A question about the reliability of USAirways...

[elena7seas]

We are flying to Miami from Vancouver in two weeks, on FF points, for a back-to-back on the Eclipse. Because we decided to cruise fairly late in the game (October) and because we are flying on points, we have a less-than-wonderful itinerary that goes YVR-SFO-CLT-MIA. The good news is (a) we're flying First Class (b) we're not going through any northern airports and © we're flying in two days early.

 

The bad news is we're flying United from YVR to SFO (that's okay) but then are switching to USAirways for the last two legs. I am not reading wonderful things about USAirways (US Scairways?), and our one previous flight back from San Juan on USAirways left us sitting on the tarmac for three hours, then deplaning and not being able to get out until the next day.

 

My question is....what are the odds that all our luggage will arrive in Miami before we have to board the Eclipse? :rolleyes:

[Jade13]

I use them every year with no problems. They are my preferred airline as far as FFmiles (which I use on a partner for overseas).

[NJ Fred]

There was a time when I dreaded flying US Airways; be it to catch a ship or on business.

 

However, I have seen a substantial improvement. Their on-time performance is better and the condition of their aircraft has gone from dirty and worn to clean and habitable. Most of the planes have been reupholstered with leather seat covers. The between-flight policing of litter is markedly better tha it was say one year ago.

 

Ever since deregulation, airlines have been flying their fleets to the max. Plane changes have now become commonplace where non-stop service used to reign. I often fly from Philadelphia to the west coast. I recall well the plethora of non-stops once available. And while some remain, there are a whole lot more that require changing to a second aircraft.

 

You can have a bad flight with any airline. It does not matter one single hoot if the airline has a 99% on-time performance record should your flight go haywire and you miss a connection or, heaven forbid, a ship's sailing.

 

Th recent blizzard served as a vivid reminder of the domino effect that occurs when a plane scheduled for several different flights in a single day is knocked out of rotation. Airlines rarely have a spare airplane waiting on the tarmac to take waiting passengers to their destinations when an incoming plane is delayed or cancelled.

 

It does seem that several cruise lines book a high number of passengers to fly US Airways. I can only guess that this is due to US Airways giving them a better price than competitors.

 

We are seeing more and more customized air options by the cruise lines. Celebrity's Choice Air is a good example. And it is no different than paying more to eat in a ship's specialty restaurant.

 

Pay the price and you can have whatever you want. What used to be included in the fare as "standard" might no longer be to your liking.

 

Not meaning to drift off-course, I reitereate that I have lost my hesitancy to fly US Airways based on the improvements I have experienced.

[YOW]

With two connections, including one interline (albeit Star Alliance partners), the odds of a missing bag do go up a bit... you'll probably be fine, and as NJ Fred says, things can go right or wrong with any carrier. As an alternative, you could drive across the border to Blaine ahead of time, and send your bags via FedEx/UPS to your hotel in Miami. You'd have to make sure the hotel can accommodate this, or see where you could pick up the bags. Not sure if this is the best option, maybe others can chime in, but perhaps it's worth looking into.

[BEVGOO]

We too were nervous to fly US Airways on 12/2 but had no problems at all. Cincinnati to Charlotte to San Juan was on time with smooth flights and our luggage got there with us. On the other hand, our friends had left the day before because AA had changed them from 2 to 3 flights to get to San Juan from Nothwest Arkansas. They had plane trouble in Dallas/Ft. Worth and had to switch planes. Needless to say, their luggage did not get switched. When we got to San Juan and knew they still didn't have their luggage, my DH mentioned it to our skycap who took him to the AA lost luggage area. They managed to find their luggage and we got to take it to the hotel with us. Let's just say we all spent a more restful pre cruise night knowing we all had our luggage.

 

Our return flight was through Philly and all went well. Of course, the weather was good which kept everything on time.

[anonymouscruiser1]

I have not flown them in a year or two now, because I moved and they are not as available for non-stops for me anymore, but I used to fly US Air at least monthly if not more often. I never lost a single bag, rarely had a flight delay, except out of Philly, but that is Philly, not US Air. In fact, I have never left on time from Philly. I do not like Philly - the airport not the city;) Good luck. I am guessing you read horror stories related to the huge storm right after Christmas. Do not let that scare you. It was horrific everywhere in the northeast US and even the southeast to a lesser extent on every airline. People were still trying to get out this weekend from the previous weekend.

