverage service. There was no pre-departure beverage, no hot towel service, no snack basket, no in-flight entertainment, and the Gogo Inflight Internet was inoperable. It was a long five hours to SFO. We arrived three hours late. My bags arrived after about a 45-minute wait.

My return was scheduled for 7:25 am July 14. This was the one, near perfect flight of the trip. I was able to check in quickly and pass through the security checkpoint by way of a first class/elite line. I was not chosen for the full body scanner, but instead the metal detector, because apparently there was a problem with the scanner and the agent called for someone to “recalibrate it.” We boarded on time: specials, first class, then by zone. There was no pre-departure beverage service or snack basket service, as catering did not provide snacks. However, the Gogo Inflight Internet worked, the in-flight beverage service was plentiful, there was hot towel service prior to the meal, and there was a choice of two breakfast entrées. We arrived early, but were given an arrival gate change at the last minute, so we arrived at the new gate a few minutes late.

I hurried from gate B13 to E29 for my connection.  Around our scheduled departure time, 4:12 pm, the gate agent announced a delay until 4:40 pm due to a late-arriving crew. Finally the crew arrived, we boarded, and we took off close to our delayed departure time.  There was no in-flight service, but the flight attendant did have time to sit and chat with one of the passengers.

Upon arrival in TRI, my two bags, tagged Star Alliance Priority, arrived as scheduled.

Grade = C-

*Only one of four flights was not canceled or delayed; customer service and communication regarding the canceled and delayed flights were poor; there was simply nothing to do on the CLT-SFO flight with no in-flight entertainment and inoperable Gogo Inflight Internet. The saving grace was the one on-time flight.

Thanksgiving Travel on US Airways

Wed., Nov. 24, 2010:
US 2370 departing TRI at 1:00 PM arriving CLT at 2:02 PM CRJ Seat 4D aisle
US 1490 departing CLT at 4:11 PM arriving LGA at 6:00 PM A321 Seat 22D exit aisle (Thanks, Tad!)

Sat., Nov. 27, 2010:
US 2181 departing LGA at 4:00 PM arriving DCA at 5:16 PM E190 Seat 12C exit aisle (Snagged when I checked in Saturday)
US 3109 departing DCA at 6:30 PM arriving CLT at 7:56 PM E175 Seat 7D aisle (There are no exit rows on the E175)
US 2559 departing CLT at 10:35 PM arriving TRI at 11:31 PM CRJ Seat 4D aisle (But I moved to 3C to have a row to myself)

My trip report is very brief. All flights operated on time and arrived either early or on time, except for my LGA arrival, which was only about 15 minutes late, as the flight boarded very slowly due to many pre-boards (imagine that on Thanksgiving Eve)! All flights were full or nearly full except for the CLT-TRI late last night. The service in coach was very basic on all flights:  complimentary beverages, alcohol for sale (except the Shuttle flight, where beer and wine are complimentary), and snacks for sale, except for the legs in and out of TRI, which are beverages by request only. There is no IFE, as you know. The CLT-LGA flight had Gogo Inflight Internet for purchase, which I used. The flight attendants were efficient and professional, but not friendly. The friendliest was one on the A321, the one who sat in the jump seat facing my row. I did not receive beverage service CLT-LGA due to some turbulence and the pilots asked the flight attendants to discontinue service. I checked a bag both ways and it arrived as scheduled. First class on the shuttle was offered for $50, but I declined, as I knew beer and wine were free anyway, it’s a short flight, and I knew I was going to sit in the exit row.

I visited the LGA, CLT, and DCA clubs with my Continental Presidential Plus MasterCard/Presidents Club membership. I appreciate the quiet and free Wi Fi, but I don’t like that only certain beers and wines are free and others are for sale. The freebies included Beringer Merlot, Beringer Chardonnay, Bud, and Bud Light in the LGA club.

Grade = B+, good service, but nothing above and beyond and no in-flight amenities except Gogo Inflight Internet on one flight.

