I have such a nightmare vacation story it doesn’t seem real…but trust me, it is. I wish it wasn’t. Let me also explain the man I was traveling with has over 1.5 MILLION air miles with American Airlines. Then when you add in all the other airlines he has flown, all over the world, he had many more miles than lots of pilots have. I am appalled at the lack of caring, disregard for passengers, rudeness, apathy and just overall poor customer service I encountered with U.S. Airways. Here is my story:
I planned 9 months ago to take my oldest son on an early graduation present. He is graduating from High School in May of this year. He has not traveled much, nor has he ever been out of the country. I booked a cruise for my son, my boyfriend, and my son’s best friend on a major cruise line 9 months ago. In February, I booked 4 airline tickets from Phoenix. We wanted to get to Miami which was where the cruise line departed from. I went to cheaptickets.com and searched flights, finding no non-stop flights. I booked the tickets for Friday morning, 3/12, at 9:45 a.m. from Phoenix to Charlotte, NC, then from Charlotte to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We made reservations for a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, and had booked a rental a car to drive from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami on Saturday, 3/13. The cruise ship was to leave from Miami on 3/13 at 5p.m.
Friday, 3/12 comes and we arrive at Sky Harbor with 2 hours to spare before our domestic flight. Here is where our nightmare starts. The tickets said United Airlines operated by U.S. Airways. We parked our car, got the bus to terminal 2 and waited in line to check-in with United Airlines – the line was not very long and we had plenty of time. When we got to the kiosk we were denied check-in. The woman who stepped in to assist us stated we were at the wrong terminal – we needed to be at U.S. Airways terminal 4. She laughed, said this happens to “everyone” and we had plenty of time to get our plane. We took all of our baggage, proceeded to the curb to wait for the bus to terminal 4.
We arrived at terminal 4 after approximately 20 minutes, only to discover the line to check in for the ticket counter snaked around the terminal, around the escalator and ended 5 feet from the exit door! I have NEVER in my 27 years here in AZ seen a line like this. It was so bad that they even had U.S. Airways representatives at the exit door to direct people to the end of the line. We got in line and waited… and waited… FINALLY it was our turn to check in. We had 45 minutes before our flight – still plenty of time. We glanced over and noticed the TSA line was almost non existent – YAY. We pulled out our reservations and tried to check in at the kiosk – again we were denied check-in. We tried and tried and tried to get someone’s attention to help us – the representatives behind the counter, working for U.S. Airways, looked at us like we were a complete annoyance. NO ONE would take 30 seconds to tell us what was going on. Finally a woman said in passing that the cut off for check-in was 45 minutes before the flight – it was now 42 minutes before the flight and we were directed to yet another line. We found out later (from the representative that the CEO of US Airways had call us) that the people behind the counter could have over-ridden the 3 minutes but no one offered to and no one bothered to explain that to us. We had no idea why we were asked to move to another line, but we did as we were told.
The other line was not very long – however apparently it was a line for people that missed flights (we hadn’t yet) and needed to make other arrangements. Turns out we waited approximately 45 minutes – and then missed our flight most definitely this time. Our questions for help and cries that we were missing our flight went on deaf ears. No one cared. Every single person behind the counter we encountered at U.S. Airways was not interested in helping; they were abrasive, rude, short tempered. I couldn’t believe the poor customer service we were getting. After trying to get another flight from the person behind this new line we were in, and learning there were NO flights to be had (it was spring break) and no way to get to Florida for days, and also finding out that our flight was overbooked by many, many people and we probably would not have gotten on anyway (that was actually said to us), we were told to check in our bags (we did) and try to get on the next standby flight to Charlotte.
We went to the gate, and discovered we could not get on that flight…or the next….or the next…or the next….we were bumped from gate to gate to gate. Every gate we got the exact same response – the flight was overbooked by 20 people, by 12 people, by 15 people – no room and you can’t get on. After the last late afternoon flight, we were told they could get us on the 11:59 p.m. redeye to Charlotte – we had assigned seats – Row 4, Seats c, d, e and f. We checked in at the gate as soon as someone was there. I verified – TWICE – because I wanted to make sure we were on that flight – with the person behind the counter that we WERE on that flight. They call our zone…all 4 of us take our tickets and proceed to try to board. Two of the four of us have good, valid tickets – but two of us were denied boarding – even though we had assigned seats! I tried to protest – the person that was taking the tickets was the exact person who had verified my tickets 90 minutes before! He advised us “don’t worry, these two WILL be on this flight.” I felt relieved and boarded the plane with my son’s best friend.
