I hate USAirways!

I hate USAirways. They suck BIG TIME! They have screwed both me and Ben over several times. When we flew to Europe this last Christmas they lost our bags and it took TWO days to get them. That infuriated me. I mean, it was totally preventable and there I was, stranded in one of the most expensive cities in the world (London, which I happen to love) on my PERIOD with no clean clothes. That pissed me off to no end, but now here I am dealing with their crap AGAIN.

USAirways is based out of Phoenix, we live close to Phoenix, their tickets are cheap, Ben flies with them a lot for business, we've racked up a ton of miles....these are the reasons we usually fly USAirways. I'm starting to think that NONE of these reasons are good enough to put up with this crap. Did you know that they are charging for WATER now!? That's just criminal! I mean, what if you were really, really poor, barely making ends meet and you had just enough to fly to get where you need to go. You can't bring water from home because they might think you're trying to blow up the plane or the airport. You are totally subject to paying the ridiculous fee for water on the plane or at the over-priced store in the airport. It's bullshit. The air on the plane totally dehydrates you. How are you supposed to take care of yourself? I suppose you just have to pay the damn five bucks for water. I thought we lived in a free country, but really we live in a FEE country.

I tried to get over the whole lost luggage debacle, I mean, I was in the greatest city in the world at the time. But now, all those old feelings are coming right back to the surface. When I flew to Salt Lake two weekends ago to visit the Sharps, I had an 11:45 flight. For any of you that have ever flown into Tucson, you know that there is one little security line and one little hallway that leads to the gates. It takes about five minutes from checking-in to walking to the gate. Ben and I never get to the airport more than an hour before our flight. NEVER, and we've never missed our flight. So, on Friday July 18, I was there, attempting to check in at about 11:07 for my 11:45 flight. I couldn't find my information. I stood at the kiosk patiently waiting for the one frazzled employee to assist me. "What the EFF...I got my stupid check-in online email just YESTERDAY, where's my reservation?" "Umm, it looks like we've bumped you to another flight." "WHHAAAAaat are you talking about, bumped me to another flight!?"

Apparently, because they didn't quite have a full flight they decided to re-route certain passengers so they could down-grade their plane size thus saving on fuel. Well that was all fine and dandy, except that they bumped me to an EARLIER flight, a flight that left a 11:27. I was finding all of this out at about 11:15. I was PISSED. I did all I could to get on a flight, but basically ended up waiting at the airport for FIVE hours until I was able to leave. I was so angry. And the best part is that USAirways' complaint/"customer relations" department is only open Monday through Friday 9-5, and they don't want to hear about ANYTHING until you've completed your travel. I was so angry, especially when the sad little employee at the counter AGREED with me about how I totally got screwed over. She gave me two 25 dollar coupons towards my next flight, which of course I have to use separately. ARGGGGHHH!!!

Well, I called the "customer relations" department and told them about my FIVE hour wait on Friday, I was presented with a 75 dollar coupon towards my next flight. And no, I can't combine it with my other coupons I got, and I have to use it to buy tickets over the phone where they charge a 25 dollar booking FEE!!! I am sooo pissed, it makes me want to just never fly anywhere ever, EVER again. I'm not even taking into account all the privacy invasion I had to suffer through in the security line after they switched my ticket, or how I can't bring my freaking toiletries or how I have to pay the stupid checked bag fee and risk not having my bags AT ALL! AHHHH!!!! I could go on forever, but I'm going to stop before I hurt something, like my poor innocent laptop. I guess I just won't be buying the tickets for my high school reunion today. I've got to move to Europe so I can just take the train everywhere.