Follow up to when Beth Effect strikes 29 June 2010

Below is the US Airways Customer Relations response to my mechanical delay, baggage misroute/delay (it was misrouted to LaGuardia, not JFK), and return flight tarmac delay.  Is it me, or does 8000 miles come across as too little compensation?  Please post your thoughts.

Dear Dr. Smith:

Thank you for contacting Customer Relations. I’m sorry your flight was delayed/canceled from Charlotte to LaGuardia.

Please accept my apology for the disappointing service you received on Flight 1630. Our customers deserve a pleasurable experience each and every time they fly with us, and I am sorry this trip did not meet your expectations. Your comments regarding our service are important, and we appreciate your taking the time to tell us about your experience. Through your feedback, we will be able to isolate and correct the problems you described.

We would appreciate another chance to earn your business. I have authorized 8,000 Dividend Miles to be added to your account as an invitation for you to travel with us again. Please allow 10 to 14 days for the miles to post in your Dividend Miles account. Your comments regarding your luggage not arriving with you have been documented and will be shared with the John F. Kennedy station manager. We are sorry that you had an unpleasant experience on this trip.

We have sent notification to the maintenance department regarding the temperature on your flight. The maintenance department appreciates your feedback and will look into this issue.

We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns and hope you continue to choose US Airways as your preferred carrier.

Sincerely,

xxxxx
Representative
US Airways Corporate Office

Geni Gore
Representative
US Airways Corporate Office

When Beth Effect strikes

Friends jokingly call my air travel challenges the “Beth Effect,” and when I have one of those, it’s usually a doozy.  This past weekend would definitely qualify.

Friday, June 25:
I was scheduled to fly TRI-CLT-LGA on US Airways to attend the Travel Blog Exchange conference. How ironic! The ticket was a Continental mileage award redemption.  The TRI-CLT flight was uneventful. However, the next flight was the beginning of the Beth Effect. We boarded, pushed back, and started to taxi, when the pilot noticed a problem with the hydraulic system readings. We returned to the gate and spent the next two hours on board while maintenance tried to fix the problem by replacing a computer and cleaning sensor contacts. Around 8:15 pm, we were told to deplane and see an agent, as their efforts had not been successful.  Many passengers formed a line to see the gate agent, while I proceeded to a nearly empty Special Services counter, where the agent rerouted both me and my bag to a 10:09 pm departure to JFK.  The flight to JFK was fine, but upon arrival, no bag. The JFK baggage agent checked and of course, my bag was never pulled and rerouted, but sitting at LGA, most likely having remained on the LGA flight which ended up flying after all.  She filed a claim and requested delivery to my hotel in Manhattan.

Saturday, June 26:
Although my bag was sitting at LaGuardia since the evening before, it did not arrive my hotel until almost 6:00 pm.  Because I had a conference to attend, my boyfriend in Westchester County had to drive to Manhattan to bring me clothes and toiletries so I could make the afternoon sessions.

Sunday, June 27:
I tried to do online check-in for my return flights and received an error message that my reservation was “out of sync” and I needed to call US Airways Web Support.  I did, and after being on hold for about 15 minutes, the agent came back and said I needed to see an agent at LGA on Monday.  Frustrated, I contacted a supervisor friend at US Airways who was able to fix the check-in problem.

Monday, June 28:
I arrived the airport very early, so I went to the US Airways Club.  The club agent saw how late my departure was and that thunderstorms were approaching, so she tried to change my itinerary to an earlier one.  No matter what she tried, the system would not let her change anything but my LGA-BWI leg.  After doing so and calling the US Airways Help Desk, a boarding pass would not print and she kept receiving an “invalid flight” error message. She sent me to the gate and the gate agents received the same message, so they sent me to Special Services.  The agent there called US Airways Help Desk again and I was finally able to obtain a boarding pass.

The new flight to BWI was delayed to a late inbound aircraft, but we quickly boarded by 2:30 pm.   However, due to storms in the BWI area, we were subjected to a two-hour ground stop aboard our US Airways Express Dash 8 with no air conditioning.  The flight attendant did serve drinks and brought a small bag of ice to a passenger who was evidently overheated.  Once we took off, it was another hour with little to no air conditioning.  Needless to say, I was suffering from heat exhaustion when I deplaned.  I went to the restroom and accidentally left my BlackBerry there in a cosmetic bag and when I rushed back to retrieve it, someone had already taken it.