We waited…the remainder of our party didn’t board. Two complete strangers sat down in the seats that were supposed to be for my son and my boyfriend. I asked to see their tickets – they had the same seat assignment! I used my cell and called my son, still at the counter. Somehow two of our reservations had fallen out of the computer and they could not board. The plane was oversold – AGAIN – and they could not get on. The plane prepared to close the doors. I got up and asked to get off. I was told under no circumstances was I allowed off the plane – they were closing the doors. I was insistent – they were leaving my minor child in the airport without his guardian or parent. I grabbed our bags and rushed off the plane just as the doors were closing. A manager was yelling at me as I exited the plane that I was not to get any refund, my ticket was “used” and I wasn’t allowed on another flight. I was NOT leaving my son in the airport – 2 of us were not going on a cruise that was made for four.
Because of the huge mix-up (it was their fault and they admitted it to us that our reservation “fell out” of the computer system), U.S. Airways finally got us on a flight at 6:30 a.m. Saturday 3/13. We still had time to make our cruise if we got on this flight to Charlotte. We were out the money for the hotel in Ft. Lauderdale that night – we slept at the airport while the same manager who previously yelled at me got us assigned seats for the first morning flight. He told us not to worry, he would get us on the Charlotte flight either the top of the standby list or assigned seats and we should just get on the plane. Six-thirty a.m. comes – we get on the plane – finally we are on our way. Things get worse…
We get to Charlotte. We have 2 hours between flights so we go to the baggage office to check on our bags. We find out our bags are in Ft. Lauderdale. We asked to have the bags brought to Miami seaport terminal and put on the cruise line. We were ASSURED that would happen. We try to check in at the counter for the Charlotte to Miami flight – SURPRISE we have no flight and no seats. Overbooked again. We are told to try to get on standby. This would be the 6th flight we try to make to get to Miami. Turns out we don’t get on this flight either. This was the last flight we could have taken to make the cruise.
***We are stranded in Charlotte…..with two teenagers…..we have no hotel….we have no luggage……we have missed our cruise…we have been wearing the same clothes for two days. We go to the customer service office in Charlotte for U.S. Airways. We explain our story to two people behind the counter – one is a supervisor, a man. We explain we are stranded and don’t know what to do. His exact response – mind you this is from a supervisor – is “SO? What do you want us to do about it?”
After much prodding from the teenagers, we decide to pursue at least trying to get the cruise ship in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Unfortunately that is the 2nd port of call – the first is Labadee, Haiti and even if we could get into the airport there, we probably would not have been able to get to the ship. Our luggage should be on the ship as previously promised so we should be good. We try online to get one-way tickets to Montego Bay. They show sold out. I call U.S. Airways – I am on hold an hour…I finally hang up and decide to go to the ticket counter two levels below us. We are still at the airport. We get 4 one-way tickets to Jamaica – however we get charged an additional $45.00 because we made the reservation at the airport! We get a hotel in Ocho Rios, then we get a hotel in Charlotte and rent a car. We have to go to Wal-Mart – we have to buy essentials: toothbrushes, clothes, danties, beach shoes, swim suit, combs, brushes, etc. We get up the next day and get to the Charlotte airport – we check on the status of our bags. They are NOT on the ship as promised. They are still sitting in Ft. Lauderdale – surprise surprise. The baggage office promises to send our bags to Montego Bay from Ft. Lauderdale and we are on our way.
Yes, we finally do catch up with the ship and get 1 1/2 days of a 5 day cruise on the ship thanks to U.S. Airways. However when we disembark in Miami, and call to confirm our return flight to Phoenix, we learn that our return flight has been cancelled and we have no way back to Phoenix! I guess because we didn’t complete our 2nd leg of our flight, we were “dropped out” of the computer – again. Of course we didn’t make the 2nd leg of the flight but it was their fault! Cross off another 2 hours on the telephone to try to get return tickets to Phoenix.
We are out: 3 1/2 days of a $5K cruise, hotel in Ft. Lauderdale that we didn’t get to stay in, cost of hotel in Charlotte, cost of rental car in Charlotte, clothes and necessities for 4 people for 3 days since we had no luggage, food in the airport for all of Friday, food for Charlotte, four 1-way tickets to Montego Bay, hotel in Jamaica for 2 days, food in Jamaica for 2 days.
Immediately my boyfriend wrote a letter to the CEO of U.S. Airways who promptly had someone contact my BF. The person said they were concerned about the lack of customer service we got, however they ACT like they want to help you but that’s not what we equated to”help.” We were offered vouchers for the flights to Jamaica (that means we have to fly with them again? No THANKS and that doesn’t help me pay for my American Express bill) and the cost of the hotel in NC. That was IT.
At this point, we are so dissatisfied and frustrated by the lack of customer care, the rudeness, the apathy, the uncaring attitude of all the U.S. Airways people we have run into in every city we encountered, both on the telephone and in person, that we don’t know what else to do. Any help you could assist us with in trying to recover some of our loss (we have complete documentation, receipts, etc) would be greatly appreciated.
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