A Terminal in PHL.

[galley princess]

Holly,
You are mistaken, although it's easy to see why. PHL signage leaves a lot to be desired. The two terminals are connected. The problem was you were using your brain instead of the "don't think just read the signage". US has counters in A west, B and C. A East is largely AA, BA, LH, etc. AWest does indeed say International Terminal, but in typical PHL fashion, has domestic flights.

If it makes you feel any better when my family moved to PHL from the midwest umpteen years ago they concluded that Philadelphians assumed if you didn't know where you were going in the city, you shouldn't be going there. The city of PHL also thinks signs are to be used sparingly.

A West is a nice terminal, it just needs a good coffee bar and more food.

 

[legacy-to-LCC]

Let me just add. Do you on the East realize how good the place/concourse A terminal really is? JFK, EWR, and IAD can't compare how nice accomadations that are in PHL. I would love to see a great structure come out West for once! PHX, LAX, SFO, SEA, etc suck big time! The runway's and delays might be hefty in PHL, but be proud of the accomadations. DFW, DEN, and ATL are the only airports I would give bigger compliments.

it IS a gorgeous terminal; glad you were able to experience it!! i believe sally refers to it as "emerald city"!

what sucks is that A west does not reflect the business crapual service model that doug & company have imposed on our airline. if only our international product were commensurate with the beauty of the terminal...

it once was...

 

[Holly]

If there is a connection between these two terminals, it is a well-kept secret!
I asked several airport personnell and they all told me that you have to go outside to get from one section to the other.

Here's what happened that same morning when I entered the Internationa Terminal A for my Charlotte flight:
(My husband drove me to the airport a little early so he wouldn't be late for work.)
I walked up to the counter and told the lady that I was e ticketed for the Charlotte fight.
This woman - sloveny, overweight with stains down the front of her uniform, curtly said to me
"Your not trying to get on the 8:30 flight"
No...my flight actually was 10 AM.

Is this any way to run an airline?

Recently I picked up my sister coming in from Charlotte...the plane landed at a Terminal A gate...
I went meet her at baggage claim as we had arranged...and there was no one there.

Airport personnell told me that baggage from that flight was being delivered to terminal B...OK!
That totally makes sense. So I went over to that terminal...(much better weather).
There was the luggage...but no passengers.
Then they started trickling in. The passengers from that flight were given no information at all
about where to claim their baggage.
This is the first impression that many tourists get.

 

[galley princess]

Actually, I apologize, I now understand what you're saying.

You're right, there is no connection between the terminals on the ticketing level, and that's where passengers enter and get boarding passes--duh. Let me guess, someone gets dropped off at B--where the big sign says UsAirways, and then realizes that they have to go to A West, because they have an international flight. Of course our lovely customer service reps won't check you in there, they make you walk outside back to A west, because you can't go through security until you're checked in and you can't check in at B. Got it.

That is an unfortunate vagary of PHL. It's an airport that started with two terminals and just kept adding on. I agree, it's really not customer friendly. Since I whiz by and can enter at any terminal, go thru security and traverse to my gate I really didn't think of that.

In the reasonable world, a company with this frequent of a problem would designate a desk where an international passenger could be accomodated. But remember, this is Philly we're talking about and then add UsAirways. Reason never enters into it.

Sorry again for misunderstanding you.

Geez, no wonder passengers are so cranky when they get to the airplane.

 

[Holly]

No apologies necessary...Actually I'm a former galley princess and totally understand the forces at work around customer satisfaction.
Unless and until the airline management start to think about the passengers there will be no improvement.

I had to consider the flight to Charlotte that day a good experience - despite the fact that we took off an hour late and arrived in Charlotte on time - compared to previous flights.

Last June our family was traveling to Maui for a wedding. I spent several hours arranging the best flights, connections and seats for two of us to join the rest in PHX and all take the same flight to the island. The day before I logged on to see if we could get better seats, but the flight to PHX was full.

That evening, I logged on again to check the gate and found a message that the flight to PHX had been cancelled! No explanation - just a direction to call the main reservation number to rebook...which I did. The person on the other end of the line was helpful, but had a pronounced accent which made it hard to understand. After about 20 minutes the line simply went dead. I called again to try to get a flight and when I explained our predicament the line went dead again! My impression, they didn't want to have a problem call. On the third try, I asked where the person was located - Manilla, Phillipines!
Well, the result was we were told there was nothing available for the original day we were scheduled to travel. This agent booked us from PHL to Las Vegas with a connection to PHX and then to Maui. I had cleaned out the refrigerator, taken the dog to his nanny, packed everything. And now we weren't able to travel on the day we had scheduled 4 months prior. No weather problems...no explanation.

Long story, and 2 1/2 days later we finally got to Maui. Not through PHX...
Here is our itinerary:
Philadelphia to Las Vegas flight delayed missed connection
Las Vegas to SFO - stay overnight in SFO at our expense.
SFO next day to HNL - flight delayed 4 hours
HNL to Maui - arrived Friday evening. (Original plans had us arriving Wednesday afternoon.)

