US Airways Changed Flight. Compensation?

I have not called yet as I just found out about 10 minutes ago but wanted to see if this has happened to anyone else. I got an email today telling me that my nonstop flight from Seattle to Las Vegas and my flight home were canceled and now I am booked on flights that stop in Phoenix with a two hour layover. Has anyone dealt with something similar in trying to get compensation (more then just money off future flights). I just feel a little cheated because I booked these flights because they were nonstop and now I would rather book through Southwest which still offers nonstop flights to Las Vegas. Also I booked this as a package with flight and airfare through Travelocity so I feel like that make is more difficult to get money back.

Thanks fellow FWer's

Happened to me this last week. Booked via Travelocity. They called at 3AM!!!! and send an email. We didn't bother to get any compensation as it is difficult with Travelocity deals.

Don't know about Travelocity, but most airlines will usually let you cancel your tickets and give you a full refund if they make a significant change, especially if you tell them the new flights won't allow you to meet a commitment. Then you can rebook on SW.

Well just to let you guys know after more than an hour on the phone and talking to a supervisor at Travelocity I was put on a conference call with US Airways and they allowed me to cancel the flight after some back and forth so everything did work out. Thanks to all of the people that gave responses.

For future reference, I believe there is a regulation that requires a refund option if a flight is changed from non-stop to connecting. Even Spirit Airlines gave me a refund when this happened to me........

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Delta-skymiles-pre-worldperks-merger/866715-refund-allowed-dl-change-nonstop.html

Generally speaking, the airlines will try to accommodate you first, then if you tell them that every flight they offer will not work with your schedule, they will give you a full refund. This has happened to me. Note that the alternate flights they offer are not price-specific. So you may have paid $150 for your ticket but they will offer you a seat that may have cost $500 had you bought it yourself. This is how I have gotten on much more desirable flights (i.e. mid-morning as opposed to red-eye).

About 6 or so years ago I had a flight with US Airways (booked through Orbitz) from Pittsburgh to Ft. Lauderdale with a layover in Charlotte. So it was PIT->CLT->FLL. Then out of the blue I get an email telling me that my flights were changed and I now have two layovers. What were they, pray tell?

The new itinerary was sending me from Pittsburgh to La Guardia back to Pittsburgh and then directly to FLL. So it was now PIT->LGA->PIT->FLL. I was highly tempted to simply ignore the "layovers" and then get on my direct flight. But with the way boarding passes are issued, of course I didn't think it would work. Unfortunately when I called to ask if it was possible to just take the direct flight that they'd given me, they said No. I mean, they must've had a seat held for me, right?

Well the rep on the phone told me that I did not in fact win the lotto and that I had to take a layover just because I had originally paid for a trip with a layover. So I ended up connecting through Cincinnati instead. I guess I should count myself lucky that I didn't have an actual net increase in the number of layovers in my trip.

The airline name was "America's Waste". They were so ashamed of their name that when they merged, they changed it to US Airways - but it doesn't change how bad these guys are when it comes to customer service. I stay away from them.

Yoyoson said: About 6 or so years ago I had a flight with US Airways (booked through Orbitz) from Pittsburgh to Ft. Lauderdale with a layover in Charlotte. So it was PIT->CLT->FLL. Then out of the blue I get an email telling me that my flights were changed and I now have two layovers. What were they, pray tell?

The new itinerary was sending me from Pittsburgh to La Guardia back to Pittsburgh and then directly to FLL. So it was now PIT->LGA->PIT->FLL. I was highly tempted to simply ignore the "layovers" and then get on my direct flight. But with the way boarding passes are issued, of course I didn't think it would work. Unfortunately when I called to ask if it was possible to just take the direct flight that they'd given me, they said No. I mean, they must've had a seat held for me, right?

Well the rep on the phone told me that I did not in fact win the lotto and that I had to take a layover just because I had originally paid for a trip with a layover. So I ended up connecting through Cincinnati instead. I guess I should count myself lucky that I didn't have an actual net increase in the number of layovers in my trip.

