More Filth & Lack Of Upkeep

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

However, you are WRONG about the other airlines. They may not be perfect, but they ARE CONSISTENTLY BETTER.

Generalities.

Are there statistics for this from DOT or anywhere else?

Otherwise, this is your humble opinion-correct?

I am open to corroboration.

Thanks.

 

[SolidCactus]

Performance-based pay is actually a good idea, IMO, and not just for the aviation industry. It requires employees to demonstrate accountability and responsibility.

Hi Beth, Yes, and no... I've experimented with this at another company I once owned, and you'd be amazed how quickly loopholes form. If there is a will, there is a way. The incentified parts of the "program" improve, while the non incentified ones suffer.

It is hard for me to relate it to aviation, since I dont work in aviation, but in my instance, I owned a warehouse, where orders had to be packed and shipped to our clients.

We started to incentify people by paying them for "on time" production. A few weeks later, we discovered that employees were burying the "larger orders" (the ones that made us the most money), because they prevented the employees from getting the best incentives. So then, now you have to create a policy to equally distribute the larger orders...

I guess it could be something like... An airline pays the crew for an on time departure, but if they are going to depart late, screw it, they already lost the on time bonus... That type of deal. Or the crew is bonused for a clean aircraft, but they learn that the managers never look in the seatback pockets... It would only be a matter of time before all the garbage was put there...

The only way an employer can offer the BEST QUALITY product in today's day and age is, they have to be able to get rid of non performers. No excuses... bad attitude, bad morale, no job. Thats it. Otherwise, they just prolong the death of the company...

 

[vantheman63]

What I am trying to convey is that what you are doing wont work.

You're probably right....I do wonder, frequently, why I even care...

Things are bad at US Airways, but they are bad at other airlines too. It's just a matter of time until you run into a very bad situation.

I have yet to see that...perhaps you are right...but I'd bet you a dinner at your favorite steakhouse you aren't right. I remember when CO was at the bottom of their game...and they were the airline that was just "God-awful." Same thing....we were marred in a bad economic time (1989-1993) and they were cutting corners everywhere...and they were WAY worse than everyone. Way worse. In fact, US was actually the best carrier in aviation at that point. By a long shot.

And today, I don't see just deplorable interiors and a complete lack of regards for customers and their wants/needs with CO and WN. And my experiences on DL this year have been good...I fly AA, NW and UA pretty irregularly, but I've NEVER seen these types of conditions on their airplanes.

You will get bad things everywhere.

Haven't yet....

There is sometimes no point in trying so hard to change what you have no control over. You wont change US Airways.

Which is why I wonder to myself, "why do I care? They don't."

And perhaps this post was a touch of caring...and a touch of "holy sweet chamolies, you won't believe this!"

Based on your admission that you have sent "god knows, how many letters" there appears to be a pattern here. You should realize at some point that all the complaint letters will not change a thing.

And finally, we've found some common ground....

Peace....

 

[SS255]

LOL

If you paid for the seat, you get a refund. If you free-loaded with miles, you get nothing, except your miles back. End of story.

Since when is using miles to upgrade "freeloading"? If US felt that miles held no monetary value, they would not have made such a big stink about how much bonus miles and 500-mile-minimums are costing the company in revenue. Miles are an industry-standard form of upgrade "currency," and people who cash them in most certainly are not "freeloading." But that's not the issue.

And getting one's cash or miles back is not the "end of the story." That's the problem with the way US runs their customer service: They think that a refund and a useless voucher will fix the problem. The customer wants to know why the seat broke in a first place, and assurance that it will not happen again. We used to get that prior to the merger, but now all we get is a form letter with a voucher that's impossible to redeem. There needs to be accountability, and not just throwing money at problems in the hopes that they'll go away.

 

[vantheman63]

You are WRONG about the other airlines. They may not be perfect, but they ARE CONSISTENTLY BETTER. And the best ones put employees and customers first.

Well said....

 

[DrBeth]

Generalities.

Are there statistics for this from DOT or anywhere else?

Otherwise, this is your humble opinion-correct?

I am open to corroboration.

Thanks.

My post was based on my personal experiences this year, so yes, my humble opinion - 48 flights on DL, 27 on US, 16 on NW, 4 on UA, and 2 on CO, as well as my 91 flights on US last year and a few here and there on other carriers. But I have found my experiences are similar to those of my colleagues, friends, and peers.

 

[CubsFanJohn]

Pathetic that is unacceptable, reminds me of riding Amtrak sorta.

 

[DrBeth]

Pathetic that is unacceptable, reminds me of riding Amtrak sorta.

Except Amtrak is cleaner these days and has more legroom in economy!

 

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

Except Amtrak is cleaner these days and has more legroom in economy!

cheaper and faster, too!

