US Airways Service

[BoeingBoy]

If you watch/read a WN ad carefully, you'll never hear/see them say that they are the "lowest fare" airline. They do say (and are) a "low fare" airline - you'll never see a $500 fare for a 250 (or less) mile flight on WN, nor will you see the $1200 transcon.

Jim

 

[SolidCactus]

You are comparing weeks out fares. Compare walkup US PHL-Bos to WN PHL-Providence and you will see that WN while may not be the cheapest does not ever rape the last minute customer with a unGodly walkup fare. WN sell more full fare tickets than any other airline. Full fare, thats the business traveler US lost and wants back.

Absolutely true. This I do know for a fact. Most of the time I have flown WN, I have done it on a walk up fare, at times 45 minutes before the flight via a phone call to customer service as I stood at a kiosk waiting to print a boarding pass. They positively have no "rape" fare. I think the MOST I ever paid was $250 ish. Unlike the US $1100 walk up fare.

 

[debbieb]

Great points. Also note that because they don't have reserved seating, if you're last to board on an overbooked flight, they'll bump you with no compensation and you'll have to wait for the next WN flight with empty seats, which could be awhile since they don't interline! And there's basically no FF program!

Now, if you have kids (or even teenagers), it's great because you can pre-board the entire family. Most of the time you can even sit in the exit row with your kids (if they're quiet) because the flight attendants are so busy being chirpy and cracking jokes they don't notice. WN is not exactly the nation's safest carrier, what with their cowboy pilots crashing into Burbank gas stations and Chicago inner city neighborhoods.

US is a far better alternative for business travelers, with reserved seating, a world-class FF program, non-stop flights from three hubs, in-flight meals* and drinks*.

* for a small fee

I flown SW a couple of times this year to Orlando, family vacation capital of the US. Family pre-boards are strictly age 4 and under. Parents only, not extended family. They now board after group A (unless they have an A boarding pass). A flight attendent stands at the exit row during boarding to make sure no one under age sits there.

Regading the FF program, I did fly on a free ticket this year, earned through their program. If they overbook and bump, they do ask for volunteers and provide compensation.

 

[JS]

I flown SW a couple of times this year to Orlando, family vacation capital of the US. Family pre-boards are strictly age 4 and under. Parents only, not extended family. They now board after group A (unless they have an A boarding pass). A flight attendent stands at the exit row during boarding to make sure no one under age sits there.

Regading the FF program, I did fly on a free ticket this year, earned through their program. If they overbook and bump, they do ask for volunteers and provide compensation.

I was joking, just like the post I quoted.

 

[Travelpro72]

This company has made SUCH a turnaround in so many ways but customer service. Though many may not throw a huge fit about the fees onboard it becomes a big deal to your FF's. How many FF's do you think are riding in coach paying for soda, a window, an aisle, or a dollar for that JUNK coffee/tea. C'mon already. NOBODY is following the soda sales FACE IT. Anyhow, you'll be hard pressed to find anyone that is all for how this management leads. As employees your left on your own to deal with everything. Customer service starts with realistic implementation from management. You can't have numbers people running customer service. Never worked and never will. What will it matter if your #1 in ontime if nobody (paying business/last minute fares) is riding on you? We charge just about the same or within a few sheckles of the others (legacy and LCC's) fare YET we fee you to death just as the WN ads and commercials state. It's catching up to US.

 

[Art at ISP]

Just because many people don't complain does not mean there isn't a problem. The people I have spoken to are definitely booking away from carriers with excessive fees whenever possible.

I have said all along that perception is reality to most people. I think it's finally coming home to roost. Our anecdotal evidence shows that business travelers are moving away from US. While many of the major airlines have unacceptable customer service, why is US still the worst?

I think that the most effective method of being heard is to vote with your wallet. I think we should favor airlines with the no fees or the lowest level of fees, and definitely those who waive them for elites.

I am very realistic in acknowledging that it's a changing world. Many fees are here to stay, and in some cases I have no objection. But the undercurrent is that most business travelers are opposed to ala carte pricing, especially to the level US has taken it.

While also realizing that oil is volatile, I think that US would go far to just dump the beverage fees for now. They are alone in the world charging for soft beverages, and I think this is costing them much more than they realize. All they are doing is seeing the revenue numbers for bev sales (which someone said they can't even track?). But are they seeing the bigger picture? Are they seeing those who book away because of those charges?

In some cases, particularly my case, they have forced a change in behavior, which might never have happened if they had not adopted such customer unfriendly changes in the past year....they DROVE me right to Southwest's ticket counter and said "here's a new customer for you". How many times did I say NEVER to WN? And I am happy with WN and B6. I just earned my first free ticket on WN, after only a couple of months. WN also realizes the value of business travelers, and created Business Select, and created the A List (guaranteed A BP after 32 flights for 1 year). They listen, they adapt. US pretends to listen, and then they do what they want.

I think it can be summed up in one phrase--managing expectations. WN and B6 do it very well. They under promise and over deliver. I think the same can be said for airlines like CO, which realize the value that business travelers offer--they deliver in line with expectations and many times exceed them.

US continues to over promise and under deliver. They are changing their product to be like a Ryanair, but they are not offering the low fares which should go along with such a product. They are pretending to be a low cost carrier but charging legacy prices, and people will just not stand for that.

I am sorry to say that LCC stands for Low Class Carrier, not Low Cost Carrier.....with no offense to the fine front line people at US, who are treated as badly if not worse by their company than we are...but that's another subject altogether.


My BEST to you all.....

 

[bagchucker]

US Airways Service...

What IS wrong?
Is it the people, the product, the perception, the comparison, or all of the above.

It seems we here at US Airways are victim of the Perfect Storm of disintegrated service and old school attitudes at the customer interfacing level that have caused our dismal and consistent low ratings for satisfaction. Add Managements slow response (or NO response in many cases) to the problems listed by DOT complaints, and you have your answers as to why we still suck as a whole.

The "old" perception of US Air included much higher expectations of service, which all have disappeared when the LCC branding came in. There are some band-aids, you know, re-upholstered interiors on the aircraft and bag scanners to help track customer's mishandled bags etc. ... but it is only superficial... lip-stick on the pig.

 

[USstew23]

Yes, we're not charging to check bags when the bins fill up.

Dealing with the bags at this time of the year is a major pain in the rear. People stuff their coats in the bins leaving no space for the bags. Or the first 15 or 20 passengers throw all of their stuff in the bins and refuse to put their smaller items under the seats in front of them causing the same problem. And if we try to move them those same people have a hissy fit about it.

We're damned if we do or if we don't.

You are exactly right!! I've tried to start making announcements to keep the small stuff under and please hold on to outer garments until we finish boarding then we will certainly find space. I've started going through and removing the big coats and little bags and asking people to hold on to them for a few. Most people try to help but if they get huffy I give them the option of helping us out or checking it. The thing is, I could really care less what they put up there, however we have to make an attempt to accomodate EVERYONE on that airplane not just the select few who want to give everyone the finger and make it all about them. I'm sorry about the bag fee but they're certainly not going to change it on the employees account so we have to make do with what we have as much as it sucks.

 

[Travels2mch]

a world-class FF program

OK this has got to be a joke, right? World class my a$$!!

Two things you will never see in the same discussion is world class and usairways, unless world class is followed by joke....and.....oh the possibilities are unlimited........

 

[JS]

OK this has got to be a joke, right? World class my a$$!!

Two things you will never see in the same discussion is world class and usairways, unless world class is followed by joke....and.....oh the possibilities are unlimited........

Yes, it is a joke.