“Kurt
to henri.dawes@usairways.com
cc douglas.parker@usairways.com, anthony.mule@usairways.com, airconsumer@ost.dot.gov, ben@consumerist.com
date Aug 23, 2007 5:08 PM
subject Distressing travel not yet completed
Ms. Dawes,
My dilemma, which I am hoping that you can resolve satisfactorily, is of an urgent nature.
My (step)son, a newly graduated US Marine, is stationed in California. My mother, his grandmother, has been ill for a long time, but earlier this week she became terminal. We let him know what was happening, and he arranged for Emergency leave through his command and the Red Cross.”
The earliest flight he could get was your flight #2793 on 8/22 from Palm Springs CA leaving at 9:00PM, connecting through Las Vegas, and arriving at 7:06AM at JFK airport. His ticket is #3721440267926.
The flight was overbooked and they were going to put him on another flight that would have arrived at 9AM in Newark. Something else occurred and they didn’t put him on that flight. If they had actually put him on that flight, he would have gotten home in time to see his grandmother one last time before she passed at 11AM.
They booked him for another flight, that would connect through Phoenix this morning (where he is still sitting as I write this), to arrive at approx 7PM. It has now been delayed for at least another 2-3 hours.
Your terminal personnel made no attempt to get him on a flight in this dire circumstance. He had to sleep on the terminal floor last night. He missed saying a final goodbye to his grandmother before she passed. He is still sitting in Phoenix with no idea when he can get home.
He paid $554.10 for a round trip ticket, and he isn’t much closer to coming home to be with family in these trying times. His emergency leave is ticking away as he sits in the terminal waiting.
I need to know what you (US Airways) are going to do to compensate him for this debacle. How you are going to make changes to correct the total overbooking of flights. How you are going to make this right. We are grieving, and having to deal with this disaster, and it is extremely stressful.
I await your reply.
Kurt
From: ben
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 9:57 AM
To: kurt
Subject: Re: Distressing travel not yet completed
Mr. Greiner,
Sorry to hear of your loss. Has US Airways replied yet?
—
BEN POPKEN
EDITOR
CONSUMERIST.COM
Kurt
to Editor
date :Aug 30, 2007 10:29 AM
subject: RE: Distressing travel not yet completed
Ben,
Thank you for your condolences.
My son finally made it home by 11PM (3 hour delay from the original arrival time of that flight) on the day I wrote the original email. He was too late to say a final goodbye to his grandmother, but he was able to be there for the memorial service. He returned to the Marines in California on a flight this morning.
I want to thank you for the service that you provide with the Consumerist, it has helped me greatly with this incident and also in the recent past in dealing with Sprint. It is nice to have this resource that help you to know what to do in a bad service situation to get things resolved satisfactorily.
US Airways had one of their CS people call my son on his cell the next day after his arrival,. Obviously the list of addresses that I sent the mail to poked someone with a sharp stick to cause them to take action. Perhaps they realized how it would look that they subjected a Marine to this situation.
I think my son said the woman’s name was Sandy, but I couldn’t be sure. She was very apologetic for the problems he encountered, expressed her condolences for our loss, and offered the following remedies:
- An upgrade to first class for his return trip this morning.
- A $400 travel voucher to be used any time. That will allow him to come home at holiday time for very little cost.
- She offered to personally waive the $100 change of itinerary fee at any point in the future if he needed it, by contacting her directly.
Even though these things helped soften the insult of what happened, I must say that I (and my son as well) would be very hesitant to fly US Airways again if any other choices are available. Unfortunately for him, Palm Springs is such a small airport that there aren’t a lot of choices to be had.
Kurt
Kurt used the tactics spelled out in our post, “How To Launch An Executive Email Carpet Bomb” to get resolution for his son. It’s comendable that US Airways stepped up, eventually.
The US Airways gestures were generous and their apologies appreciated, but they’ll never bring back Mrs. Greiner.
In the hurlyburly of numbers of airlines delayed, the industry blaming its difficulties on the air-traffic-control system, and travelers worrying over how many miles they’re accruing, it’s easy to forget the human lives and stories that are affected. In essence, because of budget cuts, the Marine never got to say goodbye to his grandmother before she died.
(Photo: dykstranet)
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That’s why I said my final goodbyes to my grandma in June of 2002. Luckily for me (and her) she didn’t die until March of 2005. Plan ahead people – death waits for no one – so why blame the airlines for YOUR poor planning?
Yes, a Marine absolutely does deserve special treatment, especially compared to a teacher who may or may not have more than a GED to justify their paycheck.
Yes, it’s bad that anyone would be subjected to that experience, but it’s worse when that someone is already removed from their loved ones. If the USMC saw fit to let him go home for a couple days for free, US Airways should not be getting in the way.
And really, let’s be realistic. Teaching is important work, but so is cleaning bathrooms. Neither profession requires an especially high level of achievement. It’s probably best that people not overstate their own importance for the sake of their own fragile ego.
To be honest i bet if he stood up in front of the crowd of passenger’s waiting and said the following out loud.
I am trying to get home to see my grandmother before she dies within the next few hour’s but the airline overbooked, could anyone be willing to swap with me please.
I can allmost guarantee he would have a seat in second’s.
If not?
God help us all!
wow…just wow. My mom was a teacher…she needed time off she called and told them…I was in the Navy….I needed time off for a family emergency, I neded to get the permission of my workcenter supervisor, the Command Master Chief, The Maintenance Office, the XO and the CO, any one of whom could say no, you are mission critical.
If you don’t like the state breathing down your neck as a teacher and you don’t like teaching the craptastic curriculum, quit, find a charter, or a magnet, or a private school…but PLEASE don’t poison the kids with your poisonous attitude towards others.
I don’t know why anyone even tries to fly them anymore. I live in Phoenix and they offer an amazing schedule, but the gate staffers are horribly under trained and borderline incompetent while rarely willing to help a traveler out. The last time I few them was October, 1998, I was in the next gate area waiting, but an elderly lady was trying to make a connection in Phoenix, and naturally, 3 concourses over walked up to the gate with the A/C door still open, the jetway door still open, and they wouldn;t let her on. All for “on time performance”. It was pathetic and the supervisor didn;t give a rats ass about helping.
All I can say is I’d rather be shoe horned into a southwest flight for 5 hours at triple the cost then spend a nickel on US Air EVER.
When my fiancee and I flew back to Taiwan a few weeks ago, the United flight from Baltimore Washington International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport was oversold and they were offering folks some vouchers to give up their seats.
@junkmail: *applause*
@DAK:
Wow — you seem to have a lot of contempt for teachers.
The armed forces should receive special treatment, anyone of us dont want to go to work today they just call of sick and go do what they want to, Can those guys NO if they do it is called AWOL and punishable by prision time. Should they bump people on flights for emergency’s like this YES. I have never served or do I have immediate family that has served in the armed forces but these guys and gals provide a great service to this country it is called FREEDOM. That same exact FREEDOM to write comments like everybody has the option to do.
Couldnt the marine get a flight home with the marines? Find one of the flights going back to the US. Being in the armed forced did he really have to take a normal passanger plane home?