Have You Had a “Flightmare” Lately?
Polly Drew with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently gave a definition of “Flightmare” in her post:
Flightmares go well beyond the usual perils of airline travel such as crowded seats, lost luggage and food not fit for a dog. A flightmare usually involves lost money, lost opportunities (such as missing a graduation or a funeral) and lost dignity.
An example is her daughter’s recently trip from Boston to Denver with JetBlue, when her flight was canceled for 2 days and the airlines unwilling to provide hotel or food voucher.
Ms. Drew called Kate Hanni of the Coalition for Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights for advice. [Read more]
American Airline Flight 647 (June 9, 2008)
My seven year old son and I were schedule to fly on June 9, 2008 with American Airline on flight 647 departing at 1:25 pm from JFK to San Juan. I arrived an hour and half early to confirm my fly tickets. Once i was in line an American Airlines worker that was directing the line took us out of the short line and sent us to another line. Once I was there we waited for at least twenty minutes.
When it was time to confirm my ticket on the computer scanner. the supervisor told us that we were to late to get on that plane. [Read more]
Vomit on United Airlines Flight
A Note from HWYF.COM: HWYF.COM believes that the overwhelming majority of airline employees and contracted airline service workers strive to provide the best services to airline passengers. However, U.S. airlines have continued to make staff cutbacks in recent years that have resulted in the deteriorating performance and customer service received by airline passengers, as witnessed by the recent J.D. Power and Associates survey. While the story below is about a UA employee, it illustrates the implications of an industry’s failure to invest in its workforce and to raise standards for both customers and employees.
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I am writing in regards to my flight with United Airlines on July 20, 2008.
During the flight the passenger next to me became ill and vomited on me. Please note that my dissatisfaction and unhappiness is not from the uncontrollable situation of being vomited on but rather the lack of professionalism and customer service provided to me from the flight attendants. [Read more]
Seats Slid Aboard United Airlines Flight, Crushing Passengers Behind
In a bizarre incident on August 3, 2008, a row of seats slid back on a United Airlines flight, crushing passengers sitting in the row behind.
According to the news report: [Read more]
Tripso Post: After years of airline subsidies, how about a payback for taxpayers?
Steve Surjaputra at Tripso wrote about the airline subsidies report released by the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, and Working Partnerships USA. Here are some of what he highlighted from the report: [Read more]
(Consumer Advocate Column) Airlines Give Customers the Run-Around
As airlines enter code-sharing agreements and buy seats off each other, customers are finding it difficult to get refunds from the right airline. The Times Union’s consumer advocate, Nadja Drost, penned the story of how an Albany, New York, couple tried to get a $150 refund from a 3-leg trip with 3 different airlines in her post, “Airlines Give Customers the Run-Around”. [Read more]
Perspectives on United’s Lawsuit against Pilots
On July 30, United Airlines filed a lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction against the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and a group of UA pilots for allegedly abusing sick-time.
Holly Hegeman at PlaneBuzz.com offers some perspectives on the allegations. [Read more]
