Consumerist
U.S. Airways
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cash4clunkers
"Cash 4 Clunkers" Will Reach Vanishing Point Sometime In September
If you're planning on taking advantage of the Cash 4 Clunkers program you'd better do it sooner rather than later, says Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The program is running out of money and the administration says that in the next two days they will outline a plan to gracefully wind it down. More » -
southwest
This Apology Letter From Southwest Is Refreshingly Honest And Informative
A fluid leak forced Deepak's Southwest flight from Oakland to Seattle back to the airport. Southwest shifted passengers to a waiting plane, and everyone made it to Seattle about two hours late. Within a week, Southwest sent passengers an extraordinarily honest and informative letter detailing exactly what went wrong, and by way of apology, tossed in a $175 voucher. More » -
U.S. Airways
U.S. Airways: Abandoning Passengers "Is Not A Compensation Issue"
Remember the 274 passengers stranded by U.S. Airways in Punta Cana? According to the airline, compensating those passengers would be unsafe. Seriously, that's their argument: More » -
happy endings
EECB Scores $100 Direct Hit On United Airlines
It took a little negotiating but reader Noah was able to get United Airlines to honor the agreement that their CSR made, despite the fact that it was a violation of some kind of deeply sacred policy. More » -
Airlines Have Bumped 343,000 Passengers This Year
Over a quarter-million passengers were bumped from flights in the past eight months, a number that is set to grow as airlines try to boost anemic profits by slashing fleets. The Department of Transportation requires airlines to compensate bumped passengers with cash or vouchers, but savvy passengers can leverage their situation to negotiate heftier payments... More » -
tsa
TSA Martinet Claims Her Unpublished Rules Trump Real Ones
TSA, can you at least train your agents to do their jobs properly? We'd appreciate it even more if you'd discipline (read: fire) those who go all stupidly power-mad and think they have to "win" every encounter, even when it means making up new rules on the spot. Here's a story of a soldier who lost a day of leave because one of your agents caused so much trouble. In the end, the soldier says he's happy with the outcome—"Using standard Consumerist customer service doctrine (polite, patient, proper channels and then EECB), I won"—but we're still floored by how difficult you made his trip home. Oh, and NWA, you were no help either. More » -
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bad consumer
Throwing A Monitor Through A Glass Door Is Not The Best Way To Complain About Iron Man
If something goes wrong with the projection while you're watching Iron Man, (or any other movie, actually) and the ticket agent will not give you a refund, do not grab the monitor and throw it through a glass door. More » -
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delta
Delta: Sorry Your Lung Collapsed, But You Should Have Used Your Voucher Sooner
Trevor's lung collapsed last year, flummoxing his plans to travel with Delta from New York to Toronto. Delta issued a voucher and promised Trevor that it could be redeemed anytime within one year. What they didn't tell him, at any point, was that they started counting not from the date of his planned travel, or from the date he requested the refund, but from the date they issued the original ticket. More » -
Shady Lady Ranch
Nevada Brothel Offers $50 Gas Voucher To Customers
If you've been cutting back on your brothel visits because of the high price of gasoline, you might want to make an appointment with Shady Lady Ranch: More » -
united airlines
Dear United Airlines: "You Have Designed Your Customer Service To Piss Off Your Customers"
After a mechanical snafu grounded his flight to Zurich, Aaron received several vouchers and an upgrade as compensation from United Airlines. Unfortunately, the vouchers and upgrades proved so difficult to use that he has given up and is now publicly vowing never to fly United Airlines again. More » -
vouchers
Customers Holding ATA Vouchers Are Sad, Angry
Reader Jake writes in to share the story of how he came to be the proud owner of a now-worthless ATA voucher: More » -
whoops
Passengers Watch With Disbelief As Their Allegiant Air Flight Leaves Without Them
Over 20 passengers watched in horror as their Allegiant Air flight from Huntsville to Fort Lauderdale took off without them. The passengers had lined up at the gate, tickets in hand, when the plane pushed back. Apparently, the single ticketing agent had struggled to handle everyone on time and didn't tell the plane to wait. Passengers called the airline once they realized they were stranded as kids shouted, "We want to go to Disney World!""So, everybody calls Allegiant Air," Rigas said. "Three people got hung up on."
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travel
Miss Your Plane And US Airways Cancels Your Return Flight, Offers No Compensation
Reader Chad is at the airport right now and boy is he angry at US Airways. More » -
class actions
Virgin Atlantic, British Airways Admit To Collusion, Prepare To Issue Vouchers
Virgin Atlantic and British Airways admitted last week to the Department of Justice that they colluded to levy excess fuel surcharges ranging from $10 to $100. Despite the admission, both airlines claim that passengers weren't really overcharged. More » -
travel
How To Get Bumped By An Airline For Fun And Profit
An editor over at Jaunted has perfected a strategy for hassel-free airline bumping. We all know that we can grab some pretty nice rewards if we give up our seat on an overbooked airplane, but we're never in a position to do so. More » -
southwest
Above And Beyond: Southwest Melts Customer's Heart After Deicing Snafu
Dan's family changed planes in snowy Chicago while on their way to sunny Orlando. Before taking off, their Southwest flight spent three hours awaiting deicing on the tarmac. Dan's family took the delay in stride.The pilot kept us informed (he even said at time he would pull back into the gate if we were there much longer) and the flight crew were very helpful and understanding. No one got upset, we all just tried to make the best of it.
After returning from Orlando, Dan did not complain about the delay to Southwest. That did not stop Southwest from apologizing... More »
Unexpected 
