Okay, I take it Acelockco doesn't like kids ... lol
I have to agree, if you charge a price for a service, you gotta provide that service. If it's not working out for you, get out of the business. The CEO's of the airlines aren't running charity organizations. I wouldn't think they would do it unless they were making money. Plus, for the price of the ticket they promise you this and that and comfort and so on and on. So they should deliver. However, murdering babies or throwing them out the door with parachutes is, I don't think, the answer ...
Now, back to the original topic! I think I posted this in another thread, but here is the summary of "How I Got Rolled By Continental Airlines":
Flying to Florida from Halifax. Halifax to Newark, Newark to Miami. I have to drive by car five hours to get to Halifax. Well, it was my fault, I missed the cutoff for international flights check in time. I think it's two hours before the flight? I was probably 15 minutes late I think. Continental agent would not let me check in. No matter how much I begged, no way. Well, I guess I can't complain, I should've been there earlier, but still I was miffed. It was the last flight of the day, so the only thing she would allow is to fly the next day. There was some kinda big convention in town, so I ended up sleeping in my car. The next day, at the airport in PLENTY of time, but the flight was late. Got to Newark in time for the connection. I think it is an hour flight to Florida. About 40 minutes into the flight, the pilot says there is a problem with a fuel pump and we have to return to Newark. Dang. We land safely in Newark and are told to go back to the gate where a Continental agent will tell us what to do next. Well, no one at the gate knew anything and sent the entire plane load of passengers across the airport to a Continental customer service desk. They didn't know anything and told everyone to return to the gate. We got sent back and forth three times, I think (quite a sight, actually, this throng moving as one through the airport). By now the customer service desk was aware of the situation and told everyone to line up to deal with each passenger one at a time. Of course, people were getting testy, people were speaking out asking questions instead of waiting in line. I watched Continental staff lose their temper and yell at passengers several times. Seniors were left to stand for hours, etc. etc. Eventually it was my turn and I was told by the agent there was nothing they could do but give me a refund. I told them I was, in effect, in a foreign country and I needed more than that: new flight, food, accomodations, phone to call Florida and cancel my appointments. All were refused. He eventually told me they had another flight going to Florida but I would have to go to another gate to see if I could get on stand by. After quite a bit more fuss and hours of waiting, I did get my name on stand by for that flight, along with some of the other passengers. More fussing, waiting, begging, pleading, cajoling, bribing and I got on the flight (which was late). And of course, when I arrived in Miami, my luggage was in Godknowswhereland. Missed all my appointments, and was now in Miami with just the shirt on my back as Continental kicked me to the curb.
When I finally made it back home I called to complain and seek compensation. Calling Continental customer service or flinging yourself off a cliff; it's hard to say which is more painful. I think it was a $600 flight? Most they were willing to offer for my suffering was $200 credit on another Continental flight! Yay!
That is ONE of my bad experiences with Continental, certainly the worst. I would rather run naked through a swarm of angry bees than fly with them again.
Personally I haven't had too much trouble with Delta, if you can believe it. Air Canada has not been too bad either.
That actually sounds like a positive experience with Continental snake. The last time I flew with them I was still in a wheel chair and rather than bump a passenger from up front like the other airlines had been doing, they insisted on learning how to use this combination wheelchair/hand truck thingy to take me to the back of the plane. They bent my knee to extremes that I have yet to match and I refused to fly on that flight (no way I was going to trust my life to such an idiotic flight crew if they could not handle things while still on the ground.)
On my return flight if the ticket agent had expended the same energy to get me to the gate as she spent telling me there was no way I could make it on time, I would not have missed my flight; she did however manage to get my carryon with my pain meds in it on board though. I wheeled myself and got to the gate just as the doors were being closed and the jet backed away.
I caught a flight the next night and as we began our approach down into Houston the pilot came on the intercom to tell us there was a bit of bad weather down below (Houston was socked in tight with some really thick fog) and they had asked us to fly a holding pattern for the next 30 minutes. He then related to us that we were going to give it a try, but he was not sure if we had enough fuel to stay up that long! Well, an hour later we are still circling Houston and the pilot has not said a word since telling us we were low on fuel. The lady across the aisle from me started freaking out when she looked out her window and could not see the lights from Houston; she honestly thought we were out over the Gulf getting ready to go down. Needless to say, the flight crew did absolutely nothing to calm her down or reassure any of the other passngers that we were alright. Upon finally landing in Houston I bought a ticket on Southwest to carry me on to my final destination.
Still laughing. Keep it coming. Maybe we should move this thread to the humor section...
FD
Sounds just about right!
Now they have to have 3 more meetings to aprove the color of the new paint, decide on a contractor, and then find another contractor because the 1st one was not in the union. Of course they will need 3 additional meetings after that to get the budget to pay for the union painters because they charge tripple the amount as the non union workers.
Giving the benefit of the doubt that it was an unforseen mechanical problem, it is great that they got us back to the ground safe and sound. (They had all the emergency gear waiting for us when we landed, what are the odds of that happening twice in your life? I figure I'm safe to fly now for sure ... ). It was strange that we turned around when it was shorter to go on to Miami, but hey ...
The worst part was, not only being sloughed off with no help and no offer of compensation, but being yelled at in the process by Continental employees for something that wasn't my fault! Maybe they should have a union meeting about that!
I am not getting emotional!!
Huh????
Well, you are right. When it was working it wasn't the mechanic doing his job. When it stopped working half way through the flight, now it's the mechanic's fault? A little FYI, there are a minimum 8 pumps per airplane, often more. For one pump to fail, is not cause to return the plane to a maintenance base. It often is a matter of allaying fears by claiming a minor problem, and mechanicals are an easy way to do what they want to do without raising the ire of the passengers. What passenger will argue that a mechanical issue is not reason to take all precautions?
When a mechanic/engineer doesn't do his/her job, people die. PERIOD!!!! You all are telling tales of woe, well, thank the mechanic for placing you in the position to carry on with respective lives. Oh, and the heart-felt thanks that flow freely from your lips, is gratitude enough for a job well done. In the middle of the night, in all weather, weekends and holidays, kids school and life functions, all done in a fog of fatigue. You see maintenance is done when the planes are not flying, which is opposite every one else's daily life.
As for the union thing, maintenance is done in spite of the unions.
I guess complaining about flying is just like the SUV owner complaining about the cost of fuel........ predictable.