Word of caution. Recently applied for US Airways linked and promoted Barclays MasterCard. Only after applying, learned maximum credit limit regardless of credit score is USD1, 000.
Complained to customer service and supervisor. Was informed we needed to maintain card for 9 months before a credit limit increase could even be considered.

This makes the card essentially useless for us since we carry only one credit card in addition to our Amex card. Needless to say we are cancelling our application. US Airways should be looking for a new issuer as well. This one size fits all approach is untenable.

My mother flew into New York from England yesterday. From there, she was to take a US Airways flight to Indianapolis, arriving at 7:30 pm. Her flight was cancelled due to "weather", which must have meant a future forecast, because at the time there were no issues in either NY or Indy. They changed her to a flight to Pittsburgh instead. She was bumped from that flight (fortunately, because those passengers sat on the tarmac for 2 1/2 hours before having to return to the terminal). She was given the option of flying to Charlotte and spending the night in that airport, or spending the night in LaGuardia, before taking another flight to Indy this morning. Hotels were not an option. She was booked for the flight this morning. In the meantime, I had called customer service to see if I could get her into a hotel -- she had just traveled internationally, she is a pensioner, she has a lot of cash on her because of traveling internationally. Anyway, they had no record of her in their system other than the cancelled flight. Nor could they get me in touch with the desk at LaGuardia. I got on the US Airways website to see if I could fare better with the Live Help. You type in all your information there and submit it, only to be told that there are no agents available. My mom called this morning to say that she and about 400 people spent the night at LaGuardia, and that her flight to Indy this morning has also been delayed by about two hours. I live an hour from Indy, and I'm hesitant to leave on time because I fear I'll be spending the entire day waiting in the airport. I can see how US Airways gets away with not paying for anything -- because all you have to do is blame it on weather and you're off the hook.

This is a copy of a letter sent to the CEO of the Tucson airport after a US Airway's supervisor falsely accused me of threatening her:

Ms. Bonnie Allin
President/CEO
Tucson Airport Authority
7005 S. Plumer
Tucson, AZ 85756

Dear Ms. Allin:

This is a long letter, but before dismissing it you may want to go to your computer, go to this link (http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/10/04/airport.death/), and watch Carol Anne Gotbaum, a lone woman, being tackled by several policemen at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on September 28, 2007. This woman died while in police custody at Sky Harbor Airport. This is the image and story that my friends, from San Francisco to New York, have of Phoenix Sky Harbor. Then, take the time to read my somewhat lengthy narrative about my experience at Tucson International Airport (TIA).
Yesterday, Saturday, August 9, 2008, a US Air employee, Wendy, tried to use the TAA police force to punish me for expressing a legitimate grievance. My domestic partner, Timothy Taylor, was flying back to Wichita, KS, to visit his brother who is terminally ill with a malignant brain tumor. Like most working people, Tim had only a few days to see his brother and this time was valuable. Unlike most people, Tim has severe, adult-acquired hearing loss which is partially alleviated by a cochlear implant. However, his hearing is not good enough to negotiate difficult situations or to hear announcements made over loudspeakers in areas of high ambient noise like airport terminals.
Tim had a seating assignment from Tucson to Phoenix on US Airways, but could not get a seating assignment online from Phoenix to Wichita the evening before his flight. We suspected the flight was oversold. We drove to the airport early to obtain a seating assignment and I spoke with the US Airways staff as Tim has a communication disability. He frequently misapprehends what has been said to him, especially if the context is unusual or uncommon.
At the US Airways ticket counter, Jessica informed us that Tim could not get a seating assignment in Tucson; rather he would have to fly to Phoenix to get his seating assignment. I asked why this was so, and Jessica replied that the flight might be oversold. There was not offer to reschedule the flight from Tucson, and the implication was he had to fly to Phoenix and take his chances or lose his ticket. This was accompanied by a disparaging remark about the ticket being purchased through Priceline.com.
I told Jessica that Tim would not be able to hear announcements regarding flight status and possible standby arrangements. Still, Jessica did not have the authority to obtain Tim a seating assignment, so I asked to speak with her supervisor, Wendy, who supposedly had the authority to assign Tim a seat. Jessica made the first call to Wendy a 3:10 PM. After a second call and waiting 20 minutes I told Tim to catch his flight and text message me if things went wrong. Only then did Jessica think to write up a notice of disability to alert Phoenix US Airways staff of Tim’s communication difficulties.
Since I had already waited twenty minutes I asked Jessica to place a third call to Wendy, and Wendy arrived a 3:35 PM spoiling for a fight. Without giving a blow by blow description, our interaction resulted in my fleeing the airport with Wendy chasing me down. The TAA police officers who determined that I had done nothing wrong, Officers Losada and Summer, sent me on my way shaken and disillusioned.
Late yesterday afternoon, when safely in my own home out of TAA police jurisdiction, I called the TAA police at 5:40 PM to inquire whether Wendy had committed assault. I was told an officer would call me back. At 6:24 PM, I called back and was put through to Corporal Neil Brown. We discussed whether Wendy’s actions had risen to the level of assault, and he took down my statement and assigned a case number A08080110.
I called the airport police again on Sunday morning, August 10, 2008. I talked with Sergeant Furgeson (sp?) Sgt. Furgeson explained that airline and rental companies involving the TAA police force in disputes was common at TIA, and it was often unwarranted. Further some airline employees were frequent callers for police assistance in situations that do not warrant police involvement. (The TAA police were, on the whole, balanced and professional. They were surprisingly forthcoming, but I know how to chat people up.)
Sgt. Furgeson characterized the incident involving Wendy from US Airways and me as a misunderstanding, perhaps a situation that got out of control. I think she believes that to be true. However, that is not my analysis or my perception.
My perception is that Wendy, the US Airway supervisor, was angry that I had the audacity to ask to see her. That I had the temerity to have her subordinates call her three times. She was fuming because I had the endurance to wait twenty-five minutes and not walk away angry and impatient. She was furious and determined to act punitively, even if that action required deception and false accusation. Why do I come to this conclusion? There are several reasons.
She did not go to the staff side of the counter; rather she walked up to me on the passenger side of the counter and stood uncomfortably close to me. Could she address my problem without the use of a computer terminal? Her demeanor was hostile and aggressive. Wendy’s statement that “she didn’t like my attitude” was both condescending and irrelevant. This statement was meant to provoke. When I told her that if my partner were to be stranded in Phoenix I would write letters of complaint with her as the primary focus, she cynically chose to characterize this as a threat.
When she asked me, “are you threatening me, ” I knew this was a thinly veiled attempt to construe this as a threatening situation: it was a set-up.
When I replied, “I am not threatening you physically, I am threatening to write letters, ” I was purposefully dispelling the notion of physical threat. Perhaps if I had been more quick witted I would have said that I was informing her of the consequences of her poor customer relations. In any case, it was clear that there was no physical threat.
However, Wendy, unable to accept that I would not fall into her trap, decided to act as if I had: she screamed for the police, and because she was so threatened (I am being facetious) she followed me without police escort outside the building and several hundred yards down the sidewalk toward the street while I repeatedly told her that I was walking away and I wanted her to leave me alone. In between screaming for help she spokes less audible remarks of “getting me.” Her actions were deliberate, cynical, and calculating.
When threatened, I and most people try to distance themselves from the person who is threatening. Wendy’s choice to follow me, hounding me down the sidewalk towards traffic, was not the choice of a threatened person. It was the choice of a disgruntled, angry person who wanted to cause me harm. My question is why did she feel the airport police (or security) would back her up?
What is the institutional culture of the TIA and how did this contribute to her libelous accusations? Again, Sgt. Furgeson told me that this type of incident, airline and rental car company employees calling the police to resolve customer conflict is common and that seldom does the dispute rise to the level of criminal threat. Further, Sgt. Furgeson told me that some employees routinely call security to resolve what should be resolved with good customer relations.
If this is routine, apparently there is no repercussions for those employed at the airport that make hyperbolic accusation and use airport police as de facto goons. Has airport security replaced the railroad goons of the 19th and 20th centuries? Are airports, including the usually friendly Tucson airport, virtual police states where legal and legitimate disputes are resolved with the threat of police force? This kind of behavior would not shock me in Newark, but it shocks me in Tucson.
After speaking with Corporal Brown and Sergeant I now know that the TAA police force are not goons, but how would I know that while being pursued by a harpy like Wendy who was screaming for them to do what? arrest me for threatening to write letters of complaint. How was I to know that I would not be shackled to a bench like Carol Anne Gotbaum who died in the custody police at Phoenix Sky Harbor in September on September 28, 2007.
When faced with apparent misuse of authority and poor institutional culture, I often find it useful to follow the revenue stream. Your website contains the following statement:

