Freq. Flyers Comment On Philly

SKY HIGH

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May 22, 2004
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deelmakur
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Join Date: May 1998
Location: CT suburbs (NYC), Gulf Stream, FL, and Seattle. US1, AS MVP Gold, AA Plat.,CO Plat, Amex Centurion and all the stuff that goes with that.
Posts: 1,938 Philadelphia

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When they write the obituary for this company, it should simply consist of one word: Philadelphia. The deep thinkers we have witnessed running the place have variously believed that its salvation was in bashing and truncating the perks of its most frequent flyers, shoving people on commuter planes, and flying them hundreds of miles further than those planes were designed to go, serving drinks in plastic cups, regardless of class of service, not serving food, and creating 30 minute connections where it can take that long to get a bus from that commuter terminal they are so fond of, to the mainline gates (F to B & C at PHL). Whether it was angry employees or the wintry elements, failure to bring the Philadlephia hub under some sort of management control, then overloading it, is a fact of life that simply just caught up with them. It was always an accident looking to happen.

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Dec 28, 04, 7:42 am #2
chicagorich


Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: ATL
Programs: DL SM, UA, US, AA
Posts: 970 Quote:
Originally Posted by deelmakur
.......... It was always an accident looking to happen.


US management had a jewel of an airport at PIT---and they abandoned it in the middle of the night during the first bankruptcy and chose to cast the airline's future at an inferior airport at PHL. They are now reaping the outcome of that foolish decision.....

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Dec 28, 04, 8:43 am #3
JudyJFLA


Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Fort Myers, FL
Posts: 447 Amen to the first poster.....

I swore on 12/18 on my return trip to Florida from Munich thru PHL that I would NEVER fly through there again!!

Forever to get the bags to go throught customs (47 Minutes), no baggage carts, as the machines were out of order (and the employee bringing loose carts back to the inop rack would not give them out, and was really rude)

1 working security checkpoint for terminals A-F. Lines out the Wazoo and they closed all but 1 while we all watched in horror! That was the straw that made us miss our connecting flight.

Even though we arrived home 3 hours late to RSW and had an extra leg, our bags, and those of everyone who came in thru Munich did not arrive until the next day, and this was prior to the Xmas week fiasco. We were told that it was an everyday problem.

WC Fields was wrong, I would not rather be in PHL!!

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Dec 28, 04, 8:51 am #4
fireworksboy


Join Date: May 2003
Location: CLE/PIT SPG Plat Marriott Gold Priority Club PLat CO Plat USAir Nothing Hertz 5*
Posts: 647 Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagorich
US management had a jewel of an airport at PIT---and they abandoned it in the middle of the night during the first bankruptcy and chose to cast the airline's future at an inferior airport at PHL. They are now reaping the outcome of that foolish decision.....



I know that it might not be "politically correct" to actually admit to a mistake but does anyone know if it is at all feasible for US to actually switch some of their ops from PHL to PIT and make PIT a full blown hub again? Gosh forbid they admit an error in judgement but then again there aren't a whole lot of options out there. This doesn't mean the same things wouldn't have happened in PIT but ....

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Dec 28, 04, 10:20 am #5
pitflyer


Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: A hotel in the middle of nowhere
Programs: ELITE: American, Delta, USAirways, United, Marriott, Hilton, Starwood, Best Western, Hertz
Posts: 3,141 It wouldn't be feasible, even if for no other reason than bruised egos on both sides (PIT and USAirways). Also, USAirways was stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place; they wanted the O&D of PHL but the facilities and work ethic of PIT, and they just couldn't have both. To be honest, I think they would have failed if they went the other way (ie chose PIT over PHL) but at least it would have been nice for the ten people left flying USAirways LOL

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Dec 28, 04, 11:15 am #6
BearX220


Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Edmonds, WA USA
Programs: NW Silver, HHonors Gold; recovering CO elite, much better now, thank you
Posts: 2,672 At the end of the day, PIT was designed from the ground up as a connecting hub, and PHL was shoehorned by force into that role. Deelmakur is right -- US bet wrong, coveting PHL's O/D traffic and hoping they could force everything else to work. Now they're losing the company over it.

