( Non-Gambling ) Gripe/Rant to American / US Airlines
"Hello. Just sitting here in Philly, waiting for my flight to XXX. So fyi, my DELAY today (~5 HOURS) is MORE than the total scheduled Flight time. So I stopped by the Customer Assistance Desk. And they told me that I can't even have a Meal Voucher. Hmmmmmmmm........
I don't fault the agent, in fact, I simply asked her to make my concern known. AND she said she didn't really have anyone to report it to. WOW ! ! ! VERY TELLING. Glad to see you what your emphasis on Customer Service is ! ! ! .
Guess what ? One of our delays was having to divert to an unscheduled STOP in Richmond to take on more fuel.
Anyway, here's my 2 cents: I won't fly AA / USAIR again if I have a choice unless I hear from you, to let me know whether Customer Service is valued or not. I would at least like to know where I stand. I fly at least 4 times a year on business, and another 4 to 5 times on Vacation. And as most airlines point out, "I have a choice on which airline I fly". Sincerely, "Johnny Q"
If nothing else, good vent/rant.
Quote: zoobrewUnfortunately you will receive the same customer service from all the major airlines. I flew back from LV to PIT, 2 years ago, non-stop on Southwest, supposedly one of the leaders of customer service, 4 hours before the flight even left LV they had delayed the flight 6 hours and it wasn't weather related in either of those cities, but the real kicker was that they couldn't guarantee the delayed departure time, so they wanted us to report to the airport at the original time and wait for the delay because if they left before the estimated delayed time and we weren't there they would consider us as missing the flight, in the end the flight was only delayed 4 3/4 hours.
"only". lol.
Quote: JohnnyQThanks for a chance to vent. Here's the feedback I just filled out on their on-line system:
"Hello. Just sitting here in Philly, waiting for my flight to XXX. So fyi, my DELAY today (~5 HOURS) is MORE than the total scheduled Flight time. So I stopped by the Customer Assistance Desk. And they told me that I can't even have a Meal Voucher. Hmmmmmmmm........
I don't fault the agent, in fact, I simply asked her to make my concern known. AND she said she didn't really have anyone to report it to. WOW ! ! ! VERY TELLING. Glad to see you what your emphasis on Customer Service is ! ! ! .
Guess what ? One of our delays was having to divert to an unscheduled STOP in Richmond to take on more fuel.
Anyway, here's my 2 cents: I won't fly AA / USAIR again if I have a choice unless I hear from you, to let me know whether Customer Service is valued or not. I would at least like to know where I stand. I fly at least 4 times a year on business, and another 4 to 5 times on Vacation. And as most airlines point out, "I have a choice on which airline I fly". Sincerely, "Johnny Q"
all airlines suck. that's why i fly with spirit. I know it's going to suck, so I don't expect much. pretty much my flight is always delayed by an hour when flying out of Vegas. that's what I get for $100 flight. I'd be pissed if that happened on a $300 flight.
My own experience with US Air is rather dismal. I've only flown American on long international flights, which tend to be nicer.
Pretty much the only way to get on the good side of an airline is to agree to change flights. Two examples from experience:
(a) Back in 1992, I had a flight from Auckland to Los Angeles and then to San Francisco, but there was somebody in Auckland wanting to go to LA, so they said that if I would agree to fly through Honolulu instead, and wait a couple of hours there, they would upgrade my Auckland-Honolulu leg to first class.
(b) In 2007, I had a flight from Philadelphia to Seattle via Detroit, but another flight to Detroit had been cancelled, so I was given a $200 voucher plus a few meal vouchers if I would switch to a flight through Denver instead.
No fee for the full baggage check... But god help you if the reason you are carrying on is to avoid your bag getting lost, or if you require access to items inside the bag while traveling. Almost makes me willing to pay the extra $$ for premium boarding if it means I retain the right to a carry-on.
Quote: AxelWolfI must be really lucky, I have never been delayed more than 35 minutes. They made up for the time in the air I believe.
I was delayed last month by 30 min. It was my first delay ever. I was worried about missing the connecting but somehow we landed 5 minutes earlier than scheduled arrival. I assume they can fly faster but don't to conserve fuel? Bbb would know I think, isn't she in this industry?