Yeah thats double speak of the highest order ... the rep is a rising star ... prolly be a senator soon.

I had us airways cancel a flight on me a few months ago. They gave me a $150 coupon off a future flight.
I took it as I can use it with united who I'd booked the US airways flight through.

I've since found that it's pretty much worthless. I've tried to use it a few times and it can't be used on discount fares. Flights for thanks giving were $820 if I tried to use the discount or $345 if I booked on sidestep without the discount.

I think they should allow you to cancel for a refund or credit especially if you're now arriving later

" American Airways " ??? US Airways made a big mistake when they tried to charge for the beverage service... I fly with them weekly and am a Chairman's Preferred member with them. If I remember correctly they charged $2 for soft drinks, juice, etc and $1 for coffee / tea / water with refills. If you asked them for water "to take medicine" they would give it free. Still yet, it was a horrible PR decision made my some moronic bean counter. I noticed that many flight attendants would provide a beverage at no cost during the 7 or so months this was in force because they didn't agree with the policy.

I find it amazing how so many people will complain about every little thing. I guess I fly too much but it's amazing how I see people who are pissed that they have to pay to check a bag. The pay for services you use model seems to be keeping my usual fares low. With some recent weather delays and cancellations I'm also amazed at people who get pissed when they get stuck somewhere and expect the airline to put them in a hotel when it's weather related or air traffic issues. I would advise everyone to read and understand their carriers contract of carriage. It clearly spells out your rights and responsibilities as a passenger and the responsibilities of the airline. I would also recommend to book directly with the carrier and not through a third party if possible. It seems to make things easier when these things come up.

cr3s said: I agree w/ American Airways. I flew with them once, from the west coast to the east coast. They didn't even serve complimentary water. Water!@ They wanted 2 bills for it!!! Never have I had such poor service...Never will I fly w/ them again.

I had a pretty terrible experience with US Airways a few years back. I was sold a seat in a row that the flight attendants ended up needing, so I couldn't that the flight.

When trying to complain to US Airways I got quite the runaround. The worst part is that their call center runs a 1.5-2 hour hold wait time just to talk to someone, so it's hardly worth the frustration.

PrincipalMember said: MatthewTabor said: DocSavage said: Good thing you switched away from US Air. In my experience, they are the worst airline, and had a good chance of losing your luggage during the transfer.Can you give specifics on how they're the worst airline out there?

1. For one, they instituted a charge even for soft drinks. Then after the passengers started abandoning them, they abandoned the charge.

2. Their boarding system is crap. Don't know if they have changed it. I forget what it was - but with a particular row number, the aisle or the window guys would be called first. So if you had the wrong type of seat, by the time you boarded the plane, their was no overhead space left.

3. There was a time they held the flights for a few passengers with no AC on. One of the passengers started complaining a little bit because of the heat. The air hostess told the captain that she was unsafe because of that passenger. They took the passenger off the plane and plane did take off without him.

Never again flying this piece of crap. Do you work for these guys? Just read the posts or the topic that started this. These guys should go out of business - they make flying such as chore.1. Several airlines did that (some always have).

2. You must not fly much, many (maybe most) airline have instituted that boarding system. They all used to board from the back to the front, but now the more common method is a hybrid system that loads windows seats first in the back half, then aisle back, then window front, then aisle front (or something similar).

3. Was that you on the flight or did you hear that story from a friend who heard it from a cousin? If that did happen, so what? You could probably point to any airline and find an isolated case of some outlandish incident, like jet blue's problem with the passengers being held on the runway for something like 9 hours a couple of years ago.

You may have had a bad flight with U.S Air, but the larger pool of statistics doesn't support you. I fly a couple of dozen RT's a year, probably half those on U.S. Air between Orlando and DC National and have for the last five years. I have no complaints about U.S. Air in all those flights, so what does that prove? That they are the best airline in the world or that I have been extremely lucky? It means nothing, it's just my personal experience, that's all.

