Airline service
I just had an experience with US Air I'll share with you.  
A group of 3 were traveling on business with an early morning flight out
of Metro with USAir.  At flight time, the agent told us "The flight will
be delayed because the 2nd officer lost his wallet which contained his 
certification papers.  They are going back now to check the hotel, but we 
should be in the air with a 30 minute delay."  After an hour they came 
back to us with "They could not find the wallet, but we will be in the air
after 9:00 when the (records?) office opens so we can get a copy of the 
certification papers."  At that point we left the airport, because we had
a 10:00 am meeting which we would miss.

Our corporate flights are booked through a travel agent who informed us
that the tickets could not be turned back in because they were non-refundable.
After much discussion, they relented, but someone who believed what they
were told would be out the cost of the ticket.

Had any particularly good or bad flight service lately?

32 responses total.

  Personally, I don't fly anymore. I'd rather Amtrak. It might take a little
longer, but I don't trust the airlines since Reagan fired all the controllers.
,.

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A rep from VISA told my wife that if you buy a ticket with your VISA card
(even if non-refundable) all you have to do is call VISA and they will
request your letter explaining what happened and credit your account
for the full amount.  They then will debit the Airlines/Travel Agent's 
account for that amount.  Visa is supposed to be used under the basis
of full customer satisfaction regardless of printed warranties.

The reason for her conversation with the visa rep was her organization
was being debited for the amount of tickets bought on VISA and never used.
The ticket holder missed the show and then asked for her money back.

Hmm.  I've generally had very bad service (and *very* bad food) on 
Continental, while I have had rather good service and food on TWA.

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If you ever have a chance, take a flight on Air Canada of 2 hrs or more.
The service and food is better than anything I have experienced.
It's been several years, so I can't be sure it still is as good, but 
it still remains the BEST!

Just about all of my flying in the last few years has been on Northwest,
since they have a lot of flights from Detroit.  I've generally been happy
with them, although their check-in people didn't know what their policy
about bikes on International flights was, and didn't believe me at first
when I told them.  That's apparrently pretty typical of airlines in the
US.  In my experience, I have to go to Europe before I'll find airport
people who don't hassle me about the bike.

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an interesting sideline for you all:

I recently read that the food served on planes is actually high quality
food- even heavily spiced.  The problem is that the air pressure (or 
lack of) affects your olfactory organs, so it tastes flat.  Apparently,
there's not much more the airlines *can* do to make the food taste
any better.

Back on topic- I've only flown 3 times, and every time was on Northwest.
It was ok.  Since I don't have anything to compare it to, It was 
probably in the mediocre range.  The seats were old and worn-out
looking, there were only a couple flight attendants for the whole plane
(I only saw them when they were bringing around the food carts),
and everything just seemed kind of run down.  One flight was neat, though-
it was a connecter from Atlanta to Savannah.  They used a full sized
plane for about 15 passengers.  Lots of room, and you could pick any
seat you wanted!

I've taken mostly Northwest and Delta because they have the most flights to
where I am going.  I can't remember the last time the plane left anywhere
near the scheduled departure time, although many times enough "buffer" was
built into the itinerary  that the plane technically arrived "on time".  My
last trip was on Northwest to Boston - both left the gate 30-45 minutes
after scheduled departure.  Arrival back in Detroit was 20 minutes late
(even from itinerary) on my flight home.  As a sideline, I just dropped a
friend off at Metro for a Southwest flight.  I liked the green boarding pass
things (festival seating, I guess), but I must admit that when 4:25 rolled
around (the time printed on the ticket) the plane was being pushed back
away from the terminal.  That got my attention :-)  I may try Southwest
next time just for that reason.

I'm flying NorthWest to Amsterdam, and then KLM from Amsterdam to Budapest,
on Monday.  On July 4, I'm doing the reverse.  I'll post a report when I
get back.

Northwest and KLM are sort-f partners, and KLM is much better than Northwest.
I fly Northwest or Southwest, depending on flights, and while I usually like
the organized seating of NW, it can sometimes backfire when there are a lot
of empty seats and you still get a seat between two sumo wrestlers.  SW has
that "groups of 30" festival ("stampede for the best seat") system, which
is somehow a much faster way to get everyone onto the plane.  SW gets much
higher marks than NW for punctuality.  On NW, they usually lie about what the
delay is, even if it doesn't matter.  On SW, they cheerfully inform you that
the pilot has to "ductape the flaps up before takeoff...just kidding!".