At every step of the way we ran into beaten down, burned out airline employees, with two exceptions. In Las Vegas the agent who was able to get us a flight out of there that day. That flight - to SFO - was cancelled minutes before boarding. We raced back to the counter (against instructions to stay there and form a line for rebooking) back to the counter and a man said "Just go to gate 42 and I'll make it happen." There was another flight to SFO just about to leave and we got the last remaining seats. Were it not for him, had we stayed in Las Vegas overnight
(we were also told there were hotel rooms available) we most certainly would have just gone back to PHL and missed the wedding.
(The best man didn't make it from Charlotte - due to US Air snafu.) BTW - the two passengers who left EWR to PHX made it to Maui on schedule.


No one was ever willing to tell us why our original flight - #255 on June 27, 2007 - from PHL to PHX - was cancelled sometime between 9AM and 7:30PM TThe day before scheduled departure.

Is this any way to run an Airline?

 

[BoeingBoy]

If there is a connection between these two terminals, it is a well-kept secret!
I asked several airport personnell and they all told me that you have to go outside to get from one section to the other.

They were correct, as long as you need to check in with US (ticket counter/kiosk) or even just check bags. However, if you have your boarding pass and don't need to check bags you can clear security at A-East (or any of the other US concourses) and get to A-West without going outside.

So the correct answer depends on your situation, but if you're outside security there is no signage directing you to the "inside security" route to A-West.

Jim

 

[700UW]

Bojangles' will open in April at Charlotte airport
RESTAURANTS

Bojangles' will open its first airport restaurant this spring at Charlotte/Douglas International, company officials said Friday. Work started last month on the restaurant, which is scheduled to open in April. FDY Inc., a food service management company, will operate the franchise.If the restaurant at Charlotte/Douglas is successful, Bojangles could expand into other airports, Bojangles' President Randy Kibler said.

Bojangles' was founded in 1977 in Charlotte. It has 400 locations in 12 states, as well as Honduras and Mexico. By the end of this year, the company plans to open 50 more restaurants, officials said. -- Kirsten Valle

 

[beachboy]

I was already drooling over the Bojangles' on B terminal in CLT last week! The only better thing would be Chic-Fil-A. Sweet Tea and fried chicken......I need a tissue....for my tears and my greasy fingers.

 

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

Galley Princess,

You said a mouthful in one sentence. I start my travel day with a nice peaceful drive through the Pine Barrens to Hammonton, the over to the AC expressway, As I get to the Walt Whitman Bridge I begin to tense up and start looking up to see if flights are landing and taking off. Then you have to find a stinking parking space in the covered parking which sometimes includes interaction with one of "wonderful" Parking Authority folks. More tension and I haven't got out of my car.

Find a space and proceed, wondering if the kiosk will work. remembering when Web Check in USED TO work as you secretly pray that it works so you don't have to actually talk to anyone. The prospect of getting the "wrong" Ticket Agent is enough to make John Wayne shudder in fear.

The TSA is what it is and once through you immediately look at the board and smile or frown depending on what the board says. Either which way I'm now off to the US Airways Club where I wonder if the mice will eat my snack if I go to the desk. I'm feeling brave so I go for it and off to the desk and lo and behold the flight information on the Club screen is different than the main board downstairs. Talk to one of the very very nice Club Reps and find out what the "Real" story is and react accordingly.

Now I'm off to the cluster fornication AKA "Boarding Process". This can often be mildly amusing as I watch the 37 feet of paperwork print out. We board and I settle in, wondering if a PreFlight beverage will be served, IF someone will offer to hang my coat.

So may be you can gain some insight into why some are so cranky. Also consider that I'm a so called "Elite". Imagine what the rest who don't know the "drill" go through.

Sorry to submit the full post but I could not find anything to edit down- as an employee I have the same feeligs and can completely empathize.

I think PHL is an alternative reality compared to other user friendly airports.

I don't know how you guys do it.

At least when the flight is over I'm done. You've only just begun work.

I raise my glass to you and your kind.

 

[galley princess]

Every time I take my family on vacation I joke that flight attendants ought to be forced to do the checkin, check bags, security etc all sans ID. I always return with a more generous heart for our poor passengers.

The thing is, I know that as a customer of other businesses what I will put up with and what I won't. I admit it, I shop at Walmart sometimes, it's the only game in town where I live, and on this salary I need to be frugal. I resign myself to the weird people, the stuff in the walls that makes kids scream and sigh with relief when I leave. The prices make it worth it to me to put up with the negative environment.

That's where I just don't understand Tempe. Despite being a LCC, apparently our prices are not significantly cheaper. I have shaken my head and wondered when we started wanting a customer ONCE. Because people like me will not plunk down $100 or $1000 TWICE, when I experience the level of service that I know can be bettered, by a better company. If you're Walmart and are uncomfortable, that's one thing. You suck it up and tell yourself someday you can afford better, but if you're Walmart with the local drugstore's prices, then why the hell go to Walmart?

I do have one forlorn hope. Apparently Mayor Nutter of PHL indicated that he'll play ball with US, but he wants to see better service first. Maybe, maybe maybe US will listen.

 

[WCT]

I agree with all of you. I just was really amazed how nice the terminal and facilities were. Let's hope US West mgmt doensn't f$%k it all up this summer again. Such a great place, let's hope it works with the continued International expansion, and they get it right this time around! :huh: I would love arrive and depart from that terminal anytime when in PHL, what a beauty!