Quote: cyrusRandom tangent. United Airlines has a new "policy" that when the boarding is around 80% complete, they start disallowing carry-on size luggage and force you to check it. ... Almost makes me willing to pay the extra $$ for premium boarding if it means I retain the right to a carry-on.
Which is their intent; they get more ancillary revenue and get more on-time flights (assuming that checking luggage is faster than passengers filling overhead bins). It's a nickel-and-dime operation, despite currently high profits.
To the OP: meal vouchers are now only given when the problem is the airline's fault (i.e., a mechanical problem), but not if it's out of the airline's control (i.e., ground stop or delays at a distant airport, weather, etc.). It's a lousy policy from lousy companies.
Will spare everyone the long story of how United screwed us out of $2K, then refused to give a single token of apology. Haven't flown with them (on a revenue ticket) since, despite being Gold there last year.
Quote: GWAEI was delayed last month by 30 min. It was my first delay ever. I was worried about missing the connecting but somehow we landed 5 minutes earlier than scheduled arrival. I assume they can fly faster but don't to conserve fuel? Bbb would know I think, isn't she in this industry?
GWAE -
In the last dozen years or so, the passenger bill-of-rights people and FAA regulatory side have been tightening up on airplane lies and on-time reporting. One of the airlines' responses has been to lengthen the listed time of most every flight, to add enough padding that they don't ARRIVE late as often, even if they depart late. They honestly needed to; they weren't calculating enough time for taxi and lineup prior to departure, especially under adverse weather conditions, and not adapting to their own overscheduling of certain hub airports. But they've gone the other way with it, partly for p.r. purposes, and partly to avoid having an ugly delay record.
There are other components that may have aided your flight; perhaps you had a good tailwind, or even a lack of the usual headwind, and that helped your arrival. Historically your flight may run longer through known frequent weather, but this time you got a good day out. Possibly ATC asked your flight to move it or lose it and they flew faster than their scheduled speed in order to hold their place in the queue. Airlines don't usually firewall it for fuel conservation reasons, but they will if they're in the fastest flow and don't want to get resequenced or moved to a less optimal altitude (out of the way of faster aircraft).
And, there are airline representatives in Wash DC constantly bargaining about which flights will get priority handling, if there's a choice to be made. They will on occasion look at who's on your flight and what their connections are vs. one or more other flights, and the one that's going to cost the airline the least to rebook will get the hose. So your flight might've been able to make up all that time getting priority service. This is the least likely, but it does happen.
You may also have had a pilot who was willing to tuck it in and get it on the ground and he got cut in if there was a hole on the approach sequence or final. Southwest was famous for this for a decade or more (we called it a Nosebleed 1 Arrival), and others will still try it on occasion. (Southwest had an ugly overshoot and I think they stopped their pilots for accepting or requesting those after that.) There was also a company called Pacific South (better known as PSA) which could always be depended on for this. Unfortunately, one of their disgruntled ground managers got on board with a gun and shot them out of the sky (think it was 1987) and that was pretty much the end of them; USAir bought out the remnants. If you had an "oh, chit" moment where the aircraft turned and dove just before you landed, you probably got cut in.
Runway configuration can also add or subtract a half-hour or more. Not going to try to get into that, as it's highly localized. But any one of these, or more than one in combination, will affect your in-flight time and arrival, no matter when you depart.
They are trying to get you to your destination safely.
Say a delay due to equipment malfunction.
Happens.
I certainly want to be delayed till they fix the problem.
I would rather be delayed and fly on a fixed plane then a broken one trying to be on time.
Say its weather related, pilot delays because not safe to fly in bad weather.
Hey if the pilot does not think it safe, would rather be delayed.
Quote: AxelWolfI must be really lucky, I have never been delayed more than 35 minutes. They made up for the time in the air I believe.
You are lucky, Axel. That, or you don't fly very often.
Maybe 12 or so years ago, I booked a non-stop from Orlando to LV on America West. The flight was supposed to leave around 8 P.M. They boarded us about 9, only to have us sit at the gate for an hour, and then have us de-board! They kept delaying the flight until about 1:30 A.M., when they cancelled it! They gave us meal vouchers (of course, everything in the airport was closed by that time) and hotel vouchers (for about 3 hours' sleep) and a ticket on the first available flight in the morning... to Cleveland*!