[rothjer]

IMO we do not use USAIR. So much so , that I am supposed to fly with them tomorrow BUF>PHL>MCO and decided to just book another flight to tonight. They changed my flight 5 times in 2 months. I orignally booked this ticket a year ago for a flight to bermuda, and this flight too, was changed 3 times, twice with different connecting flights. The difference in flight times were as much as 8 hours. The only recourse I had was to rebook without penatly. For this flight tomorrow, though, they are telling me I cannot rebook because it has been a year since the orginal booking, so its MY fault. Sorry, when you travel for business 8 hour time difference from the orginal booking is a tad too much. Most airlines simply issue you a refund, not USAIR. Nonetheless , im out the money, and now am rebooking on Air Canada- which I LOVE, however, I didn't just loose my money, usair lost me as a customer, which, according to their customer service department, matters none. Oh well.

[TMaine]

I am sorry to say that I have had terrible luck with US air. I hope you have better luck with them and enjoy your cruise!!

[cruzeluver]

The worst of the worst. There is a reason they are almost always the cheapest when flying from my local airport. You get what you pay for.

[richsea]

I don't think that they're any worse than all other airlines today. They all treat passengers like cattle.

[BEAV]

If you haven't already done so, you'll reach a larger audience if you post this question in the Cruise Air forum here at Cruise Critic. Good luck ;)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=128

[Canadianhey!]

I flew US air in Oct and had no problems. On the other hand do not expect anything but rudeness from either the flight attendents or the ticket people.

[LLindaC]

I believe you may have read my post about my parents. They still don't have their luggage after 10 days. I have had many probs with USAir. Give me Southwest any day. I think that's a good idea about shipping the luggage. At least, get insurance and take a carryon with your jewelry, meds, makeup, 2 changes of clothes . I would hate to think your luggage wouldn't catch up to you at some point, but that's what happened to my parents last week. If it ever makes it to your port and you aren't there to clai8m it in 3 days, they will ship it to their warehouse in Charlotte where it may RIP.

[PBAMom]

my husband does quite a bit of air travel for work (2 or 3 roundtrips a week) and since we live in Philly, he predominantly flies USAirways. I've been surprised at how few delays /cancellations he's had over the past few years. of course, I'm sure his flight tonite will be delayed since I wrote this! ;)

[bighairtexan]

Since I fly in and out of DFW, American is almost the only game in town for most domestic flights; therefor, that's who I have to fly most of the time. And I could tell you stories of being on the tarmac for hours, lost luggage, theft from my luggage, cancelled flights, crazy rude flight attendants etc. I still fly AA. I'd also fly USAir if the flights were when and where I wanted. Don't worry. Depending on how you look at it, most airlines are either fairly reliable or fairly cruddy. ANd yes I've heard it called US Scair. But then I've heard DELTA means Don't Ever Leave The Airport. And there was Northworst.

[getagrip]

I fly USAIR for buisness several times per month out of Hartford, CT or White Plains, NY. My success rate with them is about 99%. I have flown them a few times to Vancouver, but I usually fly to Seattle and drive due to the expense and inconvenient schedule to Vancouver from Hartford. We just returned from the 12/5 sailing of the Solstice and flew back to Hartford on 12/12, a particularly stormy day in the eastern US. Our flights (through Charlotte) were 2 of the only flights that got through that day. We were using FF tickets as well. I have no hesitation flying USAIR, but I do try to avoid PHilly if at all possible, as other posters previously noted.

 

Dont worry!! Have a great time!!

[dolittle]

We live near Phila. airport have flown U.S.air many times no lost bags. Gate and cabin people have always been nice. Some of their planes are older. Phila airport used to be pretty bad it has gotten a lot better. In fact its food court is one of the best .