PrincipalMember said: jaimelobo said: PrincipalMember said: MatthewTabor said: DocSavage said: Good thing you switched away from US Air. In my experience, they are the worst airline, and had a good chance of losing your luggage during the transfer.Can you give specifics on how they're the worst airline out there?

1. For one, they instituted a charge even for soft drinks. Then after the passengers started abandoning them, they abandoned the charge.

2. Their boarding system is crap. Don't know if they have changed it. I forget what it was - but with a particular row number, the aisle or the window guys would be called first. So if you had the wrong type of seat, by the time you boarded the plane, their was no overhead space left.

3. There was a time they held the flights for a few passengers with no AC on. One of the passengers started complaining a little bit because of the heat. The air hostess told the captain that she was unsafe because of that passenger. They took the passenger off the plane and plane did take off without him.

Never again flying this piece of crap. Do you work for these guys? Just read the posts or the topic that started this. These guys should go out of business - they make flying such as chore.1. Several airlines did that (some always have).

2. You must not fly much, many (maybe most) airline have instituted that boarding system. They all used to board from the back to the front, but now the more common method is a hybrid system that loads windows seats first in the back half, then aisle back, then window front, then aisle front (or something similar).

3. Was that you on the flight or did you hear that story from a friend who heard it from a cousin? If that did happen, so what? You could probably point to any airline and find an isolated case of some outlandish incident, like jet blue's problem with the passengers being held on the runway for something like 9 hours a couple of years ago.

You may have had a bad flight with U.S Air, but the larger pool of statistics doesn't support you. I fly a couple of dozen RT's a year, probably half those on U.S. Air between Orlando and DC National and have for the last five years. I have no complaints about U.S. Air in all those flights, so what does that prove? That they are the best airline in the world or that I have been extremely lucky? It means nothing, it's just my personal experience, that's all.Now your turn.

- Name other major airlines which instituted a charge for softdrink. Only these morons did and hence they had to do an aboutface.

- I fly enough - may be I don't fly the crap airlines that have this hybrid system. Name another one please!

- I was on that flight. It is a personal experience.

By the way, do you have any idea about the importance of a "brand name"? Companies with "good brand" don't change their name when they acquire other companies. Only companies with a bad image generally adopt the name of the acquired company. America Waste was a bad airline before and it still is. You may be lucky that you are flying the sectors that were once were served by US airways. 1. Spirit Air for one; People Express charged for drinks in the 1980's

2. AirTran and United to name a couple. Here's an article from 2006 discussing it.

3. No question to answer here and I am growing tired of this discussion anyway.

Izzletodasmizzle said: I don't know if I agree that charging for checked bags keep the fair price low, Southwest is one of the cheapest airlines around and they give you two free checked bags.You mentioned a dirty word (Southwest). Prepare for a heated discussion

1. For one, they instituted a charge even for soft drinks. Then after the passengers started abandoning them, they abandoned the charge.

I agree this was a very bad move. No question, It wasn't even in effect for a full year - how many times did they try to charge you for a beverage?

2. Their boarding system is crap. Don't know if they have changed it. I forget what it was - but with a particular row number, the aisle or the window guys would be called first. So if you had the wrong type of seat, by the time you boarded the plane, their was no overhead space left.

Really? Do you think other Airlines have the golden standard for boarding perfected? If so you should call US Airways in Arizona they would love the advice. They might not be catering to people who fly a few times a year. They treat frequent travelers very well. They have the best / easiest First Class upgrades in the industry. I always board with First Class or zone 1. It pays to be loyal to an airline. I have had no bad experience on them this year - and I am one who is knows to share my mind regarding bad service. US Airways boards by Zone like many other airlines. Want a better zone - buy a first class ticket.

3. There was a time they held the flights for a few passengers with no AC on. One of the passengers started complaining a little bit because of the heat. The air hostess told the captain that she was unsafe because of that passenger. They took the passenger off the plane and plane did take off without him.