The next morning, the Cleveland flight was overbooked, and they had to bump some passengers (fortunately not me)! We finally got to Vegas that afternoon, about 18 hrs behind schedule.
I fly maybe twice a year, and that's not even my worst experience!
* -- For those of you who, like America West, may not own a map, Cleveland is not any closer to LV than Orlando.
The issue is what does the airline do when a delay happens? Choosing to provide a meal voucher for a weather delay makes customers happy , or at least less angry. Pre-emptively offering future flight vouchers when someone misses a connection will make customers happy. They are not obligated to do these things, but maybe they should choose to do them and it would help get repeat business.
Many people choose which flight to buy based on cost and schedule, but the quality of the airline's service also comes into play, especially if cost and schedule are similar.
Quote: cyrus
Many people choose which flight to buy based on cost and schedule, but the quality of the airline's service also comes into play, especially if cost and schedule are similar.
Unfortunately it seems that customer service is more similar (poor) than cost and escpecially schedule
USAir used to fly all their connections from BNG to PIT, and that was great. But then most of the flights switched to PHL and all the crap started. The last couple of times I have flown from Raleigh, I now connect through Detroit. I am almost 100% guaranteed to get to BNG before any flight from PHL.
Flying was fun in the 80s. The airlines treated you like a valued customer. And if you knew how to approach problems, like delays, you could get switched to other airlines, etc. with a polite, but firm, conversation. And most any inconvenience was handled with a meal voucher. Now flying is pretty much like a hemorrhoid, nothing more than a giant PITA that you learn to live with.
Quote: RaleighCrapsI used to live in northeast PA, and the closest airports were Binghamton, NY and Avoca in PA. Both are regional airports which required connecting to go most anywhere. All I can say is Philly for a connection with no delay is AWFUL. I could go into much more descriptive detail, but it would be so bad that as a first time offender, I would still get 30 days.
USAir used to fly all their connections from BNG to PIT, and that was great. But then most of the flights switched to PHL and all the crap started. The last couple of times I have flown from Raleigh, I now connect through Detroit. I am almost 100% guaranteed to get to BNG before any flight from PHL.
At least with connections, you don't have to go through the security line at PHL on a Monday morning (you thought Vegas was bad?).
Quote: cyrusRandom tangent. United Airlines has a new "policy" that when the boarding is around 80% complete, they start disallowing carry-on size luggage and force you to check it. Not "gate check" where you pick it up on jetway, but full check through to final destination. On one recent flight, I boarded after this cutoff, and there was still plenty of overhead space!!! Wtf. Flight attendants simply said "sorry it wasn't my decision".
No fee for the full baggage check... But god help you if the reason you are carrying on is to avoid your bag getting lost, or if you require access to items inside the bag while traveling. Almost makes me willing to pay the extra $$ for premium boarding if it means I retain the right to a carry-on.
This needs to be brought to light with regards to the airlines. AA/US Air does the EXACT SAME THING. This affects every single person who chooses to sit in the aisle, since most airlines (US Air & United for fact) board these people in their last boarding group. It is pretty much impossible to get an aisle seat and store your overhead on transcontinental flights aboard the 737's and A310/320's. I never had a problem on Alaska, but I haven't flown on them for some time.
Two solutions: Get their CC for priority boarding and cancel it before the AF since they're all waived for the first year... or... get a duffel bag. They will let NOBODY through with a roller, but a giant duffel bag that needs to go overhead will be allowed onboard every time.
Solution three: Fly Southwest, check in 24 hours before your flight to the second.
Anyway, in this case, the old adage applies that when you have a good experience, you tell 3 friends, BUT when you have a bad experience, you tell 10 friends (or sometimes many, many more). I do plan to avoid AA/US Air when possible, and especially AA/US Air through Philly.
Someone mentioned that Safety outranks Delays. Yes, of course. Believe me, I wanted the Pilot to stop for more gas too, if there was even a 1 in a zillion chance that we would "auger in" because we had run out of fuel. But it seems to me the tank could not have been full when we left. How else would a Regional Jet not have plenty of Safety Margin for an 800 mile flight ? I don't recall if it was a CRJ or an Embraer.
