Feeling Abandoned by US Airways
Wednesday August 18, 2004
No, he's not a pilot. But Albrecht is on a U.S. Airways plane several times most weeks as he travels for work. He's a loyal Chairman's Preferred level flier, and has been for years. He always flies U.S. Airways when possible. Yet, U.S. Airways seems bent on sending him elsewhere.
The flight cutbacks out of Pittsburgh just keep coming. Announced this week, among others, were Columbia, SC, where my family lives; Burlington, VT, where we go skiing every winter and hiking most summers; and London, England, where Albrecht often travels on business. It's getting harder and harder for frequent business travelers to find the flights they need at the times they need them. It's not a question of lack of loyalty when Albrecht books a flight on a rival airline (which he only does when he has to). It's not his fault if US Airways no longer flies where he needs to go.
And all of this while US Airways is increasing flights in and out of Philadelphia -- an airport you can almost never connect through without a tiresome delay (not really true...it must just happen to my husband's flights). Or a last-minute flight cancellation, as my father found out the hard way earlier this month.
It's hard to complain, though. The thousands of US Airways employees in the area have it worse. US Airways may also reduce its local payroll of 7,700 by several thousand because of the planned flight reductions. Or could, possibly, go under entirely.
The reorganization of US Airways, while necessary, comes at a steep price. The potential loss of many of their most frequent customers. Loyalty, once lost, is hard to regain.
Guess we'd better cash in those frequent flyer miles.
The flight cutbacks out of Pittsburgh just keep coming. Announced this week, among others, were Columbia, SC, where my family lives; Burlington, VT, where we go skiing every winter and hiking most summers; and London, England, where Albrecht often travels on business. It's getting harder and harder for frequent business travelers to find the flights they need at the times they need them. It's not a question of lack of loyalty when Albrecht books a flight on a rival airline (which he only does when he has to). It's not his fault if US Airways no longer flies where he needs to go.
And all of this while US Airways is increasing flights in and out of Philadelphia -- an airport you can almost never connect through without a tiresome delay (not really true...it must just happen to my husband's flights). Or a last-minute flight cancellation, as my father found out the hard way earlier this month.
It's hard to complain, though. The thousands of US Airways employees in the area have it worse. US Airways may also reduce its local payroll of 7,700 by several thousand because of the planned flight reductions. Or could, possibly, go under entirely.
The reorganization of US Airways, while necessary, comes at a steep price. The potential loss of many of their most frequent customers. Loyalty, once lost, is hard to regain.
Guess we'd better cash in those frequent flyer miles.
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