Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
The five worst US airlines
These rankings are straight from the US government (courtesy of the Department of Transportation), so at least they're not entirely biased. Based off the number of complaints, the five worst US airlines are Northwest, Delta, United, American, and US Airways (being the worst).None of this is especially surprising, other than maybe that complaints are surging--as usual. But what is surprising is that America's most hated airline, US Airways (sadly most US travelers will agree with you hands-down on their status), is equally hated, if not more so, by its own employees. Ouch.
In a New York Times story, one worker wrote in, "... I hate to tell you but the interiors of our plans [sic] smell bad and they are filthy. As an employee I am embarrassed to admit working for US Airways." It was also revealed how far the airline will go to cut costs--they're currently on the lookout for a cheaper supplier of their famous pretzels. Right now, each package costs roughly 3 cents.
I've had several bad experiences with US Airways, though to their credit, the last time they randomly canceled my flight--and had the nerves to blame it on the weather--they ended up agreeing to send me a $250 voucher. But I generally go out of my way to avoid flying with them. And so should you!
Gallery: The Coolest Airports in the World
Filed under: Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 12)
Superstar Jan 24th 2008 2:38PM
I recentlyflew with Americans airlines and I was very disatasfied with the services that we received. Starting out every flight that we took was a half an hour late or more thus causing us to have to rush to each airport we were at, which meant that we could not eat at one of the airports. We flew overseas didn't have meal service and had to pay $5 for a snack that costs $.75 from a snack machine, that was very tacky and I felt that it was price gouging. Another cheap tactic was charging $2 for headphones, wow! the next thing was the complete and utter chaos that the American airlines terminal is in Miami, I have never seen anything as disorganized throughout over 35 years of flying, of course upon our return we had luggage that was lost.
When we arrived back in the U.S. the were six different aircraft which were on the same baggage carousel, which caused even more chaos.
Once we got back we put in a lost baggage claim and were informed that we would received our lost luggage the nest morning, at 9:00 p.m we received a call and were informed that our luggage was not going to be dropped off until after midnight and i was asked if I could pick up at hte gate to my base, i agree but then I didn't get called until 5:00 a.m.
It was a complete nightmare.
Michelle Jan 24th 2008 2:55PM
I flew Northwest a year ago, 4 flights in all. The price of the tickets was reasonable. The flights were all on time, all 4, which I guess is pretty amazing these days.
On one flight the gate for the plane was moved twice. Once not far from the starting gate, and when I got there, it had been moved again all the over to the other side of the airport. This caused me some irration and I had to rush beyond belief but I don't consider it horrible.
I had one flight attendant that was quite a witch. She wasn't to me but one man asked her how she was and she was very curt with him, and he asked how long she as been flying and she told him "It's none of your business and I should report you for harrassment"!!! It was his first flight and he was nervous he later commented to me. Other than these issues, Northwest was good to me.
kate Jan 24th 2008 3:21PM
Your comments were not only ignorant but churlish and unwarranted, Rich. You made assumptions and assume always makes an ass outta you (and me..but in their case, them)..You sound constipated not only in your bowel but your brain and you wound up with diarreha of your mouth. Hatred definitely was not asked for, needed nor did it apply to this story. But as usual, attention wh0res rarely read the rules and if they do, they just "know" they don't apply to them.
Greg Frantz Jan 25th 2008 8:33AM
My wife and I have flown U. S. Air on several occasions including last summer from Spain. The flight into Philadelphia from Barcelona was delayed in landing for no reason known. Our flight to Pittsburgh was repeatedly delayed and no one from U. S. Air could tell us why. We were in that airport for over 7 hours waiting with no answers. Finally without the help of their employees we arranged for a later flight to Pittsburgh. Why did they not tell us about this flight? This airline is the worst, worst, worst. The employees do not care, the management does not care. I will never fly them again or until they go bankrupt, which will happen.
genovenegas Jan 24th 2008 8:18PM
Hello, I'm Gino and jenny, from Us.
Sience 2005 we are in Costa Rica, and this all BECAUSE CONTINENTAL AIRLINES. They did not want to be honest and give us the return ticket, they have put their name in the floor, and all just for a couple of bucks.
