Airline Issues

[amtrosie]

Do you see this ------> <-------?


It is the world's smallest violin playing "My Heart Bleeds For You"! Hey, if you don't like you job, check the paper and find something else to do. YOU have that option!

On the other hand, if it is $10,000 to fly from New York to New Jersey or $1.59 to fly from LA to China, makes no difference. The if you charge a fee for a service you must provide that service. So maybe you need to stop your crying and fix that stinking plane mechanic. No one is forcing the airlines to stay in business! Crap, the government gave them crazy money to make things easier!

Maybe it is time to fire everyone and start over.

Then start over!!!


With what?


My aren't we quick to blow up the entire bowl of soup without looking at the contents.

As for fixing my plane? It is fixed, is flying. When it returns tonight, I'll inspect it, clean up all the towels used to stem the tears of the passengers, wiped away, from the bitter disappointment of reaching their destination........cheaply!!!! Remember, you get what you pay for! After that I'll continue to work my second job to make ends meet. Oh, yeah, today....September 11th, The day my job went up in smoke, and collapsed with the twin towers.

By the way, that mechanic/engineer that keeps your airplane safe? Don't speak to loud, they are the ONLY one's who sign that logbook, stating the aircraft is airworthy.

And with that signature, their life.

[Sarah]

I personally think airfare is a bargain, it is the fuel that is not.

[acelockco]

Then start over!!!


With what?

With the employees that are crying because they are not making enough money!

[seasnake]

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.

[BamaCaveDiver]

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.

[acelockco]

........ About 40 minutes into the flight, the pilot says there is a problem with a fuel pump and we have to return to Newark.

Sounds like some mechanic did not do his/her job properly. But I am sure that that same mechanic did not forget to complain that they are not paid enough and it is the customers fault because they want low prices!

[fooddude]

Still laughing. Keep it coming. Maybe we should move this thread to the humor section...

FD

[BamaCaveDiver]

Sounds like some mechanic did not do his/her job properly. But I am sure that that same mechanic did not forget to complain that they are not paid enough and it is the customers fault because they want low prices!

Perhaps he had to leave early that day to make his/her union meeting on time where they could complain about how low their wages were as well as how the break room needed a new coat of paint.

[acelockco]

Perhaps he had to leave early that day to make his/her union meeting on time where they could complain about how low their wages were as well as how the break room needed a new coat of paint.

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.

[seasnake]

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!!