TAA does not receive any local tax dollars. Operations are funded through revenues from parking, space rentals, land leases, fuel sales, airline landing fees, and concessions. Capital improvements such as runway and terminal construction are funded through state and federal grants.

If airline landing fees and concessions such as car rentals are major sources of revenue, do these financial interest either directly or indirectly affect the use of TAA’s police or security forces? Is it in TAA’s financial interest not to upset their sources of revenue by instating repercussions for companies whose employees use TAA police to intimidate passengers and customers? Is this why company employees feel free to use TAA’s police to resolve disputes that should be resolved by good customer relations? How well does this serve the economic interest of greater Tucson?

I realize the TAA police do not feel that they are threatening, but when TIA patrons are faced with police with badges, weapons, and handcuffs, most are intimated and, to some degree, threatened.
The current issue of The Economist features articles about Alexander Solzhenitsyn and the headline is: Speaking the truth to power. If you are the power at TAA, I must speak the truth to you. Using police force to intimidate TIA’s customers is wrong. Unless there are repercussions for airline and rental car company employees who de facto use the TAA police as a force of intimidation to quiet customers who are voicing grievances, the TAA is tacitly condoning this behavior. This is the United States of America, and we have the right to state our grievances. In a perfect world these grievances would be reasonable and legitimate, but that is not a requirement. Acting within the law is a requirement.
Unfortunately, my experience at TIA is probably indicative of more widespread deterioration of service in the airline industry. I travel relatively often and I usually fly coach: I see how employees treat the least of travelers. I have seen hints of disgruntled airline employees using the threats of police intervention to quell the dissatisfied of those suffering through delayed, overbooked, and cancelled flights. I’ve had a TSA security agent bark at me like a drill sergeant during a random search at Logan International Airport while I was being a model of cooperation. This bad behavior, or power run amuck, is done in the name of security. How does this make us more secure? I like Tucson. I think of it as a special place to live, but after this experience I feel I might as well be living in any major city in the USA.
The events of September 11, 2001 are a great tragedy. The cynical use of the threat of terrorism to instill compliance and fear in the traveling public cheapens the lives lost and the bravery of those who responded. It is shameful. If TAA is passively complicit in promoting this, TAA is responsible. TAA is as responsible as Wendy who cynically made false accusations and as responsible as US Air who promoted an irrational and vengeful employee like Wendy to a position of authority.

Here is the letter I sent to US Airways following my flight on June 19, 2008 (LA to Las Vegas). A short trip with a lot of abuse crammed into it so the letter is a bit long since I describe it all. The reply I received was prompt, but very short and didn't address any of my concerns. I only heard back from one of the six departments I sent it to. Would you put up with this?


June 23, 2008

Sherri Shamblin,
Vice President, InFlight Services
US Airways Corporate Headquarters
111 W. Rio Salado Parkway
Tempe, AZ 85281


Dear Ms. Shamblin,

I am writing to bring to your attention some disturbing events that I witnessed on a recent US Airways flight involving the reprehensible behavior of a flight attendant the likes of which I have never before encountered. The flight was #628 on June 19, 2008 from Los Angeles to Las Vegas departing at 9:40am. The flight attendant’s name is George Bird (sp?). Mr. Bird was beyond rude; barking curt commands at passengers, making snide comments, referring to one passenger as a “dog”, and in general being threatening and bullying to everyone. I would ask you to contemplate whether the scenes I am about to describe are acceptable at US Airways.