We began our lives in this small and beautiful Central American Nation. My wife and me got married in a small city in Costa Rica and we live very happy in here, but we don't have that much to return. If some day we do return to US, definaly we will do it thru AMERICAN AIRLINES, THE BEST AMERICAN AIRLINES COMPANY. This is our web adress www.solidamerica.com visit us there. Thks.
genovenegas Jan 24th 2008 8:30PM
My name is Sue and I'm a U.S. citizen who bought round-trip tickets to visit Costa Rica in 2004. It is now 2008 and my child and we were 'stuck' in C.R (thank God we had friends there and it's a safe and very beautiful country, but still...) for several months because CONTINENTAL AIRLINES abandoned us!! It supposed to have been a 1 month visit, but ended up being almost 6 months...and my son missed 2 1/2 months of school!!!!!!! We ended up having to return by our Embassy. CONTINENTAL AIRLINES not only did not give us a refund or apologise, but TOTALLY IGNORED US after many phone calls and letters!!!! I am not rich by any means so am still trying to set up a courtdate to sue them, but to no avail right now. And for some WEIRD reason...our trip to C.R. was "erased" from any of their data and I had some luggage lost/stolen in Miami and lost the original papers from Continental. CONTINENTAL AIRLINES ARE THE WORST AIRLINES AND DO NOT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT ANYONE WHATSOEVER & THAT IS A TRUE FACT!!!!!!!!! THEY SHOULD BE SHUTDOWN COMPLETELY!!!!! THEY LITERALLY SUCK!!!!!!!!!
Lynn Jan 24th 2008 9:38PM
For as often as I travel, compared to the comments I see coming from ya'll about the other airlines I have to say that Alaska and Horizon Airlines are better than the rest.
I find them much more accomodating on the whole than the things I read about other airlines and any bump tickets I've accepted have been honored via phone with no questions on the days I want to travel.
I have only had one flight cancelled due to mechanical troubles and was accomodated within an hour on another flight... One flight they just brought in another plane and we deplaned and replaned in seating order within about 15 minutes.
Delays and late arrivals are miniscule if they ever do happen... I think I've had a delay or two but nothing crazy. I did hear about a situation with weather but as accomodating as they are, weather is not their fault. Anyone willing to take the risk should make themselves aware of the cost and do a meeting by video conference or something. The only thing I would fix if I was them is letting their call center staff be aware more immediately of those kinds of delays and changes.
I'm not saying they're perfect but I will say that they keep their word and go beyond most of the time and they do a lot less micromanagement of the passengers than most airlines. Their mileage plan and website are awesome.
If you get a seat assignment it's yours unless you ask for a change, which if they can grant, they usually do, even by phone... But there again, that is up to the person at the gate and how their day is going and sometimes issues and logistics of getting a plane in and out is more pressing at the moment.
If you have special needs or requests be sure and let them know when it's not so busy or ask an agent who doesn't have a plane leaving in the next 15 minutes. (The gate agents can help for any flight, not just the one on their gate assignment.)
By the way - they also have inflight meals available to all passengers made of mostly healthy choices including organic protein sources (not just meats) for 5$. It is important for diabetic passengers and people with blood sugar problems not to be stranded without some kind of balanced food intake and considering how hectic it can be for people in that situation, it's very important that they offer that.
Sorry to hear so much negative about the other airlines but it just convinces me that at least for most of the employees and methods of Alaska/Horizon Airlines, they're the best out there.
As for the 'Nurse Ratchet' comment issue - well, someone apparently doesn't care about the 911 aspects of flying today and expects flirting and floosy mentalities from the stewardesses and frankly my dear... flying safely is a serious business not a party and I don't give a.... about them not flirting with you enough.
Just goes to show that women in the workplace, especially one where people can die, deserve to be taken seriously... Considering the seriousness of potential in flight dangers and dangerous passengers, you're lucky they let you on the plane at all for being so dismissive of the overall needs of everyone else for your uber ego driven desire to have your masculinity boosted.
Please tell us who you fly with now so we know what other airlines not to use. The safety needs of the many outweigh the unrealistic emotional desires of the few... Thank Goodness most people understand that!
Dee Jan 24th 2008 9:07PM
i grew up flying delta airlines. it was always clean and the flight attendants always pleasant. i never once had a bad experience on delta, until a few years ago. man, a few years not flying and i was in for a huge shock! i was looking forward to my flight but it turned into a nightmare. the plane smelled awful, the flight attendants were EXTREMELY rude and so were many of the other passengers, and you had to beg to get a coke. once upon a time your fare included a pretty decent meal and a drink any time you were thirsty. those days are long gone. the fat cat CEOs need to cut costs and stuff their pockets so the passengers and lowly employees are the ones to suffer. i was very dissappointed in delta and sad that flying had become like a noisy stinky bus trip instead of something special. but what can you do?