[luv2sail7]

Not a fan of US Air, but I do fly them frequently for business as my company requires the least expensive fare and I still do get my points because of the Star Alliance. As everyone has said, you have issues with ALL airlines these days. I just try to stick with the airline that I have some status with so that if I do have a problem (ie delay, misconnection) then I might have more pull in getting rebooked/re-accomadated quicker due to my status with those airlines that are part of that alliance. However, one problem with US Air is that they have "striped down" their planes whereas you do not have any movies or tv entertainment - even in First Class - on domestic flights as they have found by removing the video equipment, it will save them tons of money in fuel. So, bring your Ipad, Ipod, DVD player, etc because on a long flight, you will be extremely bored if you rely in US Air for any onboard entertainment. Only good thing about first class on US Air is free alcoholic drinks and the extra leg room. :(

[Lois R]

We live near Phila. airport have flown U.S.air many times no lost bags. Gate and cabin people have always been nice. Some of their planes are older. Phila airport used to be pretty bad it has gotten a lot better. In fact its food court is one of the best .

 

Thanks for your insight:) I am flying USAIR on my return flight home

in May. Flying from Seattle and Philly is my layover.

I got a good price and have about a 90 minute stop between my flights.

I am on the redeye so all I would need is breakfast and coffee at the

airport;)

[floridacruisers]

When I worked in the airlines we always refered to USAir as useless air. They've improved. There wasn't anyway to go but up and they have.

[Janet524]

Living where we do, US Airways is many times the only game in town. I dont' think they're any worse or any better than any other major airline. IMO, they're all borderline unreliable.

[fleckle]

Since I fly in and out of DFW, American is almost the only game in town for most domestic flights; therefor, that's who I have to fly most of the time. And I could tell you stories of being on the tarmac for hours, lost luggage, theft from my luggage, cancelled flights, crazy rude flight attendants etc. I still fly AA. I'd also fly USAir if the flights were when and where I wanted. Don't worry. Depending on how you look at it, most airlines are either fairly reliable or fairly cruddy. ANd yes I've heard it called US Scair. But then I've heard DELTA means Don't Ever Leave The Airport. And there was Northworst.

LOL! The way we have always heard it, DELTA means Don't Expect Luggage To Arrive.

So I guess it can be either, or both.

 

I can add ditto to a lot of what you said because we have had most of those experiences too, except we have not yet encountered theft from luggage.

Instead, we had an entire checked bag disappear once on a flight from DFW to EWR, never to be seen again. But that was years ago and we have not checked a bag to EWR again since. We learned our lesson and if we need to check luggage on a flight to the New York - New Jersey area, we pick one of the other airports.

 

Ever since that incident we are delighted when our bags eventually show up at all. We do not even think about complaining merely because they do not arrive on the same flight with us.

I think it is called lowered level of expectation.

 

To the OP, none of anybody else's previous experiences (good or bad) will have any bearing on your trip. I hope you are planning to arrive at the cruise port a day or two early to allow some slack for contingencies and give your checked luggage time to catch up with you, just in case. Either way, you should be fine if you follow the standard advice to pack all essentials and enough clothing to get by for a few days in your carry-on bags. Also, it is much more enjoyable to begin a cruise relaxed and refreshed than jet-lagged, anxious and rushed.

 

In case your checked luggage doesn't arrive, just file the usual report before leaving the airport and go have a stiff drink or two, or whatever relaxes you. Most likely the luggage will be put on the next flight and the front desk of your hotel will be calling your room later that night, or the following day, to tell you it has been delivered.

[Jade13]

I use them every year with no problems. They are my preferred airline as far as FFmiles (which I use on a partner for overseas).

 

I flew them in September, December and will again in two weeks. I have not had problems.

 

 

We found Delta and Continental to be much worse.

[YOW]

...none of anybody else's previous experiences (good or bad) will have any bearing on your trip...

 

Interesting observation... and statistically true, not only for Cruise Critic but for many forums like this. First, the sample size just isn't big enough -- even the Skytrax ratings and http://www.airlinequality.com have their drawbacks. Then there's the comparison of walking up to the roulette wheel at the casino and seeing the display board of recent results, none of which will have any bearing on the next spin. In this regard, at least we can glean some information from results -- and patterns of results -- from fellow cruisers. Of course, "will my bags make it?" is more of a lottery play or crap shoot than "will I make an 11am flight?".

[everbell]

I found it interesting that another poster would choose Air Canada over USAirways (having never flown USAir i have no comments on that in particular). I do everything possible to avoid Air Canada because of their surly service and lack of customer service. I only use them when I have no other option. So the lesson here is to each their own, methinks.