US Airways Sucks! …or does it?
by: unroadwarrior
US Airways has long been the black sheep of the American airline industry. I remember back when they were called UA Air, people referred to them as US Scare (They had a couple of bad crashes). Today it is all over the web. “Friends don’t let friends fly US Airways’ is the signature of a user on FlyerTalk.com. Do a search on US Airways on Twitter and you find tweets such as ‘I hate US Airways’, ‘US Airways is the worst’ and others I cannot repeat. But how much of these ‘smears’ are really true? I fly US Airways a lot and here are my thoughts and observations.
- On Time performance: The DOT noted that US Airways has the #1 ‘On-time’ performance of all the major airlines in the US. That is a biggie. Critics do note that DOT does not include the performance of US Airways Express in their data. I can tell you from personal experience that if they had included the Express data, US Airways would have lost the #1 slot. That being said, the performance for their mainline operations is impressive.
- Upgrades: US Airways has the most liberal upgrade policy for their Elite travelers – bar none! They upgrade their Elites with no ‘instrument’ needed, if there is space in the upper class cabins. So, it is truly a free upgrade. This is unlike most other airlines. For example, United requires an upgrade instrument such as miles, an e500 or an SWU to be upgraded. These instruments can be earned only by flying or paying money. I have been upgraded by US Airways multiple times for being a Star Alliance Gold, even when I have no Elite Status on US Airways itself! They have my appreciation for that.
- Aircraft: Their older aircraft, especially the 737s are, well, old. They have bad seats, very little leg room and even the first class seats are nothing to write home about. Their newer aircraft, on the other hand, especially the Airbus 330s are impressive. They are also in the process of introducing flat bed seats in the A330s for their long haul flights. What they need a modernization of their entire fleet. And oh yes, their pilots really do know how to do a water landing!
- US Airways Express: US Airways Express is the commuter/regional carrier wing of US Airways. Like the ‘express’ parts of many other airlines, it is not operated by US Airways but a collection of regional carriers such a Mesa, Wisconsin Air, etc. They really do suck. I hate to lump them all together. I have heard great things about Republic Air, but you really cannot tell them apart. Most gates for US Airways Express are operated more like a bus terminal rather than an airline gate. Just go hang around gate 35A (thanks Geoff for the correct gate #) at DC’s Reagan National Airport (DCA) and you will know what I am talking about. Their customer service at the gates is really not worthy of being called a major airlines’ customer service.
- Customer Service: That brings us to the customer service of US Airways itself. They are pretty good. I have had nothing but good experiences with them, including getting an expiring unused ticket extended by a couple of months. They are prompt, courteous and professional.
- On-board service: No, you do not have to pay for water anymore on a US Airways flight. They have done away with that blunder. Their service on board is no different from that of any other airline like United or American. Nothing like Virgin America, but no complaints. I have always found their in-flight staff to be courteous and ready to help. They do though need to bring back in-flight entertainment on their domestic flights.
- Public Relations: If there is something US Airways sucks at, it is Public Relations. Perception is reality and US Airways does not seem to be making a concerted effort to change the perception. People still think US Airways charges for water on their flights! I noticed that their Twitter account has a grand total of 3 tweets! Why bother? They really need to respond to the chatter on the web and blogs.
My parting thoughts – I myself do and will let my friends fly US Airways!
Agree or disagree? Leave a comment.
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Small correction: US Airways Express carriers Piedmont and PSA are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the US Airways Group. Regardless of ownership, Express carriers are supposed to operate similarly to their “parent” airlines. I was a 12-year elite frequent flyer on US who made the switch to Delta/Northwest last year and I’ve never been happier. US has made improvements in 2009, but they are not up to the product standards of their peers such as Continental and Delta/Northwest, just to name a couple of better options. Both Delta/Northwest and Continental also have complimentary elite upgrades based on availability as well, let’s not forget.
Beth, Thank you for your clarification on the ownership of Piedmont and PSA. As I mentioned, it is difficult to tell all the USE operators apart.
Upgrades – I would actually say that DL, NW & CO are better upgrade wise than US. Configuring your 757′s with 3 rows of F is SIGNIFICANTLY less than the competition and makes their upgrades very hard to come by. A 50K mile per year traveler is more likely to be in F on DL/NW/CO than US and, I would bet, AA or UA elites would find F more foten as well.