The next flight to CLT was also delayed to a late inbound aircraft.  However, we did board quickly and departed around 8:30 pm, about 35 minutes late, and arrived CLT at 9:45 pm.  My last flight to TRI was on time and uneventful.

In retrospect, there is obviously something wrong with the baggage system and issues with certain types of tickets.  It’s unacceptable that my bag was not pulled from the LGA flight and put on the JFK flight, when there was nearly a two-hour time block to do so.  It’s also unacceptable that gate/club/special services agents have to call a help desk to complete simple transactions and that agents are not empowered by the system to proactively move customers to their final destination in the most expeditious manner.

LGA-CLT on US Airways 26 May 2010

US 1509 LGA-CLT 8:15-10:13 am Seat 22D Exit Aisle A321 secured at midnight Tempe time. (The exit rows were wide open!)

Pre-departure: Showed one lady how to use a kiosk and watched a couple try to get yogurt and water through the security checkpoint. Busted!

US Airways Clubs in LGA and CLT: Best perk of my CO Presidential Plus MasterCard so far, being able to use US clubs while flying US and the ATL CO club in D. Both clubs were nice, quiet, relaxing and the agents were friendly at both locations.

Boarding: First Class, specials, then by zone.

Departure and Arrival: Pushed back four minutes early and arrived 15 minutes early, but there was some ground traffic in CLT, the new ATL.

In-flight Service: Full beverage and snacks for sale and Gogo Inflight. The FA nearest me was very friendly. DCA-based crew.

Credit Card Spiel: One of the hardest and best! The 25,000 mile free flight + 500 mile bonus is only good for today, so please fill out your applications on this flight and return them to the crew! Don’t let this offer pass you by!

Seatmate: Roxy Perry (and her hubby) – New York Blues Queen Bio here: http://www.roxyperry.com/gigs/biography.htm. MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/roxyperrynybq. Headed to: May 29 2010 8:00P THE JOKER’S WILD FREEPORT BAHAMAS, BS

US Airways Club at LaGuardia: A Review

I realized today that I haven’t been to this club, or to the US Airways LaGuardia Terminal, since 2008. So I thought a brief review was in order.

The club is still very relaxing and the free Internet rocks, although as a “guest,” I had to ask for a T-Mobile access code. How pre-merger Delta!

Most of the clientele was businesspeople. It wasn’t crowded.

For breakfast hours, there were muffins, yogurt, coffee, and choice of juices. They do still have US Airways-logo silverware and glassware.

The snacks at “lunchtime” include Fiesta Snack Mix and Kettle Classics® Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt chips.

I also decided to check out the bar. The free beer choices are Bud/Bud Light and the free wine choices are Berenger’s. Other adult beverages are “premium” selections and cost additionally. Boo. So, this Bud Light’s for you!

Score = B

US Airways Preferred Seats

Source:   http://ffocus.org/?q=node/203

Fri, 2010-04-02 21:23 — FFOCUS

US Airways launched a new program on March 17, 2010, entitled “Preferred Seats.”  In a March 16, 2010, e-mail to its Dividend Mile Preferred customers, US Airways stated “To give you access in advance to the best seats in Coach, we’re reserving select seats in front, plus the exit rows, exclusively for Preferred members. When you book, you won’t have to compete with other passengers for a limited number of Choice Seats.”

What US Airways failed to clearly communicate to their Preferred members in the body of the announcement is that “Choice Seats,” which were previously available to Preferred members at any time in advance, for no charge, are no longer available in advance, and they are no longer complimentary for Preferred members.  This information was buried in the “Frequently Asked Questions” section, which required clicking into an additional link.

