Since THE BEAT herself might not be in a position to post right now, I’m fairly certain this is a sentiment that she would most likely want expressed at this festive time of year.
US AIRWAYS = !^%#&^!%$!*!@(*
I don’t know if it’s the crappy weather all over the country or the amount of people flying, but, I have to say that the last time I flew US Airways (BWI to LA in September), there were four segments and all left on time with no real problems. That said, there was the time we flew them on business at my old job, and we could have driven from Charlotte to Virginia Beach quicker than the flight, with all its delays, ended up taking.
i know they don’t fly everywhere, but after this holiday, i’m recommending virgin american to anyone who asks and even some who don’t.
that’s why I don’t (fire) fly anywhere during the holidays. Pain. In. The. A**
I had a good experience flying with Virgin Blue out of Long Beach, but the weather has mostly crippled ground transportation out of Portland. I’m glad I wasn’t flying Southwest, since I heard they canceled all their flights to PDX!
US Airways lost a lot of credibility the last time I flew with them and they offered to sell me a Pepsi for two bucks. My “free” option, they were glad to inform me, was a glass of tap water from the bathroom.
I know that the airlines are hurting right now, but I think we’d all much rather pay an extra five bucks when we’re buying our tickets than to deal with all the nickel-and-dime business that comes up on every flight I’ve taken in the past three months. Baggage fees, drink fees, no movies or paid meal service (snack boxes) offered on four-plus-hour flights…I’m almost relieved that I couldn’t afford to fly home for Christmas this year.
What I loved was how they tried to convince me that the $8 piece of cardboard they gave me was really a ham sandwich.
US Airways is filled with incompetent assholes… one of whom over booked the plane and then tried to force me off the plane… long story.
But US Airways is filled with assholes.
I’m not a big fan of the airline, but I’ve had all my frequent flier stuff through America West (since I’ve been going to Comicon 10 years ago), and when they merged, everything got moved over.
I’ve not really had much better luck on any other airline when I’ve flown on business. Lots of people complain about Air Canada, but I flew them 2 years ago and everything was fine (other than having to walk like a mile with the flu to get to the terminal for flights to DC).
visit Sri lanka first time
US Scare is ok as an airline. I just was down south with them and it was great. American Airlines is ok too. But I don’t have to travel and worry about luggage. I just have my two carry-on bags and that’s it. Everything else I mail to the hotel at my final location…
US Scare is ok as an airline. I just went down south and back with them and it was great. American Airlines is ok too. But I don’t have to travel and worry about luggage. I just have my two carry-on bags and that’s it. Everything else I mail to the hotel at my final location…
I approach flying as a defensive exercise, I assume it will be bad and pack as little as I can. I used to be able to easily travel with my original art portfolio without hassle, but those days are long over. Forget about trying to bring a ruler or a T square.
But my biggest pet peeve– people who bring a bucket of chicken or stir-fry on the plane. I mean, please people.
Well, this year I flew United out of Newark to Omaha via O’Hare. Picked an early flight in case I didn’t make my connection. On the subway to Penn Station, I checked my flight, and it was delayed because of the snowstorm. But, they had scheduled an extra 6 AM flight, and rescheduled my reservation. At 4:40 AM I caught a cab in Times Square, at 5 I was at the terminal, and then some awesome customer service got me and lots of others through check-in and on to security. Was in my seat with ten minutes to spare (and room for luggage!), and everything else was great.
Virgin Air was excellent, as was JetBlue (a little biased since they’re flying out of the TWA terminal at JFK). When I’m not flying direct, I take the train out to Ronkonkoma, Long Island, and fly Southwest. Yes, it’s basic service, but they get me to my destination ten to fifteen minutes EARLY. They will soon be flying out of Lagaurdia. Great rates, but book early. And bring your own lunch.
Four hours is my limit for bus travel, and if I have time, I take Amtrak.
I only fly when absolutely necessary, which usually means California.
When I went to Montreal this fall, 9 hours in the car > 2 hour flight.
Crowley: Overbooking a plane isn’t being an asshole, or incompetent; it’s how the airlines operate. They look at what percentage of passengers typically cancel, and overbook enough to make up for it. The problem is that sometimes their prediction of cancelation rates is wrong, so they over overbook. The only practical alternative would be to make every reserved seat non-refundable, and if they did that, people would be calling them assholes for not refunding their money when they changed their travel plans.
The whole air-travel system is a bizarre, byzantine mess. Give me a train instead any day.
I think it’s the coolest thing that JetBlue got the rights to use the ELO song “Mr. Blue Sky” in their commericals – that’s one of my favorite tunes in the whole wide world.
Torsten – I do believe that JFK is building a whole new separate terminal for all their JetBlue flights from what I remember being seen advertised the last time I was out in October.
~
Coat
US Airways will always be what it was when it was Allegheny — “Agony Air”
I had mostly great experiences with flying this year. Air travel is a very, very sick industry, so it’s safe to always assume the worst.
I made the mistake of not booking Jet Blue on the mistaken idea that I was saving money, but let’s just say I have paid for that decision MANY MANY times over.
I’ve had some bad Jet Blue experiences, but I usually get a $25 voucher t the end of them. And the TVs on board and free wifi in the terminals make waiting so much more pleasant.
In the future, we predict, service will matter.
Before you fly again, please watch Louis C K talking with Conan about flying: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbIGbZ6gq_Y
Although, I would have to agree with you about USAir. Their new slogan: “You’ll feel like you never left the ground, because we treat you like dirt.”
It’d be great if JetBlue had service to Newark – that way I could get to any of my dying relatives’ deathbed in nearly half the time.
~
Coat
“Since THE BEAT herself might not be in a position to post right now,…”
Well, for Heaven’s sake, what position is she in?
THANK YOU! I’ll be here all weekend! Be sure to tip the Wait-staff!
Andrew farago may be a plant..US does not offer Pepsi products. It does charge for what people use. I fyou are two strapped to pay for a bottle of water or a Coke you have no businsess flying..Amtrak has charged for decades. Get real.. The public buys the cheapest fare available.. This is the way to do it..charge people ofr exactly what they use…
US Airways SUCKS.
I have a $646.19 credit for a flight. I want to use my $646.19 credit towards a new flight that only cost $300. I was told that I would be stuck with a $150 change fee but my credit was large enough to cover that. US Airways now wants me to pay an additional $150 on a credit card and forfiet the remaining balance. How does that make sense? A $300 flight is now going to cost $800.
Now I know why I prefer to fly Southwest.