Avoid Bankrupt US Airways
I learned a lesson yesterday… Avoid bankrupt airlines.
I flew from Detroit to Charlottesville with a stop at Charlotte. The plane we were supposed to take was 20 minutes late arriving at Detroit. The flight was okay, but we didn’t arrive in North Carolina until 8:45 (actually we arrived much earlier, but I was seated towards the back of the plane and there were delays getting to the gate and letting passengers deplane). Our next flight was scheduled to leave at 8:55 from the other side of the airport. By the time we got to it (running through the terminal), it was gone.
I then waited in line to get tickets for the next flight. We were the lucky ones. There was a next flight at 10:55.
“These things happen”, I first thought. We walked to our new gate and got something to eat. While we were waiting, passenger after passenger came up to the gate, missing connecting flights. One woman was trying to get home because she expected movers the next morning at 7:00 a.m. They wouldn’t be able to get here there until 11:00 a.m, and refused to compensate her for a hotel. She left crying. Another woman had a similar experience.
According to the Washington Post:
[US Airways] efforts [to raise on-time rate] have fallen short, as the latest Department of Transportation rankings show. Among 19 carriers, US Airways in March came in two notches above last place in delayed flights.
According to the US Department of Transportation Bureau of Statistics, US Airways on-time rate is only 68.5 percent. Consumers may file their complaints in writing with the Aviation Consumer Protection Division, U.S. Department of Transportation, C-75, Room 4107, 400 7th St. SW, Washington, DC 20590; by e-mail at airconsumer@dot.gov; by voice mail at (202) 366-2220 or by TTY at (202) 366-0511.
Next time, I’m flying NorthWest.