I just hate that when I get squeezed between two sumo wrestlers!     :-)

re: #9  I would suspect that the *dry*, chill air onboard planes is
responsible.  These conditions lead to nasal congestion --> just like
having a cold with regard to your tasting ability.  The lower ambient
pressure, per se, should not affect taste, but it can certainly aggravate
sinus problems and plugged ear problems.  (Treatment = decongestants during
trip, provided you have no reason not to take them.  Take them about 30 min.
before take-off)

Sorry I missed the chance to write to steve before he left for Amsterdam. 
On the ride from the airport to my daughter's home here in Seattle, I sat next
to a young man, a native of Amsterdam, who had just flown in from there.  He
was very pleasant and warned me seriously about pickpockets in Amsterdam. 
He said he thought they were about the worst there then anywhere he knew. 
I hope steve takes precautions.

I flew NW from Detroit here to Seattle and we not only left on time, came in
half an hour early.  Flew on a reconstructed DC10.  I remember thinking years
ago that DC10 seats were the most comfortable.  let me tell you, this time,
I felt like a squished sardine. Maybe its partially because I often fly
sitting nest to my husband and I can lean all over him.  This time, I sat next
to a lady who wouldn't even look at me, much less let me lean over on her
space. 8-).  Could also be that I may have gained some weight during the
years.  

I think the seats are shrinking over the years.

Marc, you are much too kind.  Actually the return trip wasn't as bad.  I was
able to sleep for a good part of it and it made the time pass more quickly.
But you are sweet to tell me the seats are shrinking.

Well, it's true!  By the way, when I take a long trip, I get the window seat
because I can prop myself into the corner and sleep without finding myself
draped across my neighbor's lap.  

Another airlines question - What do you do to avoid jet lag?  I usually just
stay up for a marathon stretch immediately after the trip and fall back into
a normal routine according to the time that I'm in.  If I take an early nap,
I'm done for - it takes a week to get back to normal. 

As I get older, I notice the effects of jet lag more. I never seemed to feel
it when I was younger.

Anyway, going to Seattle, I change my watch on the plane and start thinking
in terms of the new time.  When I get there, I take a small (no more than 1
hour nap) and stay up till 11:00.  I have just recently taken to taking a mild
drug to help me sleep through that first night (Tylenol PM actually works or
a mild tranquillizer).  The next day, I find a I am a little tired mid day
but I don't give in and am fine from then on.

Coming back East, when I lose the three hours, I am usually so exhausted from
the trip and unpacking, I fall asleep at 11 or 12 our time, wake a few times
during the night, and then wake at about 6 am.  I am tired part of the next
day so I try and plan an easy day.  By the the followin day, I'm right on
schedule.

I have heard all kinds of things like getting into the sun in the early am,
or trying to get on the new time before you leave, but when I travel I have
no time for all that.  I do avoid all caffeine and alcohol before, during and
right after ytravelling and that helps.  I drink alot of water during flying
and that keeps from getting dehydrated.

When I go to Europe, I have such an adrelaline rush when I get there that in
spite of no sleep on the plane, I can make it (albeit very wearily) through
the first day.  I go to sleep early that night and am on local time by the
next day. 

Do you have Any secrets?

My next trip, I have a very long flight, but I will not cross time zones, so
I think I will have no problem.

No secrets other than toughing it out for the first day, then perhaps going
to bed a little early local time.  When I go to Europe, we get there in time
to start the day, so that one is a real long stretch, but again, the
adrenaline kicks in.  All my travel has been just East-West, never far
North-South.  My wife and daughter just were in Ecuador, and that's the same
time zone as us.  Sounds like you are headed in that General direction.

I don't have any magic secrets.  I travel much more easily west than east.
 I try the sun thing (get out into the sunshine as much as possible until
adjusted).  I don't have enough data points to know if it works, or is
merely a way to deepen my sunburn.

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An update on my experiences with Northwest:  I had the pleasure (?) of
using NW to travel to NY/LaGuardia.  I had a nice 3:05pm Sat afternoon
flight booked.  I dutifully arrived about 2:30pm, only to find that the
flight had been rescheduled to 4:00.  And then to 5:00.  And then to 5:30.
There was another NW flight out at 4:30 pm, with several open seats.  I
did change to this.  When I boarded the plane, my original flight had been
postponed to 6:30pm.  Of course, my 4:30 flight actually took off at 5pm. 
Our 66 minute flight time turned into 96 minutes as we toured the eastern
seaboard from a variety of angles.  I got in at about 6:45pm, over 2 hours
late from my original scheduled arrival time.

The flight back was just the reverse.  I actually left the gate a couple
minutes early (it was a good thing I was sitting - I nearly fell over
backwards!).  We took off right away, and got into Detroit a whopping 30
minutes early.  I was amazed.  I was astonished.  I was downright
speechless.  I think I should have bought a lottery ticket :-)

Will I ever fly Northwest again?  Maybe, but don't bet on it.

