US Airways - NEVER AGAIN !!!

"Capt. Doug" wrote
You didn't mention the reasons for their tardiness. I understand your
frustration, but am not quite ready to place all the blame squarely on the
airline.

That's irrelevant. When you sell something to a customer, and then
the customer doesn't get what he was promised, then it's your fault.
Even if you put somewhere in the fine print that he might not get what
he was promised, it's still your fault. That arrival time you print
on the ticket? That's a promise. If you have certain
suppliers/vendors/regulators who are known not to be reliable, then
it's your responsibility to either replace them or factor in the
unreliability into your schedules.

My flight yesterday (NOT for Scareways) started 4 hours late. Our plane was
delayed inbound for 3 hours because of flow control problems in Chicago. The
airline can't do anything about it.

Really? Were you shocked that there were flow control problems in
Chicago? How about mildly surprised? No? Is it maybe because the
airline has scheduled way too many flights to arrive and depart at the
same time from the same little patch of concrete, knowing there's not
a chance in hell that will work except under ideal conditions?

See, the airline CAN do something about it. It can schedule
realistically. If you know the airport can't possibly handle 200
operations in an hour except under ideal conditions, then don't
schedule 200 operations. Really, it's that simple.

In the meantime, a
police officer showed up at the cabin entrance and asked for a female
passenger to be removed. It turns out that the woman had assaulted her
intransigent teenage daughter while in the terminal.

While I'm certainly not making excuses for assault (there is no excuse
for assault) the fact remains that people are only human, and when
their plans are screwed up due to circumstances beyond their control
they get angry and frustrated, and some are prone to violence. And if
the scheduling had allowed for reasonable airport capacity, rather
than what you can get under ideal conditions, there probably would
have been no assault and consequent investigation.

I have little doubt that a few of our frustrated passengers may swear off
traveling with us again. On the other hand, I know that trips with such
frustration are the exception.

No they're not. In my experience, they're the rule. And I can assure
you that at this point, MOST of your frustrated passengers are only
flying because they have no choice (meaning as a condition of
employment) and many would be happy to see you all go out of business
so they could take alternate transportation.

I also know that traveling by personal
aircraft has it's own frustrations.

Yeah. Like just a few months ago I had a mechanical problem - right
engine starter bendix wouldn't engage. Takeoff was delayed by two
hours while I decowled the engine, cleaned out the bendix, and
reassembled. Funny, though - I didn't miss any of my connections,
didn't have to sit for hours in a tiny cramped seat, didn't have to
eat crappy food, and didn't tell my passengers how it wasn't my fault.

Michael

"Michael" wrote in message
om...
"Capt. Doug" wrote

My flight yesterday (NOT for Scareways) started 4 hours late. Our plane
was
delayed inbound for 3 hours because of flow control problems in Chicago.
The
airline can't do anything about it.

Really? Were you shocked that there were flow control problems in
Chicago? How about mildly surprised? No? Is it maybe because the
airline has scheduled way too many flights to arrive and depart at the
same time from the same little patch of concrete, knowing there's not
a chance in hell that will work except under ideal conditions?

See, the airline CAN do something about it. It can schedule
realistically. If you know the airport can't possibly handle 200
operations in an hour except under ideal conditions, then don't
schedule 200 operations. Really, it's that simple.

Flow control delay is determined by *all* airlines, not just one particular
airline. It can also change when non-scheduled planes arrive, presidents
decide to have haircuts on the taxiway, passengers start fights and a
whole load of other externals which aren't under the control of the airline
you've decided to ride on. Not to mention unpredicted weather.

It's all a trade off. If you are really determined to get where you want
to be exactly on schedule, then pick an airline that schedules just
once per day, so the plane is ready and waiting for you when you turn
up. That would push up the costs tremendously, and even then you
wouldn't be guaranteed an on-time arrival, or even departure.

You should check the Federally-mandated airline on-time statistics &
use your common sense. Me, I tend to prefer Southwest because they're
cheaper. But I know that they maintain their low cost by minimising
idle time. So generally, any cumulative delays mean that they're unlikely
to be on time later in the day, since the plane has done several legs
before mine. But that's fine by me. I try to travel early in the day.
Really,
it's that simple.

"Tony Cox" wrote
Flow control delay is determined by *all* airlines, not just one particular
airline.

Ah yes, the "Everybody is doing it" defense.

It can also change when non-scheduled planes arrive, presidents
decide to have haircuts on the taxiway, passengers start fights and a
whole load of other externals which aren't under the control of the airline
you've decided to ride on. Not to mention unpredicted weather.

Like I said - if it happens only very rarely, it's not really a
problem. You can afford to do whatever it takes to make it right for
the customer because it's a very rare event. If it happens often
enough to **** off a lot of customers, and often enough that you just
can't do whatever it takes to make it right for the customer, and you
don't plan for it, then it's your fault for not planning for it. It's
really that simple.

You should check the Federally-mandated airline on-time statistics &
use your common sense.

I do. That's why I don't set foot on an airliner unless someone is
not only paying for my ticket but also paying for me to be there. In
those cases, I just don't worry about delays and unanticipated
expenses - the delays are work time for which I'm paid, the expenses
go on my expense report. No problem.