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Dec 28, 04, 11:55 am #7
PineyBob


Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: mystic island, nj, USA
Posts: 1,251 The PHL "Problem"

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PHL from my conversations and minor investigations is a major craphole to operate from. It is not a pretty place and EVERY shortcoming of that facility is magnified when you control 70% of the traffic passing through there.

Despite all of that, it is by all accounts a profitable hub, so I can certainly understand why US would want to build up their operation there.

Until PHL airport actually invests millions of dollars to upgrade the "Behind the Curtain" infrastructure ANY carrier or carriers will have operational problems in PHL once they get beyond a certain size. Couple that with a TSA regime that couldn't organize a one car funeral and you have a further prescription for disaster. For those of you who may not know TSA plays a significant role in creating baggage delays in any airport. They have trouble keeping staff as no one wants to work down in the Bowels of an old worn out set of buildings in extreme conditions.

PHL could very easily destroy US Airways

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Dec 28, 04, 12:01 pm #8
Arrzee


Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: The First State, USA - US Chairman's Pref, Starwood Gold, HHonors Gold VIP - FWIW
Posts: 709 Quote:
Originally Posted by PineyBob


PHL could very easily destroy US Airways


Not quite... US Airways has destroyed itself.

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Dec 28, 04, 1:36 pm #9
Wave1


Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: PIT/LAX
Programs: US Gold,HH Gold,*wood Gold
Posts: 12 Over the past four or five years I've almost always somehow been able to avoid PHL (usually on purpose) and have either flown direct to PIT or used CLT. After a long hiatus and recent cutbacks at PIT I finally flew through PHL on November 20. (LAX-PHL-PIT). It did not disappoint. Almost every cliche' about PHL came true. The comedy of erorrs began when upon the approach to PHL when "heavy air traffic" delayed our landing as we circled a couple of times.

When we finally did land, we sat on the tarmac as the pilot explained that there was no ground crew available to meet our plane.

Keep in mind that this was a Saturday with "normal" ops and OK weather (very light drizzle) and later in the evening.

We finally got to the gate and the passenger next to me at the window shrieked in horror as she saw her bag upside down in a small puddle sitting next to the plane as the ground crew "unloaded" the bags as we deplaned (more like dumped the bags).

Upon landing I began my trek from terminal D to terminal A. of course we were the last gate at terminal A. The walk was further than anything at LAX, CLT, PIT or most other AP I've been to.

OF COURSE the PHL-PIT leg was delayed due to what the GA termed a "Dirty Plane" (This was apparently discovered well after the plane had landed and should've been cleaned).

Then a further mechanical delay. All the while the airport staff (not necessarily the US staff) was far less friendly than I am used to. These folks are definitely not ambassadors for the facility and regardless of how nice some US staff is, if the rest of the AP staff are rude, it makes US look bad.

Next, while waiting, i was sitting with a group who had connected from the carribean and apparently their bags disappeared somewhere between checking them in at their origination and the black hole known as the PHL baggage system. I did not get all of the details but when they were explaining their predicament to the US GA in PHL she stated that this type of thing happens regularly and she is sick of it. Interestingly enough, the US GA's were super nice and apologetic--even though they are probably sick of covering for the PHL ground crew/ramp workers/airport situation.

Finally we boarded but not before one last surprise as we sat on the tarmac (again) before take off for another 30 min for some unfathomable reason (never explained).

This was all on one typical Saturday evening. Nothing earth shattering compared to what others have gone through this week, but still, a series of events and pattern that i have never experienced at PIT or CLT.

I vowed to continue my avoidence of PHL. I always have great experiences on US and love the airline, but PHL is a disaster. I honestly think that a smaller leaner airline minus PHL as the major hub could've worked post-BK as their aren't two airports in the country I'm aware of that are so user friendly as PIT and CLT. Certainly the labor issues must also have been addressed but the decision to make PHL the "crown jewel" was the wrong one.

I think few folks would NOW argue against the fact that the decision to do that may have cost US their "fighting chance" at survival. Too bad if true. Hopefully they can salvage the airline.
 
But Philly has so much O&D. How can people hate it if U, on paper, can make so much money there? Not to mention the PR from strolling the terminal.
 
Sky High, why didn't you just post a link to that flyertalk thread? Most of us read that site, too, anyway.
 