 

[ggiby]

OK so these planes are falling apart and in shambles. They're dirty and filthy and stink because a pax stuck a diaper in between the seats and it has been there for months. Yada yada yada...

So US lacks mainenance and cleaning crews? Let's go to the bottom line and see who really is to blame.

Are the maintenance crews doing their jobs? Are they inspecting what needs to be inspected, or are they waiting for an incident that warrants an investigation. Cutbacks? Perhaps, but when are cutbacks the real culprits of airline safety.

I tend to think that people are Lax or Lazy by nature and sometimes are involved in a routine that makes them overlook or 'band-aid' the situation. How about the cleaning crews? Are they doing a thorough interior cleaning and checking every nook-and-cranny or are they cutting corners?

The only way you can really blame the company is if it is the end of their fiscal year and forced to cut spending. If maintenance and cleaning crews still have a job at the end of the fiscal year then let's give credit where credit is due.

I can't believe that writing and complaining to the Sandcastle doesn't get results. Yet they continue to fly. And they continue to fill flights. And the planes are looking newer.

At least they don't force you to sit in the lavatory like B6.

I say again and again.... its a freekin bus now...
Trailways...
all airlines are... there is not one better than the other...
they are all a bus...
and people will fly cuz its cheaper then the bus..... the bus is expensive man.... know what I mean???
flying is dirt cheap....
I will fly and bring my hefty bag w/ my clothes in it...! Maybe I will wash them before I come... Maybe not!!

 

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

Well it's nice to see the "Customer as Enemy" point of view is alive and well.

PB as much as I respect your opinion this place is a public board which affords everyone the same level of respect as the next - for better or worse.

On here, lowly F/A to VFF are equal. If being respected for being a VFF is important then perhaps it would be better to try another venue.

Here is good but everyone is equal and I am not pointing to you.

I like how you further your cause beyond the "US Air sux" mantra and I wish you good luck in your job search-if you find something can you hook my "Non-governmental, non-profit, non-medical" doctor brother up?

 

[nonrev]

Did anyone mention that all airbus seats are done in house in Pit. They do all the boeing seats that come through Pit also. When they leave the shop they are as good as new, if not better. The back that cracked is a common problem, which was far worse back in the dc-9 days. These seats get overhauled like once every 5 years when the a/c goes through heavy maintenance. My problem right now Pit is changing all the seat covers over to leather and they have 2 days to do each plane. They could fix the seats but the mechanics are told to fix only the obvious only. When they are done they look pretty (sort of like putting a dress on a pig) but the foodtrays are dirty and uneven and armrests are worn and cracked, on and on. Don't get upset at those pictures cause that's the way it is folks and I am too tired to fight anymore so go with the flow and the last one out please turn out the lights.

 

[JS]

...
As I've said to Mr. Parker, Mr. Kirby, Ms. Eberwein and Mr. Isom...."no other company has met more to me. I've spent more money on this product and company than any other in my life. I met my bride via US. US has carried me to births, funerals, birthdays, promotions, new jobs and was the place where I birthed my company. In short, I love this company."

Sadly, they don't care....and I guess what shocks me...and why I guess I should not be surprised no one from Temp has ever called me or actually tried to correspond with me is that, they must have your attitude...."#### slap the OP and customers like him into reality."

Very sad.

So, there ya have it....

Continue your personal insults if you want....I can match you one for one....even better. But at the end of the day, it's about a product that had a proud heritage and has declined to a place that is just completely sad and unfortunate. If duct tape filled airplanes with customers wondering is that's how the wings are held in place makes you happy...then welcome to the New US Airways!

Yet you continue to fly US Airways, and in paid First Class. Why should they respond? It's a waste of their time since you're married to the airline and won't leave.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Yet you continue to fly US Airways, and in paid First Class. Why should they respond?

Perhaps you missed this in all of these posts...

then pardon me while I (a.) fly other airlines (b.) fly US ONLY when it's cheap (c.) fly US ONLY when there is no other way and (d.) note it when I see it.

Not to put words in VantheMan's mouth, but I believe he'd tell you that his paid Envoy for 12 experience in March was the last straw as far as continuing to fly US except under one of the two conditions I quoted.

Jim

 

[DrBeth]

Yet you continue to fly US Airways, and in paid First Class. Why should they respond? It's a waste of their time since you're married to the airline and won't leave.

I book Van's travel and he buys lowest available non-refundable or lowest available refundable COACH tickets on US, depending on how firm the trip is, but only in the cases of CHEAP and ONLY WAY/SCHEDULE.

The majority of his tickets are Y-ups on CO and Business Select on WN, with some DL and AA thrown in for good measure.

CO is his carrier of choice.