US Airways and Quality Inns: Hell NO!

NPR : Improving Customer Service Over the Phone

The above story feels especially important today, as I spent almost twenty-four hours trying to get a flight out of Philly to Tampa through US Airways. Partially, I am almost certain, due to the issues US Airways and America West are having with their pilots, but the service afterwards is what really got to me and my fellow passengers.

The airline referred us to Quality Inn in Gloucester, New Jersey. (Quality Inns are "Choice Hotels".) Maybe its the extended time spent in the area, but starting with the word "Jersey," you know you are in for a bit of an experience. The first time I called them, they said they would call me right back. I waited twenty minutes, called again, discovered the airport shuttle would be there in ten minutes. For the next forty-five minutes, I sat with my fellow would-be passengers, waiting fr this shuttle, which we were assured was "almost there" whenever we called.

Once we got in the shuttle, we discovered the driver had been asked to pick us up only twenty minutes before. My hotel room had one light broken and no smoke detector. I was better off than the woman whose toilet was flooding the second she entered the room or the other lady who had no functioning lights.

In the morning, the Quality Inn turned out to be the least of my problems, despite their half-an-hour-late airport shuttle going the other way. I stood in line, watching Miami passengers who were supposed to take the same flight to Charlotte as me get to go to a special line while I was denied. Ten minutes before my flight left, I started crying, absolutely unable to deal with missing my flight because I didn't have a ticket on top of the rest of my weekend and everything this airline had put me through. The woman monitoring the line finally noticed me, even though when I was crying I was trying to avoid her, unlike the last half hour. I got on the next flight, a direct one to my destination.

I know other people were yelling at the gate manager and I know that this ridiculousness was not his fault. I was more struck by the problems of being a good little labor loving girl and the inconveniences I had to put up with. Half of my troubles, ignoring the initial one of not having a flight, were not the result of the airline pilots. It was US Airways that had a relationship with a motel that has no chance of being livable. It was US Airways that had employees so poorly trained that they couldn't deal with a situation explained to them as "I need to be on the same flight as those people, can I please go?."

So that's a cautionary tale regarding US Airways, or at least regarding not searching Google News for your airline before you travel!

Other side of the coin: This is the second time I have had to spend the night somewhere because of a screwed up flight. The last time was four years ago. I missed the second leg of my trip because the first flight took forever getting off due to a crew waiting for a missing passenger. Both times, I have found the passengers with me willing to help one another, comfort one another and figure out what needs to happen. I think its proof that there is a lot of good in the world. Not to sound like a Dear Abby column, but it is telling that under pressure and stressed out from a bunch of bureaucracy that is keeping them from their loved ones or other destination, people rally and aid one another instead of letting everyone just fend for themselves. Camaraderie is natural. That's a nice thing.

More on other stuff later!

PS: I'm officially staying off of US Airways and Quality Inns. US Airways may get my business when they deal with their pilots and stop having late and canceled flights. Quality Inns probably never will. That is how capitalism is supposed to work. Boycotting isn't just about morals and principles; its about doing your part as a consumer... which means staying away from idiotic companies.