I had a quick same-day turnaround trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on Thursday, June 19, 2008 to make a presentation at a conference. Boarding of flight 628 appeared to proceed on schedule, and the flight seemed to be on time. There were three flight attendants on the plane – two women and Mr. Bird. I was seated in 11C and the flight was nearly full. However, about the time that we were scheduled to depart or “push back” from the gate, several additional passengers (assumably stand-by passengers) were allowed to board. Since they did not have seats assigned at the gate, these passengers had to find whatever was available. Most of these passengers were attempting to find seats without any assistance from the flight attendants. Here, Mr. Bird began his loud and rude treatment, snapping at a family of 4-6 passengers travelling together that they had no hope of sitting together and forcefully pointing out several available single seats. As the family located seats and settled in, it became apparent that the gate agent(s) had sent more passengers to the plane than there were actual available seats. A young woman was asked to leave the plane after already having taken a seat that seemed to be assigned to another passenger. And, a man who was part of the large family group also was without a seat. In the confusion, the flight was now several minutes late.

The man without a seat was looking for a place in the overhead compartments to stow a carry-on bag and proceeded to walk through the plane looking for space. Mr. Bird began to yell at the man not to come towards the back of the plane, assuming that the man was still looking for a seat and shouting that it was “all full” and “don’t follow me”. The man was standing in the aisle a few rows in front of me and looked very surprised at being addressed this way. He took a tentative step and lifted the bag up towards an open overhead compartment near him that had space. At this point, Mr. Bird shouted at the man, “Stop! Stay! Stay!” with his hand in the man’s face. The
man stared at Mr. Bird, utterly bewildered by his actions. Mr. Bird turned away from the baffled man and walked up the aisle towards me, muttering, “Just like a dog”. I heard passengers nearby gasp and say “what?” I found his comment appalling and incredulous, and I’m sure my face showed it as he walked by.

At this point, another flight attendant made an announcement requesting a single volunteer to give up their seat so that the man could accompany his family on the flight. Her appeal indicated that the volunteer would be “guaranteed to their final destination today”, but no other incentive was mentioned. A young man seated just behind me in 12A raised his hand. One of the two female flight attendants came over to speak to him. He explained that if they could indeed guarantee his arrival at his final destination that day he would be glad to give up his seat. When asked, he told the flight attendant that his final destination was Dallas and he was only making a connection in Las Vegas. The female flight attendant said that actually she didn’t think they could make any guarantees beyond getting him to Las Vegas. Before the volunteer could weigh this information, Mr. Bird yelled from the front of the plane, “We have a volunteer?! Who is it?!” The young man, still conversing with the other flight attendant raised his hand. Mr. Bird stomped over and shouted, “Let’s go then! Get up!” He made a jerking motion with his thumb and started to reach over to the young man as though he were going to physically remove him from the 12A window seat. At this motion, the young man said that he didn’t need to be “manhandled” and that he had “already had a drill sergeant and didn’t need another one.” Rather than adjust his tone or reply more calmly, Mr. Bird said, “Settle down, Soldier!” and started to repeatedly address the young man as “Soldier”. Mr. Bird asked if he was going to give up his seat and the young man responded that since the other flight attendant indicated he was not guaranteed his connection to Dallas that he could not volunteer. Mr. Bird snapped, “You’re not going to make your connection. You’ve already missed it.” When the young man said something to the effect that he had been trying to help and Mr. Bird should calm down, Mr. Bird came back and leaning over the seats to get into the young man’s face asked in a threatening manner if he wanted “to stay on this plane”. A young woman sitting next to me in 11B had heard enough. Addressing Mr. Bird, she asked, “Are you really going to throw this guy off the plane with all of these witnesses that have seen you harassing him?” There were several “yeah’s” from the surrounding passengers and Mr. Bird stalked away.