I haven’t flown US Airways since September 2008, but I can say I mostly agree with you. I’ve not had any horrible experiences with them, but clearly others have (evidenced by all the “US Airways sucks” tweets/web sites/blog posts/etc.). I don’t remember any flight that was horribly late, cancellation, or other service failing that sticks out in my mind.
I used to fly the former America West quite a bit and do remember one time being so aggravated with a situation that I sent a letter of complaint. I actually got a phone call within a week from the VP of customer service, apologizing and asking what they could do. I think that says something there, though I wouldn’t be surprised if that isn’t happening so much any more.
In the end I think most travelers are forgiving of service failings, when they are handled well. It seems the problem most airlines come up against is that they are so very reluctant to do anything at all to make things right in the customer’s mind. And that’s where your public relations bit comes into play and you are right on with that. Some airlines are taking to social media tools like Twitter well, and using them as another way to listen to the conversation that is inevitably going to happen whether they want to hear it or not. And when they at least listen, they have the opportunity to fix problems, make bad situations better, and in the process, win over customers who might otherwise be lost forever.
It seems those airlines (or any other type of service company) that choose not to listen to the conversation will ultimately be at a great disadvantage.
Scott, Thank you for your comment. +2 for US Airways it is.
Chris, Thanks for your comment. I have not been an Elite on DL/NW/CO to comment on their upgrade policies/availability. As an Elite (1P) on UA, I can tell you that there are virtually no upgrades without an instrument. US seems to be more liberal in op-ups and complementary upgrades, in my personal experience and observations.
All in all I agree. Except the express gate at DCA is 35A
Yeah, the new business class seats are going to be nice, but I’m not entirely convinced that it is anything more than lipstick on a pig. And the new planes are fine, but when you find yourself crammed into the back of a 737-400 that hasn’t been cleaned up in a decade, who cares that some of their other planes are nice? They don’t have enough A330s to make up for that.
They’ve taken IFE out of their planes, to the detriment of the consumer. They’ve killed the power outlets that were already installed, to the detriment of the consumer.
Sure, their upgrade scheme is nice, but Delta and Continental both offer the same thing. And Continental is definitely a better experience. Charlotte isn’t a horrible connection spot, but Philadelphia is downright miserable. And I’ve yet to experience that great customer service that you sepak of.
About the only thing they have going for them is larger ERJs on some of their express routes. Other than that, I’d be quite happy to skip them.
Oops. Freudian mental block…
I shall correct in the post.
Thanks for the comment. I have limited experience with DL/CO upgrades. I have heard good things.
I certainly miss the power jacks. I do not see too many airlines that have power in economy any more.
As per ERJs, I do like those, but they do not have a 1st class cabin like some UA RJs.
I have not flown US Airways but I like their upgrade policy I wish others are as flexible. However, US Airways is not the only US or International carrier that has a problem in the level of service between their mainline operation and their feeder operation. It remains the responsibility of the carrier to ensure that the levels of safety and airworthiness and of course service and comfort are similar to their mainline operation. Until they accomplish this it is not only US Airways that sucks but the majority of the industry.
Thanks for your comment. I agree with you on the parity between Mainline and Regional Carrier ops. I am doing some research on the topic as we speak and plan an in-depth post, hopefully in a week or so. Do you have any specific experience with a regional carrier you can share?
I’m going to cast my vote for US Airways, too. Maybe it’s just that we have the airline’s credit cards or maybe it’s our 500,000+ accrued miles…but I’m sticking to my guns here.
Check-in staff are (almost always) helpful and efficient. Redeyes are staffed by actual human beings. Even if a plane leaves late, it’ll magically arrive on time. Amazing, but I think this trifecta comprises modern-day airline success.
True, the bathrooms are often messy and most of their planes were clearly decorated by a firm that doesn’t think people have eyes. However, having recently discovered the joys of Star Alliance, I’m willing to be more patient…in hopes of getting somewhere far, far away, in style.
Melanie, thanks for sharing your experiences. I like your comment about the decoration…
If there is a BIG Plus in the US Airways column, it is their Star Alliance membership. I have been able to requalify Premier Executive on United, despite flying a lot os US Airways, thanks to Star Alliance.
UnRoadWarrior
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I like your article. I don’t know if you looked into baggage statistics, but a few years ago I read somewhere that PHL has a terrible baggage handling record. That would jive with my personal experience. I never lost a bag in my life until I flew through PHL. When I used to fly US Airways heavily in 2005, I’d say about 1 in 4 trips through PHL resulted in the mysterious disappearance of my bags.
