Us Airways, travelling with minors - problems :-(

ferf1223

I read it that they were asked if they could take an earlier flight - not the passengers asking - so it was the airline suggesting it...if the airline suggested it and did say that they would be sat together, I can see how it might come as a shock if they weren't...just not sure how that wouldn't have been clear before they left the check-in desk as their boarding cards would have shown they weren't together?

Pollycat

Steve
thanks for the clarification.

jackieblack has given you a link to a useful document, unfortunately it probably won't help you much in your complaint to US Airways about how you were seated.

So, you were booked on one flight but were asked if you wanted to go on an earlier flight, which you accepted on the understanding (nothing written) that you would be seated together (1 adult with 1 child aceptable).

It seems that it will be your word against the word of the chief check-in clerk that you were promised that the seats that you were allocated on the earlier flight (presumably randomly situated around the aircraft as you would have been amongst the last to check in) would be changed once you boarded.

I'm guessing that the check-in guy wanted to fill the earlier plane so he could offer your spare seats on the later plane to someone else and maximise revenue.
His 'promise' was probably empty.

I'm surprised that the cabin crew didn't make more effort to get you seats together, but I've only flown a few times with American Airlines and they are certainly not as polite as our charter crew and nowhere near as accommodating as Asian airlines (imho).

I do find it hard to believe that on a Transatlantic flight, not one person would be willing to swap seats.
Maybe, once again, it was because you had boarded late (not your fault) and everyone was settled and ready for take-off.

You were probably quite late boarding (as you'd gone to the airport for a later flight) and the captain would have been worried about missing his slot.

I can sort-of agree with ferf about the potential fuss that 4 people milling about in the aircraft doorway and 3 of them crying might have on the rest of the passengers.

Personally, I don't think you'll get very far with a complaint, at best they may send you some vouchers to be used on other US Airways flights.

However, if you do complain, keep it short, unemotional and to-the-point.
Don't mention the 'security' issue of unaccompanied luggage.

Good luck

stevebrodie

All,

Many thanks for your help/input

simongregson

I have to say that I think the stewardess should have sorted this out. We recently flew Ryanair and something similar occurred when someone got on the plane with their daughter and there were not two seats left together, all sorted by the stewardess approaching a single traveller and saying 'excuse me there is another asile seat over there, would you mind moving so this gentleman can sit with his daughter'. No reasonable person would refuse if asked individually, but if they ask for volunteers over the tannoy I bet everyone just pretends to read their books! I was actually quite impressed with the approach given the slating Ryanair usually get.

Pollycat

simongregson wrote: »

I have to say that I think the stewardess should have sorted this out. We recently flew Ryanair and something similar occurred when someone got on the plane with their daughter and there were not two seats left together, all sorted by the stewardess approaching a single traveller and saying 'excuse me there is another asile seat over there, would you mind moving so this gentleman can sit with his daughter'. No reasonable person would refuse if asked individually, but if they ask for volunteers over the tannoy I bet everyone just pretends to read their books! I was actually quite impressed with the approach given the slating Ryanair usually get.

But this is not just moving one person to accommodate 2 people sitting together - there were 4 passengers.

It may have been that the 4 seats were dotted all over the plane so it might not have been as simple as asking one person to move if the flight was full.

I get the impression that the OP and his family boarded very late (that makes sense as he was catching an earlier flight than he'd originally intended) and the pilot/crew just wanted to be off.

I'm not defending the cabin crew, I too think that they should have tried to help more - but have you ever flown with an American airline?

Re the Ryanair situation - as they do not issue boarding cards, why didn't the lady and her daughter have priority boarding if they wanted to sit together?

To be honest, if it were a short flight I wouldn't object to being asked to move but if I'd paid for priority boarding on a Ryanair flight to get 2 seats together, there's no way on earth I'd move.

I'd feel the same if it were a long haul flight and I'd deliberately made the effort to get to the airport early to get 2 seats together.

In this instance I really feel for the OP - I believe the check-in clerk either deliberately lied to him to get him to agree to the earlier flight or forgot that he'd promised to sort seats together.

He wasn't even being difficult and insisting on 4 seats togther - he said he's have been happy with 2 + 2.

lil.smartie

We had this with Delta, but they couldn't have been more helpful. The flight we were booked onto didn't take off for a few hours but we were all sat apart on our allocated seats and no one at either of the airports we'd flown through could alter our seats and our daughter is only 2!
We got to the last leg of our journey and approached the desk to ask if they could switch seats so we could sit together only to be not only put onto an earlier flight but also we were allocated bulkhead seats so had extra leg room and 3 seats together, we were also told that they would have ensured at the gate that seats were allocated so as at least one of us would be with our daughter as it wouldn't be fair to expect another passenger to sit with her in case of emergency. I don't know if this is law or just their policy though.

Kate

ferf1223

Pollycat wrote: »

I'm not defending the cabin crew, I too think that they should have tried to help more - but have you ever flown with an American airline?

I thought this was funny as my experience has been that American airlines are far more helpful and efficient than UK airlines in pretty much every way.

I agree with you about everything else though - it wouldn't necessarily be as simple as moving one person and had I paid for premium boarding I would be less than impressed being expected to move.

I'm still not sure how the OP didn't know that they didn't have seats together at the time they left the check-in desk, but it does sound like the check-in staff weren't completely honest and if it were me I would be writing the airline to complain about being misled. I doubt they will do much other than some miles or some upgrade vouchers (which you will only be able to use within the continental US, most likely)...and it will be the OP's word against the check-in agent...but I would certainly let the airline know I wasn't impressed with the situation at all.

budgetflyer

its quite possible the check in staff issued boarding cards but promised the cabin crew to sort it out. They should have. Its their job.

Pollycat

Pollycat wrote: »

I'm not defending the cabin crew, I too think that they should have tried to help more - but have you ever flown with an American airline?

ferf1223 wrote: »

I thought this was funny as my experience has been that American airlines are far more helpful and efficient than UK airlines in pretty much every way.

Ferf
I've only ever flown with American Airlines and, although the crew were polite to us, one guy took his empty food tray back to the galley and the stewardess really laid into him, telling him 'she would have got round to it if he's just had the patience to sit and wait'. :eek:

She spoke to him like he was a naughty schoolboy and I just couldn't imagine her bothering to ask people to move seats in order to accommodate a family.

But, that WAS a long time ago and just one incident so maybe I've been a bit unfair.

ferf1223

Pollycat wrote: »

Ferf
I've only ever flown with American Airlines and, although the crew were polite to us, one guy took his empty food tray back to the galley and the stewardess really laid into him, telling him 'she would have got round to it if he's just had the patience to sit and wait'. :eek:

She spoke to him like he was a naughty schoolboy and I just couldn't imagine her bothering to ask people to move seats in order to accommodate a family.

But, that WAS a long time ago and just one incident so maybe I've been a bit unfair.

Funnily enough someone on the Vegas thread had exactly the same story about empty food trays flying with BA a couple of days ago.