During all of this, the third flight attendant made an announcement that a volunteer who gave up their seat would now receive a free round-trip ticket. Another man was trying to volunteer, but the scene with Mr. Bird and the young man in 12A prevented him from alerting the other flight attendants in time. Meanwhile, the man without a seat who was trying to stay with his family had seen enough, taken his bag, and gotten off the plane alone. The female flight attendants asked the second volunteer to return to his seat explaining that it was too late, the man had left the plane, we were late and they had already closed the doors. While the other flight attendants were attempting to go through the safety presentation, Mr. Bird stomped up and down the length of the plane saying “It’s just a bus to Reno, people! Let’s get it moving!” When the young man in 12A again indicated that he should calm down, Mr. Bird told him to “Let it go, Soldier!” The young man responded that he would be making a complaint about Mr. Bird’s behavior. Mr. Bird returned to row 12 shouting, “I don’t like your attitude! You’re off this plane!” and stormed to the front of the plane. The other flight attendants ignored Mr. Bird and made no attempts to remove the young man. Ultimately, he was not removed from the flight. The other flight attendants seemed genuinely uncomfortable and embarrassed, although not surprised by Mr. Bird’s rude and harassing behavior. They continued the pre-flight safety presentation and were courteous and respectful, although clearly disrupted by their colleague’s bizarre behavior.

While taxiing to the runway before takeoff, Mr. Bird came through the plane once more on his way to the back. He leaned across me, and said rather sarcastically to the young woman in 11B who had stood up to him, “Love your hair!” The young woman was African-American and had her long, pink hair in a ponytail. My seatmates in 11A and 11B, and myself asked each other, “What is wrong with this guy?” The young woman in 11B found it rather creepy to be accosted in such a way. She told me she flew often and had never seen a flight attendant behave like this. In fact, she had just seen a news story about how upset and dissatisfied airline passengers are with the way they are treated. She had not believed the story, but now Mr. Bird was giving her personal evidence of the trend. Our flight was now so disrupted that they did not even attempt beverage service during the trip to Las Vegas.

However, Mr. Bird was not done yet. While we were in the air, he hurried by rows 11 and 12 and unceremoniously threw a piece of paper into the lap of my seatmate in 11B. We both had on headphones and were reading. She stared for a stunned moment at the scrap of paper that included the heading “Your Actions May Have Violated Federal Law”. Mr. Bird came back very briefly to say that she ought to read it. There were several items in a bulleted list, but Mr. Bird had helpfully underlined the bulleted item “Threatening, intimidating, or interfering with a flight crew member (FAA 121.580)”. I was completely astonished and the young woman next to me thought for a moment that she was going to be arrested for standing up for another passenger. Mr. Bird should have been apologizing, instead he felt the need to further threaten and harass the passengers who had done nothing but insist on being treated humanely. We landed in Las Vegas without further incident and I was immeasurably relieved to get off that plane. I believe the young woman sitting next to me in 11B was continuing as a “through” passenger on the same aircraft/flight to Pittsburgh and I hope that she did not have to suffer additional harassment from Mr. Bird along the way. Although we arrived late, I had a few hours to compose myself before giving my presentation at the conference. My flight back to Los Angeles on US Airways that evening was also late, but the flight was somewhat empty and thankfully uneventful.

These events are disturbing for several reasons. Firstly, that Mr. Bird believes the FAA regulations that protect him from “threatening, intimidating, and interfering” behavior actually give him the power to be threatening and intimidating to the passengers. I am aware that the flight attendants, as stewards of our safety, must have authority to direct passengers and we must comply with reasonable requests and instructions to insure the safety and security of air travel. However, I am absolutely certain that the regulation is not intended to give flight attendants the right to bully and harass those in their temporary care, and randomly threaten to throw anyone off the plane according to their own whims.