A couple of years back, I had a return flite from Toronto to Detroit.  It was
a 7:30 (or so) pm flight.  They delayed us twice, (while we missed other
flights), then boarded us at 9.  Then they took us off and had us wait again.
 At 11:00 pm people were getting angry and abusive.  I asked for my bags back
and they said "no can do, they are already loaded."  

We were on our own for making motel arrangements, but I think NW was going
to pay.  I rented a car and got back to Metro in the wee hours.  Later when
I called NW, they said the bags were my responsibility, not theirs, and I had
to come to the airport to obtain them.

If you fly a lot out of Metro, you have to take NW.

You know, I used to get annoyed a lot at delays in take offs, but I have since
decided that if the crew does not feel the plan is airworthy, then I would
rather be delayed than risk not making it at all.  I do wish the people in
charge would let you know why the delay instead of keeping you in the dark.
That makes waiting a great deal less stressful for me.  One time, returning
from my usual trips to Seattle, I was waiting in the World Club for my flight.
The hostess came up to me and suggested she rebook my flight as the non-stop
I was scheduled for was having serious engine trouble.  She said the plane
might not be air worthy until the next day and that they have no extra planes
to substitute.  I had to take a flight to Memphis with a layover and then the
rest of the flight to Detroit but I was grateful not to think about getting
on a plane with "serious engine trouble."

Anytime you are delayed in takeoff, think that it might be they are double
checking to insure the safety of the plane or crew.  Perhaps that thought
would make the wait less annoying.

I am flying into LaGuardia next month and am not looking forward to it Bret.
It is one of my least favorite airports to land in.  It is also known as one
of the most dangerous for take offs and landing because it is so close to the
city and the noise abatement rules require precipitous angles for take offs
and landings.  The airspace around NYC is also extremely crowded, therefore,
potentially hazardous.  This is all said as an ex-flight phobic -still mildly
trepidous flyer.  Notice, I don't let my concerns stop me from flying all over
the world.  I use a lot of meditation, deep relaxation techniques and careful
modification of my thinking to assist.

re 14 (This is the first time I've made it to the Consumer conference since
getting back):
        I actually wasn't planning on spending any time in Amsterdam, just
changing planes, but I did end up spending some time there for reasons I'll
get to later in this response.  I didn't know I had to be extra careful about
pickpocets there, and took no extra precautions.  Still, I was able to survive
a few hours walking around Amsterdam without having my pocket picked.

        My parents, my brother, and I, got to the airport in what should have
been plenty of time to get on our NorthWest flight to Amsterdam, but then were
greeted by a line at the checkout counter that took more than an hour. 
Northwest had added an extra International flight that day, and hadn't added
any extra International check in counters (although they did have several
empty domestic check in counters).  When we finally got to the head of the
line we were given a lecture on getting to the airport on time by a check in
person who insisted that there was no way we could have been waiting in line
more than ten or fifteen minutes.  I just wish that had eben the most
unpleasant part of the trip.
        From there we went to the plane, where we found our seats and sat down.
The plane was incredibly hot and stuffy, and eventually somebody came on the
PA system and appologized for the heat, saying that mechanics were fixing the
engine that the air conditioner generator was hooked up to, so the air
conditioner couldn't run until they were done with that.  The engine finally
got fixed an hour after we were supposed to have taken off, so we left Detroit
a little more than an hour late.
        Everythign seemed fine for the first few hours.  We had a somewhat
tight connection in Amsterdam, but being only an hour late wouldn't have been
a problem.  Then, as we started to fly off the New Brunswick coast and out
over the Atlantic, I fealt the plane start to turn to the right, a lot. 
Looking up at the movie screen, where they were showing the plane's flight
path between various airline tv shows, showed that we had just turned more
than 90 degrees to the right.  Before I had time to wonder what we were doing,
the captain said on the PA system that the plane's navigation system was
broken, and it wasn't safe to fly out over the Atlantic.  No, we weren't
getting it fixed in Gander, or Halifax, or Bangor, or any other nearby
airport.  We were going to Boston, an hour behind us.  We spent an hour flying
from there to Boston, another hour on the ground while the navigation system
got worked on, and then another hour flying back to where we had been when
we turned around.
        From there, everything went fine until we got to Amsterdam, although
Northwest's seats are way too uncomfortable to spend that kind of time in.
We finally landed in Amsterdam, without further incident, at about the time
we were supposed to be landing in Budapest.  Needless to say, we had missed
the flight to Budapest.
        From the plane, we went to KLM's transfer desk (Northwest and KLM
jointly operate a lot of their flights, and ours was one of those), where we
were told that we had been rebooked on a flight to Frankfort that was leving
in an hour, and after sitting around the Frankfort airport for a couple of
hours, we could then fly from there to Budapest.  We waited in line at the
ticket office for over an hour, despite being only 18th in line.  Two of the
counters had the same customers at them for almost the whole time, and the
remaining three counters, while they weren't taking nearly as long with each
person, were taking a long time.  The standard response to any complaints was,
"it's not our fault; we didn't know there was going to be a late plane."  By
the time we got to the head of the line, even if we had wanted to take that
flight to Frankfurt, we wouldn't have made it.  They ended up putting us on
a flight several hours later to Budapest.  It did land in Vienna on the way,
but that was only for a few minutes to let some people off, and we didn't have
to get off the plane.  It wasn't all bad, because we actually got to spend
some time in Amsterdam, instead of just its shopping mall with an airport in
it, and Amsterdam is a nice place.  Still, it was way too long a trip.  We
ended up landing in Budapest a full 24 hours after getting on the plane in
Detroit, and it was only supposed to be a 12 hour trip.