So were you sitting beside the guy who got off? Maybe he decided himself that he couldn't fly on the aircraft with it being so hot and never re-boarded. Maybe he was drinking or causing a scene that the crew found to be a threat. If so - ditch the bad egg.

Never again flying this piece of crap. Do you work for these guys? Just read the posts or the topic that started this. These guys should go out of business - they make flying such as chore.

They really don't care if you're flying them or not. They have plenty of satisfied customers. The DOT numbers show they fare as well or better as most other carriers in many areas. It sounds like you just like to complain and hate this airline.

By the way, do you have any idea about the importance of a "brand name"? Companies with "good brand" don't change their name when they acquire other companies. Only companies with a bad image generally adopt the name of the acquired company. America Waste was a bad airline before and it still is. You may be lucky that you are flying the sectors that were once were served by US airways.

Not that someone with little experience with them would know but since merger they still don't seem to be 100% merged. I fly many Northeast US routes and some west coast. Crews are often identified as " East Crews ( old US Airways ) " and " West Crews ( America West )". I prefer the service of the West crews - specifically when in First Class as they do things very professionally. US Air / US Airways was and is a recognizable brand. I won't argue it's brand equity but I find your negative commentary as being highly entertaining.

Thanks for trying to keep the trash talker accountable Jaimelobo... anyone with a HRC logo is good peeps in my book. I also fly DCA / MCO quite often. It's bad when the US Airways counter agents remember your name and come across the counter for hugs. I'm not a US apologist but will defend ridiculous claims from inexperienced customers. I'm NOT an employee either. They have a long list of things to work on ( in flight entertainment, In seat power, better food and glass in First Class).

I can't argue that most airlines, US Airways included, have many areas that need to be worked on. I've went from being nothing special with no status. I had to fly my way into earning Chairman's Preferred status with these guys. Does it suck to pay for luggage? Of course no one likes to pay extra fees. I admit they screwed up when they tried charging for a beverage. I get special lines when checking in, often get to by-pass security line waits with priority lines, usually fly in First Class with a free upgrade. If I need to ask a question or book a flight I get a phone number to call a " personal liaison " and don't have to sit on hold. I'm trying to be objective in saying that I like them now because of the perks. Fact is I fly them enough weekly to have realistic expectations. I was once a lowly nobody with them and had good experiences.Over the last few years they have made massive strides. You don't have to give them another chance but like many industries things change and change a lot.

Quoting an article from what appears to be from an "extremely" obscure website with information over a year old doesn't seem to hold water with me. US Airways has a new Director of Inflight services. He's made many small changes that are improving my experience.

I argue when people negatively compare a well established legacy carrier with Southwest or jet blue. Lets just say that with route and flight cut backs you might be sorry if you encounter any Irregular Operations with one of the low cost carriers. I know some people might have had bad experiences with cancelled flights, route changes, and other reasons. I do think it's crazy when someone gets stuck somewhere because of weather or air traffic delays and expects the airline to put them in a hotel and feed them. I think it's important to have realistic expectations and know your rights and the airlines responsibilities to you as a passenger.

Just stop making pot shots saying something like they should be avoided and will probably lose your bags anyway. The most current Department of Transportation figures show that US rates better than many other domestic carriers in almost every category. That and my experiences are good enough for me to continue to book with them.

PrincipalMember said: With Matthew Taylor and Jaimelobo arguing so much for this airline, I was somewhat puzzled at how did I get it so wrong.

So did a quick search:

Top Airlines Comparison: US most reliable airlines

So quoting from the article:

Alaska Airlines, Northwest Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines were solidly average performers. United Airlines and US Airways landed at the bottom of the list.

[What is interesting is that United was the other adoptee of the univ research on seating which seeemed to be all for the airline and nothing for the customer].

Note: The article is from Oct 10, 2008. At some point, I stopped flying these jerks. So may be they have made a miraculous recovery in their ratings - but I am not going to try.