Quote: ahiromuSolution three: Fly Southwest, check in 24 hours before your flight to the second.
Solution Four- be a lowlife and tell the Southwest gate agent that you need an early boarding authorization for medical reasons. You'll be able to board the aircraft before the A-Listers.
On my flight to Vegas 10 days ago, there were 23 early boarders. That's a record!
Flying last minute sucks. You get stuck on all these connectors and layovers. Unfortunately stuff comes up last minute so I'm kinda screwed.
I knew I should have been an air traffic controller. (Supposedly) free flights and good government pay. The screening process seems pretty rigorous tho. I had a friend who was on top of his ATC stuff during CTI school and still failed out by a couple of points. I just wanted a paying job at McCarren lol.
I couldn't tell you how many times I have been on a plane, it's to many to remember (At least 16 times in the last year counting returning), but less than some people I know. Sometimes I go a year without traveling.Quote: JoemanYou are lucky, Axel. That, or you don't fly very often.
Maybe 12 or so years ago, I booked a non-stop from Orlando to LV on America West. The flight was supposed to leave around 8 P.M. They boarded us about 9, only to have us sit at the gate for an hour, and then have us de-board! They kept delaying the flight until about 1:30 A.M., when they cancelled it! They gave us meal vouchers (of course, everything in the airport was closed by that time) and hotel vouchers (for about 3 hours' sleep) and a ticket on the first available flight in the morning... to Cleveland*!
The next morning, the Cleveland flight was overbooked, and they had to bump some passengers (fortunately not me)! We finally got to Vegas that afternoon, about 18 hrs behind schedule.
I fly maybe twice a year, and that's not even my worst experience!
* -- For those of you who, like America West, may not own a map, Cleveland is not any closer to LV than Orlando.
I neither like or dislike traveling. I don't mind the flying part. I actually love take off and landing. I love visiting new places. But I can't stand lugging my crap through the airport, dealing with lines, boarding on and off, taxicabs, rentals, baggage claim, rushing to make it on time, Hotel check in check out.
My GF gets stressed out 24hrs before Flying, don't forget this, don't forget that, double check this and that. S6he always has 3 extra suitcases.
Quote: AxelWolf
My GF gets stressed out 24hrs before Flying, don't forget this, don't forget that, double check this and that. S6he always has 3 extra suitcases.
She's really diligent about suitcases. Remember the time her suitcases made it to the destination but she didn't lol
On our flight into Chicago we landed and started to taxi. We were just barely off the runway and there was a plane landing behind us I have never seen a runway used in quick succession like that. I have only flown maybe 20 times so I don't have a ton of experience.
Quote: beachbumbabsHere's some more links to specific departments along with direct phone numbers if you decide you want more satisfaction than the contact portal offers. I haven't checked these for myself, so FWIW, hopefully something.
Thanks for the link. I'm going to see if the regular "contact us" submission from their website generates a response.
I suspect that a lot of people look for the combination of the lowest and most convenient fare. I do, but I am willing to pay some amount more for non-stops to Vegas, but I still like getting a decent deal. Spirit and Frontier have entered my market, so fares are pretty good. SWA hasn't adjusted their fares, as far as I can see, YET. We'll see. Competition is good.
Yes I had to carry about 5 suitcases around everywhere for a while.Quote: djatcShe's really diligent about suitcases. Remember the time her suitcases made it to the destination but she didn't lol
I travel minimally compared to most professional blackjack players and AP's. I hate flying and specifically re-located to an area, Las Vegas, so that I would have access to a large rotation of games without flying. I do take about 4 road trips a year, two by air and a couple extended car trips, but that is nothing compared to some of the professional blackjack player/AP's that I know that are flying several times a month....yuk.
Specifically about this American/US air merger, the 5 or 6 flights that I took prior to the merger were on US air. The two since, on a competing airline. The reason....price. They are no longer even close to being the lowest price, each time I book. For my small amount of business they have priced themselves right out of the market.