        The trip home was entirely on KLM, and was a completely different
experience.  (traveling alone this time) My flight left Budapest right on
schedule, and landed in Amsterdam right on schedule.  I had a rather tight
connection there, so this was good.  While I was in tourist class, the front
half of the tourist class had business class sized seats, making it a very
comfortable trip.  I got off the plane in Amsterdam, walked to the other end
of the shopping mall/airport, and sat down in the waiting room for my flight.
After spending 15 minutes discussing Linux with the person sitting next to
me (hey, stop laughing.  She brought it up, not me ;)), the flight was ready
to board, slightly ahead of schedule.  We took off right on time, and landed
in Detroit early.  Once in Detroit, where we were once again under the control
of Northwest, the delays started.  First we couldn't get off the plane for
a while because immigration was too full of people, and then our baggage took
a long time to get off the plane.  Still, after the previous experience, the
flight couldn't have been better.  KLM even has comfortable seats and good
food.

You make even the good sound unbearable ;)  Glad you made it back in one
piece...

Well, Here's my latest airlines story.  We had a flight scheduled for 7:55
am leaving Metro.  About 1 minute after take-off, the pilot told us that they
had a problem and we were going to turn around and land at metro.  He went
on to say that the computer said we were still on the ground and that would
not permit the landing gear to retract.  "We can't fly with the landing gear
down, so we will go back and have it checked out."  

When we were making the approach, we could see emergency vehicles at each
runway cross-over - - there were lots of them.  We were told nothing about
danger or take the survival position.  After we made a smooth, safe landing,
the vehicles headed back to wherever they stay.

The pilot then told us that he apologized for the inconvenience, but they
would have the problem checked out and we should be on our way.  After about
15-20 minutes they deplaned us and told us to take all of our carry-ons. 
After another 30 minutes they cancelled the flight and told us we were on our
own and there was another NorthWest flight at 9:30 but we were free to contact
any other service.  They then handed back our tickets.  

We went to the 9:30 flight and there we got chits for $5.00 from the gate
agent for the inconvenience of the cancelled flight.  The people who went to
other carriers got zip, I guess.  (Also, I imagine they had hell to pay to
get any checked luggage - I had a previous bad experience in this respect.)

I think the airlines did the safe thing, but this traveling bit certainly has
lost its glamour!  Also, it seems they didn't hyper-extend themselves to make
up for anyone's inconvenience.  

A stagecoach horse sometimes went lame just a few miles out of town.
Inconcenienced everyone.

$5 won't even get you very far buying airport food.  I think they should
give you a significant percentage of your ticket price back when your
flight is canceled.

When we got the $5.00 chits for "food" at the airport, we odd manned to see
who used their chit to buy the other two coffee.  The two winners could use
their chit for 500 free miles credit on their frequent flyer program.

Well, with my travel plans all set for a 7:45 am flight today, I got a call
at 2:30 am this morning from Northwest saying that the flight was cancelled
because of bad weather.  When asked where the bad weather was, they said
"Detroit."  They then said they could get me to Chicago if I was willing to
take a flight to Minneapolis and then back to Chicago.  I said "no, it will
get me in too late."  They then offered a flight to Chicago Midway.  This
could work, but I had a car reserved at O'Hare.  (Workable, but still a
problem).  

When asked why the weather in Detroit stopped a flight to O'Hare, but did not
affect flights from Detroit to Midway or Minneapolis, they did not know.  

Bottom line, I have a very low fare ticket (<$100) which I have to turn in,
and I took one of 3 choices for a very high price fare (somewhere around
$300).

I still can't believe they called me at 2:30 AM!  I can't wake up at that time
and Nancy had to speak to them and interpret my various grunts and groans.

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