Max Engel – the 8BitKidmy pixelelated life…

So after spending an amazing weekend tucked away in the woods of Maine, I found myself making the trek back west.  After barely making it to Logan Airport in Boston on time, I was welcomed with a nice chunk of time sitting on the tarmac waiting to take off.  After an hour delay, we finally headed out to Las Vegas, where I was to catch a flight back to LA.

When I stepped off the plane at 11pm and checked the boards I learned that my flight to LA had been cancelled.  The US Airways rep told me to wait in line to talk with customer service.  I patiently waited in that queue, but for some reason they decided to close the booth, and sent everyone down to the ticketing counter.  There was a stampede as everyone raced to be the first in line, and my nimble footwork got me relatively close to the front of the pack.

While I was waiting in line I tried calling their customer support number.  I got disconnected twice, but finally got someone on the line.  They informed me that there were no more flights to LA for the night, and that I had been put on a flight at 9:30am the following day.  I asked about a hotel, and they said they couldn’t help.  I asked about getting a refund, and they said that they couldn’t help.  I asked to speak to a manager, and they refused.  I asked for a reference number and an employee number so I could file a complaint, and they still wouldn’t give me any info.  I decided that the call was going nowhere and that I would try my luck at the counter.

After consuming nearly a complete episode of “This American Life” on my iPhone it was finally my turn at the counter.  I spoke to someone that explained that I couldn’t receive any refund or credit for my cancellation and that they weren’t going to be putting me up in a hotel.  They told me where I could go sleep in the airport until it was time to catch my flight the next morning…

Since US Airways no longer serves food or drink on the plane, I first went and hunted down some grub.  After getting some nourishment I meandered over to Terminal B and made myself a makeshift bed out of the various clothes in my carry-on.  I had trouble sleeping over the din of “Wheel of Fortune” slot machines, but did manage to catch a bit of rest.

Finally, I found myself on the plane yesterday heading home and passed out on my couch.

Bottom line: never fly US Airways.  They treated me terribly and pretty much screwed the pooch on this one.  Definitely sub-par service.  Back to JetBlue and Virgin for me.  The cost-savings definitely didn’t justify the headaches on this one.