Cheryl Jan 24th 2008 9:43PM
AChristina...
make sure you get your facts straight BEFORE you reply to a blog. I never once said that my sister complains about her pay...in fact, she LOVES her job and has even received letters from passengers thanking her for her kind and helpful service.
The comment about them not making much money was my own comment and I DO NOT work in the airline industry! I guess that I am just an easy going person and I am not a spoiled brat, all that matters to me is getting to my destination safely. Which I would expect would be the main concern for all. So get your facts straight before you run at the mouth!
I myself have experienced many passengers acting rudely and disrespectful and DEMANDING to airline employees. They do not deserve the disrespect. As someone else had pointed out...many problems are beyond their control!!
Hans Miesler Jan 25th 2008 12:38AM
When I was employed by a major airline back in 1965, the industry was still regulated by the government as a utility and the cost of airfare was set by the CAB. Most of the airlines could only distinguish themselves by the level of service provided since the fares did not differ much between carriers.
By 1978, Alfred Kahn, an economist who most likely had his credentials approved by Wal-Mart, pushed for the deregulation of the airline industry. And so began the unraveling of the best air transportation system this country will ever know. The so called free market environment that began to pervade the industry, was marked by ever decreasing air fares and ever increasing air traffic which the government ATC system both in the air and on the ground was unable to handle effectively.
The ridership overall sank to the lowest common denominator, as the airfares even today are lagging well behind the cost of most other consumer goods adjusted for inflation. While airlines could make money half full, 35 years ago, it now takes every seat full to eke out a profit. Most of the time the product is sold for less then it takes to produce, hence the narrow profit margins of todays airline. While enduring less seat space and increasing passenger girth, it becomes obvious that the comfort and quality of the flight experience diminishes. Additionally, all workers at the legacy carriers have had large pay cuts while being pushed to perform under ever increasing work loads, longer hours under more stress induced conditions that they did not manufacture, such as weather, mechanical, and ATC delays.
The system is broke with 15 pounds being stuffed into a 5 pound bag. You can thank your CEO's for rewarding themselves sweetheart deals while stealing our pensions. Thank the marketers who devise flight schedules that are not compatible with ATC and airport assessabilities. Thank yourself for wanting a rock bottom price, so the bean counters outsource anything they can including airplane maintenance to countries you would not feel safe having you car worked on.
Bottom line is this, the fares increase to the level that the marginal ridership goes by bus, and the system returns to the size that can be efficiently handled. The only time in the last three decades that balance was attained was for six months after 9/11, when all airtraffic was reduced by 30%.
If you think things are bad now, wait for the final consolidation of the companies now struggling.
JDY Jan 25th 2008 12:44AM
Trudy, if you want positive comments, try working for Southwest Airlines.
jd Jan 25th 2008 1:52AM
I I agree with Trudy, as a former cabin crew member, the fligh attendant is there to save your life and open the cabin door and inflate the slide/raft, or do whatever else safety related job that needs to be done, from administering oxygen to using the aed on a flatline passenger. Flight attendants get no respect. Up there in the air they have to be fireman/paramedics and sometimes the police. Air travel has become nothing more than a conveyance from point A to point B. I had a passenger tell me once that every time I walked past his seat (as his shoulder was WAY OUT in the aisle) to turn sideways so I didn't bump into him. I was working for goodness sakes, and he was in my workspace! Today's cabin crews are flown to their time limits and made to do 16 hr. days with a HNL turn. I now work a normal 8 hr. day. I can't believe that I would do HNL turns!! A 16 hr. day!! I can do 8 hrs. now standing on my head! So the crews some respect and be polite and you'll get it back ten fold. Act like a jerk, and well... Oh one other thing. I had a passenger whistle at me once to bring him another ginger ale. I walked up to his seat and said: "Sir, did you just whistle at me?" I told him that I'd bring him his ginger ale when I got a chance, sadly, I never seemed to be able to get that ginger ale to him because I was so busy with other passengers on that DC-10!
Hayley Jan 25th 2008 2:33AM
Still not as bad as British Airways or South African Airways (yes, I know that this article was only about US airlines, but I would gladly fly any of those mentioned over the 2 I mentioned). After have flown on BA and SAA, I could never complain about a US ailine. You obvioulsy have no idea what bad is.