Secondly, as a steward of our safety, Mr. Bird should be using his authority as a flight attendant to diffuse situations, not escalate them. As a passenger, we look to our flight attendants to maintain order, provide clarity, and resolve issues or disputes respectfully and calmly. People have enough anxiety about flying without ugly scenes and nasty behavior on the plane. I certainly did not expect to see such behavior from a member of the crew! There are passengers on each flight with varying levels of travel experience – they may fly frequently, occasionally, or not at all. Not everyone knows or understands the changing policies surrounding air travel. Passengers must trust the flight attendants and other personnel to inform and guide them. Mr. Bird went out of his way to destroy any trust that would be needed in order to follow critical instructions in the event of an emergency. I would not have had any confidence in Mr. Bird to lead me to safety had there been any kind of emergency.

Thirdly, that the corporate culture and training of US Airways tolerates this kind of behavior. His coworkers’ reactions indicated that this was not the first time they had seen this type of behavior from Mr. Bird. Mr. Bird actually treated the passengers as though we were cattle or sheep to be rounded up and herded. He directly referred to another human being as a “dog” and it was clear he thought the man was stupid. His behavior was absolutely outrageous. There was no effort on his part to be even remotely civil or polite. It seems clear that Mr. Bird is not suited for a customer service position. I regret that I did not immediately notify the captain of the flight about the abuse we were subjected to from this “flight crew member”.

Given the current economic difficulties facing the airline industry, I would expect US Airways to strive to distinguish themselves by providing superior customer service. Particularly since several airlines have recently gone out of business and the remaining carriers are struggling to maintain any semblance of profitability. Today there are fewer flights at much higher fares with additional fees for food, amenities, and even checked baggage now. At US Airways, it seems that passengers cannot even expect to be treated with kindness and respect. Consumers still have many options for travel and a pleasant experience, now more than ever, will make all the difference in their choice. I work at a university with more than 18, 000 employees; many of whom travel often for university business. I will be recommending to our in-house travel agency that booking on US Airways be avoided. And, for my personal travel needs, US Airways will be at the bottom of the list.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,


cc: Doug Parker, Chairman & CEO
Scott Kirby, President
Donna Paladini, Vice President, Airport Customer Service
Kerry Hester, Vice President, Reservations and Customer Service Planning
Customer Relations Department

By the by, I spent approximately $3000 - $5000 per year on US Airways, I am seriously reconsidering that. I called, spoke to an agent, to make a reservation to Las Vegas. I explained that I wanted the coach class that would provide me with the automatic upgrade (silver preferred member). I was quoted a price, agreed to it, provided a voucher number (from when they didn't provide a requested wheelchair) and my credit card information. When I asked to get the seat assignment, was put on hold for over two hours (this is the first call) and then was hung up on. After I called back to find out the status, I was told that my card was charged and the vouchers applied but the fare class was wrong for the upgrade and told must either pay additional $1200 per person or forfeit the vouchers. I protested, was put on hold for another hour and half and hung up on again. All in all, I was hung up on three times and on hold and talking to US Airways for over FIVE hours and still lost the vouchers, despite the original error being attributed to their agent.

All I got for my time was was this e-mail...

Dear Ms. _______:

Thank you for contacting Customer Relations at US Airways. We appreciate hearing from our customers and having an opportunity to address your concerns. The Terms and Conditions assigned to the Transportation Voucher state they cannot be replaced if lost, stolen, or mutilated. May be used toward the price of one ticket/one fare on US Airways, US Airways Shuttle, or US Airways Express. The voucher and subsequent tickets issued against an E-TUV are non-refundable and have no cash value. I certainly regret the personal circumstances relayed; however, we are unable to give consideration to your request in this instance.

Again, thank you for contacting US Airways. We appreciate your giving us the opportunity to explain our position. Thank you for understanding.

Sincerely,

A______ C________
US Airways Customer Relations
Corporate Office

And this is how US Airways treats its customers (preferred at that)... Sorry, I redacted to protect the innocent.