One other thing to note is that you mentioned is that you are now on their fat cat list since you have flown enough. So may be it good for the fat cats and others who don't fly frequently should avoid!

Anyway, enough of this thread for me - I know that these guys are not getting a cent from me.

double post

MatthewTabor said: Izzletodasmizzle said: I don't know if I agree that charging for checked bags keep the fair price low, Southwest is one of the cheapest airlines around and they give you two free checked bags.

Well They want customers with your same mindset. I did a search today for a trip to Orlando from the DC Area - I won't even factor in that they don't fly to/from DCA. Flying from BWI to MCO January 13th returning the 16th. I chose the cheapest " wanna get away " fares for each travel day. The cheapest I could fly Southwest those days is $161.90. I could fly Airtran (hell no), Continental, US Airways, United, jet blue, Northwest / Delta all cheaper than Southwest. Another kicker is that those "cheap" flights on SW have a stop in each direction. They want people to assume they are always the cheapest and the best. Trust me I fly on my own dime over 100K miles a year. I will typically always look at my options including Southwest. That being said I only have two flights with them this year. I don't check luggage unless I have to. I would rather have a fare and fee structure that reflects me paying for what I receive. I have status with Continental and US Airways and don't pay for luggage on either. Southwest doesn't fly everywhere I go or overseas so my business goes with a legacy carrier. The only time to buy Southwest tickets seems to be when they are on sale - otherwise I just don't see all the fanfare for them.

You gonna make a statement like that without showing us what the others are charging ...??... me thinks you doth protest too much. Like maybe its only a few more for southwest (including two free bags) or direct flight and the others have layovers .. c'mon .. gives us the info .. you already had it on the screen ... copy n paste.

EDIT FOR SOME MORE RESEARCH.
Delta
Full Fare
$176.40

US Air ..... "Total $174 Non-refundable" EVERY SINGLE US AIR FLIGHT HAS A LAYOVER.

Continental is $140 plus taxes and fees i think .... and every single one has a lay over ... quickest one in Travel Time:
5 hr 3 mn

United clocks in at 150.00 USD fare
35.40 USD taxes & fees
185.40 USD per passenger .. so 185 with tax and fees ... no lay over ... does it cost extra to check a bag or two?

jet blue comes in from Baltimore BWI to orlando MCO .. doesn't even have a direct flight and cannot figure out how to get there ... but i could fly from boston to mco for $150 plus taxes. I can do Washington Dulles for 148 tho ....

Northwest comes in at $171 with taxes and fees. All flights are 4 1/2 hours or longer.

Airtran comes in at a very low ....Total Cost of Flight $170.40 including fees.

Southwest comes in at ... for non stop flights .. taxes and fees included ... ... Trip Grand Total: $180.20

The grand sum up of all this is .. southwest is cheaper than .... and better conditions than .... matrix.*********************************************************************

SW is $10 more than airtran .... but it seems like you dont want to fly airtran. Does look like airtran is non stop also.

SW is less than 5 bucks more than Delta full Fare $176.40 and SW is nonstop. Deltas flights are atleast 4hrs 14 mins. SW flight times are 2hr 10 and 2hr 35 on the way home. Deltas 9 hrs 30 min total time vs SW 4hrs 45 mins total time. A difference of 4 hrs 45 mins. For a savings of less than 5 bucks ... whats that like .... a bit more than 1 buck an hour you pay to be in sunny orlando vs on a plane. Its a no brainier for me but then again this is fatwallet.

Lets see who is next. Ah its northwest. Again its about 5 bucks cheaper to fly NW but will take about twice as long as SW ..... i'd rather be in sunny orlando than on a plane.

Now its united's turn... ooops they are more expensive and take longer.

How about continental ...1 Adults (age 18 to 64) $140.00
Additional Taxes/Fees $42.40
Total Price $182.40 ... quickest travel time 10hrs and twenty minutes total. Thats a lot longer than SW .. oh by the way southwest is NON-STOP.