Thanks for sharing. I am sorry to hear of your bags. Did you see the article on bags being stolen by gangs of thieves targeting unguarded baggage claim areas? http://bit.ly/3NHpPk
Yes I did, actually. Fortunately, I got all of mine back, so they were simply mishandled, not stolen.
US Air, given all the above still sucks given they have absolutely no respect for travelers when it comes to cancelled flights, especially when its their fault, ie, maintenance. As a Corporate travel agency, I have experienced many times, (more than 10), their reaccomodations are disgusting. They have NEVER reaccomodated on other airlines, and told me that the first flights available are in 3 days!! This is for business travelers as well, whom I’ve had to buy a ticket for on another airline to get them where they need to go. I never book them unless I give my caveat speech to my clients first- “if you have any issues like cancellation of flights, you are on your own – i will help you as much as i can but US Air does not cooperate with anyone, including travel agents for reacccomodations”.
I book UA if its a codeshare and necessary, or another airline totally.
They really do suck. They do all the other stuff same as the other airlines, granted they do have lower fares many of the times…..
Thank you for sharing. I am getting more and more emails/comments about US Airway’s customer service. I hope they get their act together.
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Since I fly out of PHL, I never check a bag if I can avoid it (even on other airlines). Even when it does not get lost (happens about 1 out of 3 flights that terminate in PHL when I can’t avoid checking), it is almost always a long time waiting for the bags to show.
The people are generally surly. They make little extra effort to assist customers. Got to a gate with an earlier flight still boarding. Plenty of time to get me on board (people still in line to board and 25 minutes to take off), but no interest in helping do so even though they did inform me that the flight was not full.
The Dividend Miles are wonderful til you actually try to use them. Yes, you can travel round trip for 25,000 miles except all the available seats at that price are gone 6 months before you want to travel. Then you are stuck with 50,000 mile flights or worse. I have 150K miles (most are over 7 years old), but have not been able to travel with my family of four because there are never any low mile flights available.
Yes, US Airways sucks. I will fly Southwest every chance I can. They know how to run an airline. And their free flights are valid on any route, at any time, as long as the flight still has seats for sale.
Sign me,
Disgusted
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I fly US Airways almost exclusively since i’ve started traveling a lot for business, because they serve my local airport, as well as Philly, my second choice. So, I can’t really compare services on other airlines, but generally, I’ve been pretty happy with US. I’ve had one flight cancelled due to mechanical issues (CDG-PHL), but since I put my phone number on my reservation, they called me immediately, and I was able to re-book on the CDG-CLT, then CLT-PHL for the same day. Granted, I had a 7 hour layover in CLT, but that’s why the lounges have comfy seats. After a polite email to Customer Service, I also got a $275 travel voucher.
So far, haven’t had any major baggage issues, on-board food is acceptable, I’ve gotten many free upgrades as a lowly Silver Elite member (Gold this year, horray!), and they make it silly-easy to get miles sometimes (Grand Slam) – the wife and I are taking advantage of their low-level winter awards to fly in the new Envoy Suite to CDG in three weeks for 120k miles and $265 all in. Not bad for $9549 worth of tickets. SA partner award levels are pretty decent too.
As for the Philly airport and their employees, I hear a lot about how unfriendly/unhelpful they are. True, they absolutely are a surly bunch of individuals, but personally, I love it. After traveling halfway around the world and traipsing to the F terminal shuttle area, being greeted with a “STAND BEHIND THE LINE UNTIL I SAY SO!” is just a little piece of home, and it makes me smile every time. If you’re traveling into the City of Brotherly Love, be prepared for the attitude from the beginning, realizing that most of these people will never actually be on an airplane themselves, and everything will be just fine.
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US Airways is awful, just awful. The concept of on time isn’t even in their vocabulary. What makes it worse is now they have “farmed” out the web site help and they are as awful as the management. Makes you sad to see how they treat customers.
US Airways treated me like utter garbage. They downsized my flight, left without calling my zone, name or final boarding and then blamed me for missing it, even though I was there and waiting the whole time. I was delayed 8 hours and every moment was filled with stress and humiliation because of the way they treated me.
Flying home, they cancelled my entire flight and offered me the next flight 48 hours later. Compensation? $100. I lost well over $1000 because of their negligence but they just don’t care. Never Again.
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