Michael

Its being a bit unrealistic to take this out on a flight crew member.
They are just the "bus driver" (no offense intended) doing all they can to
keep on schedule and ensure safe operation of the aircraft. The all of my
problems with airlines stem from the "customer service" personnel and their
ideas of what customer service entails. A couple good examples:

1. A large group of passengers from a cruise ship delayed from the ship.
Untied Airlines check-in at LAX is backed up forever. Departure is in 30
min. All the 1st class check-in lines are empty and the personnel do
nothing, even after being told about the problem. "I'm sorry sir, this is
first class check in."

2. Flight on America Worst from PHX to SBA. Gate personnel tell us that
there is fog in Santa Barbara and we have a choice of boarding the plane
with a decision to be made enroute about diverting to Bakersfield. If that
is the decision, "You will be de-planed at Bakersfield and our obligation to
you has ended." OR you can make other arrangements and not get on the plane.
"Sorry, its the weather, not our fault."

Lots of crap like this. None of it is the flight crews fault, but they
are usually the ones that have to put up with the "fall out" from ****ed off
customers. When I do fly commercial, I regard the time in the plane as
relaxation. Look out the window and realize that for now I don't have to put
up with some B.S. the marketing people give customer service as a "reason"
why things aren't their fault.


--
Kevin McCue
KRYN
'47 Luscombe 8E
Rans S-17 (for sale)




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"Kevin McCue" wrote
Its being a bit unrealistic to take this out on a flight crew member.

Actually, in the long run it's the right thing to do. It creates
financial consequences for the airline. It ****es off the flight
crew, and as a result the airline has to either pay the flight crew
more for dealing with the fallout or accept less-qualified flight
crew, which will show up in the insurance rates before long.

Michael

Actually, in the long run it's the right thing to do. It creates
financial consequences for the airline. It ****es off the flight
crew, and as a result the airline has to either pay the flight crew
more for dealing with the fallout or accept less-qualified flight
crew, which will show up in the insurance rates before long.


Your logic escapes me. Airline travel has become the bus service in the air so
luxury is out and mass tansit is in now. That means more crowded skies and,
unfortunately, more delays. I think you will find flight crews are not willing
to put up with childish behavior and will simply remove people who can't behave
in a civilized manner. Bringing an attitude on the plane is not a winning
strategy anymore.
If you don't like airline travel then by all means find another way.

In article ,
(PS2727) wrote:

If you don't like airline travel then by all means find another way.

believe me, I'd love to convince some people to use the phone
or VTC to conduct meetings rather to always thinking the meetings
have to be face-to-face.

--
Bob Noel

"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
In article ,
(PS2727) wrote:

If you don't like airline travel then by all means find another way.

believe me, I'd love to convince some people to use the phone
or VTC to conduct meetings rather to always thinking the meetings
have to be face-to-face.

--
Bob Noel

That's becoming the norm for many corporations as airlines continue to treat
their best customers, business travelers, like dog turds.

Bob Noel wrote
If you don't like airline travel then by all means find another way.

believe me, I'd love to convince some people to use the phone
or VTC to conduct meetings rather to always thinking the meetings
have to be face-to-face.

Interestingly, my company is moving over to almost exclusive reliance
on phone and VTC. It's cheaper than flying, there's no loss of
productivity (other than the meeting itself), and it doesn't **** off
the employees the way being shipped around the country by cut-rate
airlines does.

I haven't set foot on an airliner for any reason in over a year.

Michael

On 11 Jul 2003 02:43:12 GMT, PS2727 wrote:
Your logic escapes me. Airline travel has become the bus service in the air so
luxury is out and mass tansit is in now. That means more crowded skies and,
unfortunately, more delays.

If only airline travel was as convenient as mass transit.

Train: turn up at the station, buy a ticket, get on, go. No need to arrive
at the station more than 10 minutes early except at busy times. Tickets
can be bought at a 'vending machine' if you don't have anything special
keeping queues down. Trip from London to Edinburgh: 3 hrs 59 minutes. On
a weekend, only a small fee to upgrade to First Class. Even discount
tickets have reasonable flexibility. There is usually a train station
reasonably close to your destination. If you have to change trains,
the wait at the intermediate station is usually fairly brief. If you miss
a connection, generally there's not too much trouble getting the next one.

Plane: Obliged to turn up at least an hour before departure. Long queues.
You have to buy the ticket way in advance to get any kind of discount.
Lengthy security checks. Airline airports are almost always a fair distance
to where you actually want to go. Trip from London to Edinburgh + waiting
usually also at least 4 hours. No flexibility with a discount ticket at
all. Layovers are usually at least an hour if you have to change planes.

People complain about the trains, but I'd far rather go by train
than airline. Railway staff don't treat you like a terror suspect.

GA: Go whenever you want. Usually a GA aerodrome close to where you want
to go. Your luggage doesn't get lost. You might get delayed, but you'll
spend the time amongst other flyers, and can usually borrow a car or get
a lift somewhere outside whilst you wait for the weather to improve.
You don't have to be wedged between two other passengers, one of whom
is a screaming toddler.
Expensive, but worth every damned penny. GA gains a great deal of utility
when you live on a relatively small island.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"