How to ‘executive bomb’ US Airways

by Jerry Guo on

So normally it’s not wise to utter the word “bomb” in the same breath when you’re talking about flying. But what to do if you’ve had a horrible experience with an airline, and customer service just won’t help you out?

Last week I posted about the five worst airlines in the US, which got a lot of comments. One of the readers wrote in about getting screwed on US Airways when he did them a favor and volunteered to take a later flight due to overbooking. But surprise surprise, US Airways was no help when he complained.

We have tried calling and writing to their Consumer Relations office. At this point, we have realized that our 24 hour delay was made on the basis of a false promise. Obviously, we will try to never fly on US Airways again; if we must, we will certainly never volunteer to be bumped.

So is this the end of the road? No, thanks to a technique perfected by the good folks over at Consumerist. It’s called “executive bombing,” in which you go straight pass the lowly customer service people to either senior management or the “elite” customer service desk, which takes care of the really angry customers. To do this, you’ll need to track down the contact info for these people, which I’ll talk about in a coming post. For now, here’s the number for US Airways Executive Office: 877-369-6512. Go get ’em.

The five worst US airlines

by Jerry Guo on

These rankings are straight from the US government (courtesy of the Department of Transportation), so at least they’re not entirely biased. Based off the number of complaints, the five worst US airlines are Northwest, Delta, United, American, and US Airways (being the worst).

None of this is especially surprising, other than maybe that complaints are surging–as usual. But what is surprising is that America’s most hated airline, US Airways (sadly most US travelers will agree with you hands-down on their status), is equally hated, if not more so, by its own employees. Ouch.

In a New York Times story, one worker wrote in, “… I hate to tell you but the interiors of our plans [sic] smell bad and they are filthy. As an employee I am embarrassed to admit working for US Airways.” It was also revealed how far the airline will go to cut costs–they’re currently on the lookout for a cheaper supplier of their famous pretzels. Right now, each package costs roughly 3 cents.

I’ve had several bad experiences with US Airways, though to their credit, the last time they randomly canceled my flight–and had the nerves to blame it on the weather–they ended up agreeing to send me a $250 voucher. But I generally go out of my way to avoid flying with them. And so should you!

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US Airways: no alcohol in or over New Mexico

by Catherine Bodry on

New Mexico‘s Regulation and Licensing Department has denied US Airways a permit to serve alcohol in the state — and that includes the state’s airspace.
The decision came after a temporary 90-day permit expired, which was put into place after a passenger who was allegedly over-served on a US flight got behind the wheel. Dana Pabst then drove the wrong way down I25 and hit a van carrying a family of 5. Everyone 6 people including Pabst were killed.

Other incidents where flight attendants reportedly over-served passengers were also taken into account.

US Airways can apply again for a state liquor license, but the company would have to show that it was “prepared to meet New Mexico standards in their practices.”

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The Airlines Hate Us

by Jonathon Morgan on

Airlines are treating their passengers worse than ever, with customer service blunders on the rise for the third year in a row. According to the annual Airline Quality Rating, last year saw more people bumped, more bags lost, and more flights delayed than in 2005.

Worst of all, it looks like things will continue to go downhill. An industry spokesman told the Associated Press that because the number of flights is exceeding the capacity of air traffic controllers, “We’re going to see more delays and those delays translate to cancellations, mishandled bags and unhappy passengers.”

United — who’s stranding of passengers for hours on runways wasn’t included because it was weather-related — tied for the most-complained-about airline with US Airawys, while Southwest registered the fewest complaints.

I’m at the point where I almost expect some kind of delay when I’m at the airport. But what about you, is the change noticeable? Any flight-delay horror stories you’d like to share?

US Airways To Stop Serving Alcohol on New Mexico Flights, For Now

by Willy Volk on

On November 11, Dan Papst had some drinks while aboard a US Airways flight. When he de-planed, he swung by a convenience store and bought beer. Soon after, he was involved in a fatal drunk driving accident, which killed five members of one family as well as Papst, himself. Tests revealed Papst had a BAC four times the state’s legal limit for driving.

After an investigation revealed the airline did not have a liquor license, New Mexico’s Regulation and Licensing Department ordered the airline to stop serving alcohol on flights to or from the state. According to Ed Lopez, superintendent of the Department, the lack of a license means the airline is engaging in bootlegging. The airline has about two weeks to notify state regulators that it has stopped serving alcohol, at which point it may apply for a liquor license. In the meantime, grape juice is the hardest thing US Airways is going to be serving.