If you are a Dividend Miles Preferred member, FFOCUS would like to know how  this affects you.   We think some of you might not be affected, but for most Preferreds, this will be a negative change.  US Airways is still allowing Preferred members to reserve exit row seats in advance, at no charge.  But not every Preferred member is willing and/or able to sit in the exit row, so US Airways sets aside seats in the front portion of the aircraft for their best customers, who often book their flights very close to their travel date, when most leisure travelers have already bought their tickets and reserved the desirable seats.

The ability to reserve decent coach seats at the last minute is one of the few “perks” left for elite travelers since the reduction of capacity has led to a lower rate of upgrade success, with elites competing for fewer first class seats.  US Airways is still allocating some seats towards the front of the cabin as “Preferred Seats,” which are reserved for Preferred members to book for free, any time in advance.  But the number of “Preferred Seats” is reduced by about 50%, so US Airways can ensure a certain number of “Choice Seats,” which will only be available for purchase to all customers, regardless of their elite status.

No other airline has implemented a policy in which their own elites must pay for any seat in the economy cabin.  FFOCUS is opposed to this policy, and has contacted Management at US Airways to request that they reverse it.  We have made it clear that the Preferred members who will be most adversely affected by this policy are the ones who pay the highest fares.   If you read through the posts on Flyertalk in the attached thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-airways-dividend-miles/1063768-preferred-vs-choice-seats-preferred-members-no-longer-have-access-choice-seats.html, you will see examples of how Dividend Miles Preferred members are getting burned when they book last minute travel on US Airways.  And now US Airways has re-designed their online seat maps so that all “Choice Seats” appear “occupied” until check-in time, when they become available for purchase.

As of this time, US Airways has not responded to FFOCUS.  We therefore need your assistance in making your voice heard.  If you are a Dividend Miles Preferred member, please e-mail customer.relations@usairways.com and express your displeasure.  Even if you believe that this policy does not affect you because you “always” book your travel well in advance, we all have had unforeseen situations come up in which we have had to travel on very short notice, and pay several times the lowest coach fare.  A number of our members have indicated that this is the change which will drive them away once and for all.

If you have already been burned by this policy, or it has so angered you that you are now buying tickets on other carriers, please send US Airways copies of every ticket purchase which they lost because of their shortsightedness. It is important that US Airways sees hard evidence of how much lost revenue this decision is costing them, and how many dollars they are losing by reaching for pennies.

Please help FFOCUS continue our mission to advocate for airline customers all over, and in this particular case US Preferred customers. The discussion for this issue on FFOCUS’ board is: http://www.ffocus.org/members/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5192

Thank you for your cooperation.

US 4165 LGA-ROA 5 July 2009

US 4165 LGA-ROA 8:19 am-10:39 am Dash 8-100 Seat 4C Exit

What a way to end my US Airways flying!  We boarded only 15 minutes before departure–and quickly–as there were only 17 passengers (of 37 seats).  Luckily I had no seatmate again.  During boarding, a passenger called the flight attendant to her row  to remove a dirty diaper from her seat area!  The flight attendant had to retrieve a plastic bag to pick it up and remove it!  Yuck!

We pushed back at 8:20 am and were airborne by 8:34 am.  The flight attendant made an announcement that adult beverages and Power Nap Sacks were available for $7.  I decided to have a Bloody and a Nap Sack, a souvenir of my last flight.  Well, catering did not provide any Nap Sacks–the flight attendant said she always asks for them and never gets them–then she gave me a full cup of tomato juice w/ice and vodka mini, after inquiring, “What liquor goes in a Bloody Mary?”  I thought perhaps she was out of Bloody Mary mix, until she came back later and apologized for giving me the wrong mixer.

On top of that, the flight attendant, nor the pilots or other passengers, had any change for my $20.  She also did not have a handheld device for credit cards, since Piedmont has not yet been provided with them, nor snacks to sell.  So she offered to sell me two more Bloodies TO GO, so I’d owe her $21, which I had.  At this point, I felt so badly for her that I gave her the $21 and packed up my two minis and can of Mr and Mrs T.

But I can’t complain, right, because we arrived at ROA early at 10:26 am.

Flight = A
Flight Attendant = C
Cleaning and Catering = F