Hey Hawk and any other of the High&Mighty at CCY do you ever read that forum? Does public opinion count for anything anymore? Time for you boys and girls to come out from behind the walls of CCY and see what the people prefer.
 
Apparently, the CCY folks do read FlyerTalk, just like they read USAviation.com. Whether or not the opinions expressed there or here is sent up the chain, or considered is anyone's guess.
 
I get my information from here and the media, but isn't U going to "ROLL" PHL in February? Won't this take OUT some of the hubbing characteristics? We can debate the DEGREE to which they are doing it-- maybe they should do it more and faster than they plan, but it seems to me that they are PLANNING on going in the right direction with PHL. Perhaps in my imagination, I'm thinking that U will majorly depeak PHL, focusing much more on serving the O&D and international, keeping CLT as its only traditional mainline hub and hoping that PIT's cost can sustain a small jet hub to more appropriately serve the markets out of PIT and create some additional connections opportunities that will also be had out of PHL, DCA and LGA and CLT. I can't imagine that moving away from hubbing and toward p2p can be down with a smooth transition. With increased p2p out of secondary cities and focus cities, the need for connections will be reduced.

So, you ADD p2p to airports incrementally, slowly and unevenly reducing the demand for connections as you incidentally add a few connecting possibilities through the p2p O&D markets that you add. Much more complicated, I'd think.... kind of like running an airline in the 21st century.
 
Speaking of Freq. flyers from PHL, I found this remark online:

The baggage mess in PHL has been going on for several months, it just got totally out of control over Christmas.

Every week there's a story on the news about people waiting two plus hours for their bags with no help from any staff.

My sister who is Silver Preferred, waited along with five other flights over three hours for her bag a few weeks ago. Whenever someone ask a question the answer was "What do you want me to do about it" from the staff in the baggage claim area.

She's now taken to flying Southwest.
 
SKY HIGH said:
She's now taken to flying Southwest.

Unfortunately for US, many PHL travellers have taken to flying Southwest. One big operational advantage (among many), however, is that SW has a much easier security line, and a short walk from curbside to gates. B/C is bloated and bursting at the seams.
 
PHL said:
Unfortunately for US, many PHL travellers have taken to flying Southwest. One big operational advantage (among many), however, is that SW has a much easier security line, and a short walk from curbside to gates. B/C is bloated and bursting at the seams.
[post="235047"][/post]​

Speaking as a customer, and a FLYERTALK regular, I can tell you that comments about PHL are nothing new. Visit the site and do a search for PHL. Match it up with the word "delay", "debable", "Nightmare", "worst" or "never again", and you'll have plenty of reading.

As an example: My then 84 year-old parents, mom in a wheelchair, were at a gate in PHL 2 years ago, waiting for a flight to RSW. Prior to boarding, the gate agent told my father that he would have to wheel my mother down himself - that she was too busy. She even suggested asking another passenger for help. My father, doing EXACTLY as he was told, gave their bp's at preboard, and proceeded to take her down the ramp - FRONTWAYS - tripped on one of the connectors on the jetway, and fell. He cut himself and was bleeding. My mother's wheelchair then went by itself into the side of the 737. When I finished laughing at the scene I imagined in my head, as she was telling it to me, I got IMMENSELY angry. My father was bleeding, and fortunately had a caring FA who took care of him. My mother was scared to death. Not being litigation-crazy, we settled on a kind letter of apology from CCY, who did a good job of following up with both me and my parents.

My mother, in row 4, saw the GA come on board prior to departure. The FA pointed them out and was having a talk with the GA. The GA never approached, never apologized.

It's just one example of a list. I feel like a tremendous inconvenience to ticketing agents and gate agents in PHL, even as a CP. Don't get me started on ground service and baggage delays. Even flying paid envoy transatlantic. "Customer as inconvenience" is how I came to view the service operation here. NOT 100% - I've had some pleasant experiences. But, I avoid this hub to the point where I'm willing to pay a premium to avoid it. I keep hoping it will get better.

I do wish everyone at US the best. I have lost a lot of faith in my carrier of choice in terms of reliability. But it doesn't change the fact that so many of the people in your company are, in my mind, the best on the ground, on the phone, and in the sky.