Airlines should require a gate agent to give hourly status or tell passengers when to return to the gate for status.
I endured an all-day wait without being advised of status. We were scheduled for an 8am departure. Gate personnel advised us of mechanical problems and said to check back at 10am. At 9am, a gate agent advised maybe a 11am boarding (people who did not arrive till 10am per prior instruction never heard that announcement). After that NO ONE gave us status. It was 6pm before we found out the flight was canceled by calling the airlines. The notice on the departure boards and at the gate said “delayed”… a gate agent never gave us status after 9am!
A fellow passenger happened to work at this airline, so he made some calls and was able to get status from the maintenance… more »
…crew… the maintenance chief said his estimated time of fix was 5PM – maybe. If some “official” from the airline had done the same thing, the passengers could have done something else for those many hours rather than hang around the airport, checking the departures board for status. Also no compensation given…but that’s another discussion. No, it would not have changed the delay/cancellation situation, but if an agent had said check back in x number of hours, then actually come to the gate at that time, people could have done something else. I’ve worked in customer service before. Customers want to know what’s happening if only to be told “this is the problem, we’re still working on it…” « less
Airlines should not be able to advertise a one-way fare unless it is indeed the price for one way, not based on round trip. They should not be able to ask for additional money if the price goes up unless the opposite is true…if prices go down, the consumer should get an immediate refund-not have to ask for it. Honest price information will definitely help the consumer make an informed decision about which airline to fly. I’m not concerned how the changes will affect ticket sellers … it is false advertising they’re engaged in.
Yes, it is workable to have a single set of MINIMUM customer service standards that apply to all airlines. With all the emphasis on airline security, there is NO reason baggage should be lost – but if it is the airline should fully compensate passengers for losses as well as provide full reimbursement for clothing, toiletries, etc. purchased to replaced lost items. Airlines should be required to reimburse passengers for expenses when their baggage is delayed for more than 2 hrs. – purchase of personal items, clothing, toiletries, etc. until the baggage is delivered. In both cases, devil is in the details – both passengers and airlines need to be protected. Yes, airlines should be required to fully refund all types of tickets/charges when there is a cancellation or significant… more »
…delay and passengers choose not to fly. All of the proposals should apply to all sizes of airplanes. « less
I did not see mention of compensation for non-weather related delays/cancellations. There should be a minimum level of compensation e.g. meal voucher for every 4 hours of delay… hotel vouchers or reimbursement if a flight is canceled. My last experience w/ UAL cancellation was some economy class passengers received meal and hotel vouchers, others did not (they indicated they purchased non-refundable tickets just like a lot of other passengers). There was no consistency. In one instance, the customer service desk agent said he ran out of hotel vouchers…there should be an airline contingency plan that is communicated to all passengers involved.
Airlines should require a gate agent to give hourly status or tell passengers when to return to the gate for status.
I endured an all-day wait without being advised of status. We were scheduled for an 8am departure. Gate personnel advised us of mechanical problems and said to check back at 10am. At 9am, a gate agent advised maybe a 11am boarding (people who did not arrive till 10am per prior instruction never heard that announcement). After that NO ONE gave us status. It was 6pm before we found out the flight was canceled by calling the airlines. The notice on the departure boards and at the gate said “delayed”… a gate agent never gave us status after 9am!
A fellow passenger happened to work at this airline, so he made some calls and was able to get status from the maintenance… more »
Airlines should be required to post the price of their tickets including ALL taxes, fees, etc. so consumers can make easy comparisons.
I agree with the proposed solutions.
Airlines should not be able to advertise a one-way fare unless it is indeed the price for one way, not based on round trip. They should not be able to ask for additional money if the price goes up unless the opposite is true…if prices go down, the consumer should get an immediate refund-not have to ask for it. Honest price information will definitely help the consumer make an informed decision about which airline to fly. I’m not concerned how the changes will affect ticket sellers … it is false advertising they’re engaged in.
Yes, it is workable to have a single set of MINIMUM customer service standards that apply to all airlines. With all the emphasis on airline security, there is NO reason baggage should be lost – but if it is the airline should fully compensate passengers for losses as well as provide full reimbursement for clothing, toiletries, etc. purchased to replaced lost items. Airlines should be required to reimburse passengers for expenses when their baggage is delayed for more than 2 hrs. – purchase of personal items, clothing, toiletries, etc. until the baggage is delivered. In both cases, devil is in the details – both passengers and airlines need to be protected. Yes, airlines should be required to fully refund all types of tickets/charges when there is a cancellation or significant… more »
I did not see mention of compensation for non-weather related delays/cancellations. There should be a minimum level of compensation e.g. meal voucher for every 4 hours of delay… hotel vouchers or reimbursement if a flight is canceled. My last experience w/ UAL cancellation was some economy class passengers received meal and hotel vouchers, others did not (they indicated they purchased non-refundable tickets just like a lot of other passengers). There was no consistency. In one instance, the customer service desk agent said he ran out of hotel vouchers…there should be an airline contingency plan that is communicated to all passengers involved.