Diane Jan 25th 2008 8:07AM
Working for an airline after the initial 12,000 downsized employees were forced to leave with their higher salaries, the new crop of employees came in at the pay rate of 8.75 an hour with a hourly rate for 37 hours a week. Cutting full medical, etc., did not give the new employees the same benefits of the initial employees, however, look at the cost of buying NEW AIRPLANES, and figure out the cost of living, and you have a company that cannot afford to exist in the US. The international airlines supported by their governments show the difference with flight attendants and with the luxury of what they can afford with their jumbo jets....Look at what our government did to our airlines...some say it was Regan, some say it was Carter, but look at the situation behind the reason which brought Eastern down, Delta down and then leave your comments...
Harvey Jan 25th 2008 9:01AM
I am pleased to report that Continental Airlines has continued to provide not only appropriate meals and amenities in all classes of service, but also has always (in my experience of over 30 years of flying with them) been considerate and polite in its dealings with me, my family, and most of my friends who travel frequently to and from Cleveand, Ohio. Admittedly, we are a hub for them, but even the Continental Express (subsidiary operated by other companies) portion meets these same criteria. It is important to note that Continental is the only full service, international carrier in the US that has continued to turn a profit in the face of lower fares, economic downturns, high fuel prices, labor difficulties, etc., etc. Somehow, they seem to be able to "do it right". I think that other, less successful airlines could look at their model for customer service as a model.
paula Jan 25th 2008 9:56AM
In June we flew US Air out of Newark to Honolulu. We connected in Phoenix. After an hour and a half delay
in Phoenix, we finally took off. Two and a half hours into our flight, we had to turn around and go back to
Phoenix because we lost communication. We waited another hour and a half before we finally took off. Needless to say, people were irate! The ground crew and flight crew were extremely tolerant considering the abuse people were hurling at them. I explained to the ground crew that we were missing a connecting flight to
Maui, and had prepaid $400 a night for a condo there.
They told us they would put us up in a hotel in Honolulu and pay for the fare to and from the airport and tried to buy us off with a meal voucher. After persistence (but not rudeness), they relented and gave my husband and I each $200.00 vouchers to be used within a year and put us up in a lovely hotel in Honolulu, as well as calling
our connecting airline to explain the problem, so we wouldn't be charged an additional fare. In total, it took
us 25 hours from our home to Honolulu. We slept a few hours and got back to the airport to fly to Maui the next morning. I would like compliment the staff of the airlines for their calm demeanor under duress; I am not sure I could have been as kind. We lost a day in Maui in the process, but were treated with the utmost repect by the employees. Within a month of our return, we got additional $250.00 vouchers from U.S Air which we used for a trip to Las Vegas. Using the vouchers was a nightmare! First of all, we were told they had no availabiltiy for the dates and times we requested. After much persistence (with tact), we were able to get the reservation requested, but had to pick up the tickets at the nearest airport within 3 days. When I went to pick the up, the times were incorrect, so I had them reissue them for the correct times. A few days later, I went on the website to add our frequent flier miles to the reservation and discovered they spelled our last names incorrectly. I called US Air to express my concerns and,
was told we could straighten out the problem when
we checked in (yeah right!). I went back to the original ticket counter to have it fixed. I thought everything was okay, but received billing on my credit card for full fare when we should only have paid $28 each!! It took two e-mails to US Air to straighten it out, but they finally did, and gave us the airfare at no cost and offered us preferred seats. That flight went off without a hitch, but it took quite an effort on our part to get it
right. I can't wait to try to use the $200 vouchers; that ought to be quite an adventure!
RVMamas Jan 25th 2008 10:26AM
Rich: You must be a sad, pathetic, lonely little man.
zeus Jan 25th 2008 10:39AM
who wrote this junk,?? GUO,,CRAPO,,, BOO HOO>>..
THEN TAKE A BUS * MORON *
pissed off in NYC... Jan 25th 2008 11:56AM
US Airways is horrible. My dad worked for them for 20+ years and now is retired. When he left they hired 2 part time employees to cover his full time position to save money on benefits. When they filed bankrupcy (2 or 3 times over again) they took everything from him. Now my mom, who is 11 years younger then my father, has to pay $500+ per month to cover health insurance that US Airways took away from them. Not to mention the added costs of co-pays and medication. They don't care about their own people, why should they care about the general public. damn shame...
Carolyn Jan 27th 2008 1:59PM
Why would/should a company pay for a retired persons health insurance? When my husband (10 years my senior) retired after 30+ years from a corporation I had to pay for my own insurance as well. I am sorry your mother has to pay for her own insurance (what a concept) but so do most people.