Then we will look at US Air ... which is 5.20 cheaper than SW ... but it does require layover/change plane and takes longer. About 8 hours total travel time vs SW total travel time 4hr 45 mins. How much is your time worth ... mine is worth more than 5 bucks saved for a 3 or 4 hour difference.

jet blue comes in @ Total cost of flight $ 174.20 USD .. non stop .... with TV ... so this might be considered the only true better deal but i dont know if they charge more for the bags or not tho. Flight time is almost the same.

Ok brain has had enough of this but i checked out SW one more time and if i want to do a stop over in Atlanta i can get for a total cost round trip

Total Due $158.80 ********** we have a winner **************

included taxes and fees .. isn't that cheaper than every single one i just spent a ton of time looking up ... ?
All you have to do is land in Atlanta and then take off again .. its a stop over (??) .. don't even get off the plane but does add some time to your travels tho. Prices change all the time and i like southwest but would fly airtran or jet blue if they are cheaper ....

A lot does depend on what airport you chose to fly out of also. When SW is $160 out of my home airport us air is like $350 .... so i doubt i will ever fly us air.

MatthewTabor said: ]If you would have read the entire post you would have noted that the flights I was using as example had a connection in each direction.


MatthewTabor said:
]Another kicker is that those "cheap" flights on SW have a stop in each direction.

No they didnt .. when i actually included a stop over SW got cheaper than all the others.

It is what it is ... PLUS THE BAGS ARE FREE

MatthewTabor said: owenscott said: MatthewTabor said: ]If you would have read the entire post you would have noted that the flights I was using as example had a connection in each direction.


MatthewTabor said:
]Another kicker is that those "cheap" flights on SW have a stop in each direction.

No they didnt .. when i actually included a stop over SW got cheaper than all the others.

It is what it is ... PLUS THE BAGS ARE FREE


I guess I have no reason to argue with someone who has no idea what their talking about. I fly on a weekly basis. Although I never claim to know everything I have enough experience to know how to book a flight and compare itineraries. The Southwest flights comparable to the other carriers I searched on the above mentioned dates and times and routes DID IN FACT HAVE A STOP IN EACH DIRECTION. The outbound lowest priced flight was included a layover requiring a plane change, where the return flight included a stop but was shown to be on the same flight number ( and assuming same aircraft ). Next time come prepared with actual truth to back up your statements. By the way - NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE. You are in fact paying for your bags with your fare. I might be going to a location for a few days on business and don't check luggage. That's why I try to consider apples to apples but obviously that's not the easiest for some unsophisticated travelers to comprehend.

My base fare doesn't change if i check two bags with SW .. it does if I fly most of the other airlines you listed. Sounds like my bags are free at SW .... just word games any way you say it .... if you don't like me using the term free how about these ... chargeless, comp, complimentary, costless, for love, for nothing, free of cost, free ride, freebie, gratis, gratuitous, handout, on the cuff, on the house ...


Mr. Unsophisticated traveler here .... you said and i quote (for preservation)

MatthewTabor said: Well They want customers with your same mindset. I did a search today for a trip to Orlando from the DC Area - I won't even factor in that they don't fly to/from DCA. Flying from BWI to MCO January 13th returning the 16th. I chose the cheapest " wanna get away " fares for each travel day. The cheapest I could fly Southwest those days is $161.90. I could fly Airtran (hell no), Continental, US Airways, United, jet blue, Northwest / Delta all cheaper than Southwest. Another kicker is that those "cheap" flights on SW have a stop in each direction.

You said you choose the cheapest wanna get away fares. Well so did i and came up cheaper than when you did it. For about the same price you can fly SW non-stop or even cheaper than EVERY SINGLE airline you mentioned if you have a (one single no change of planes) stop and most of the SW flights are hours quicker than the others. I called your bluff on those other airlines being cheaper and when i looked it up SW spanked them all. I thought you protested a bit to much ... it was a call to action for me.

Then again i didn't resort to name calling did i?