I guess in the name of accuracy, I should mention that I don't fly coach. Not necessarily first class, but I want more room, 2 seats across instead of the standard 3. Different airlines have different names for these non-coach classes. My partner is a bigger guy and when I fly east, I like to fly overnight arriving as the sun rises, so that extra room is a luxury that I afford myself and my partner. Normally this goes against my grain as I am generally a 'value' guy. So any mention of comparing prices is for whatever class has 2 seats instead of 3, which again, differs by airline.
Quote: AxelWolfYes I had to carry about 5 suitcases around everywhere for a while.
I like the ones that have wheels
About 3 hours delayed flying out of Vegas at the moment, s'pose git what ye pay fer.
Quote: mcallister3200What's with people in a busy/full airport gate seating area thinking the seat next to them is intended for their luggage? You shouldn't have to ask people if the seat's taken or to move their bag. It's fine if there's lots of open seats, but when there isn't that seat isn't for your freaking luggage.
Yep, seen the same thing on the bus in Vegas. Way to leave a good impression to foreign visitors somewhat older self-centered idiots on a crowded bus. NEWSFLASH: The world does not revolve around you.
The consortium of global airlines is trying to squeeze your carry-on bag. On June 8 the International Air Transport Association (IATA) proposed a new minimum size it wants member airlines to allow on board. Its 55cm x 35cm x 20 cm (22 x 14 x 8 inches) yields a volume of 38,500 cm3. That’s 39% down from the previous IATA standard of 56cm x 45cm x 25 cm— the equivalent of four soccer balls’ worth less volume.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-airline-industry-wants-your-carry-on-to-be-40percent-smaller/ar-BBkTA9t
Although it wouldnt surprise me if they did make it happen.
June 12, 2015
Dear Mr. "Q":
Thanks for contacting Customer Relations. We are sorry for your unhappy experience as you traveled with us.
There's probably nothing more frustrating than having to travel when bad weather conditions play havoc with airline schedules. From your description it certainly sounds as if the delay and diversion of your flight was aggravating and uncomfortable, and it's unfortunate we didn't do a better job of overcoming the many challenges we faced. We are especially concerned that we missed opportunities to lessen the effects of the weather disruption.
Regrettably, many times we don't have too many options to help make such situations less trying. Because of inclement weather conditions, the diversion of your flight was unavoidable. Still, your comments enable us to understand things from our customers' perspective, which is crucial as we strive for better performance next time.
We know how frustrating it is to be "stuck" at an airport when flights don't operate as planned. While we've always tried to do our best to minimize the associated discomfort and aggravation, we simply cannot continue to routinely offer our customers overnight accommodations and meals when flights are delayed or canceled. There are too many uncontrollable variables which can affect airline schedules and the practice of regularly paying for hotel and meal costs is not feasible. While we are not completely eliminating the provision of these extras, we've had to establish some limitations and guidelines.
This does not mean, however, that we are any less committed to our passengers' comfort. In the event of an off schedule operation, our focus will be on doing all we can to get you to your destination. At American Airlines our priorities have always been, safety, on-time flights and customer service. While some of our procedures have changed -- our priorities have not! We hope you will continue to travel with us.
Mr. "Q", you have my assurance that we will always work hard to get you to your destination on time. We hope you will give us another opportunity to do so.
NOTE: I don't thnk weather was ever actually the cause of the disruption.
TRANSLATION: We value the "cost" of your disruption and inconvenience to be less than $ 2 per hour, since we wouldn't give you a food voucher for $ 10 that you requested. Have a nice day and get lost, thankyouverymuch.
Quote: JohnnyQAnd after several requests from AA for more info because they were too stupid/incompetent to find my itinerary in their records (really, how many flights that day had to divert unscheduled to Richmond Virginia to take on more fuel ? ? ?), here is their well-crafted form letter reply:
June 12, 2015
Dear Mr. "Q":
Thanks for contacting Customer Relations. We are sorry for your unhappy experience as you traveled with us.
There's probably nothing more frustrating than having to travel when bad weather conditions play havoc with airline schedules. From your description it certainly sounds as if the delay and diversion of your flight was aggravating and uncomfortable, and it's unfortunate we didn't do a better job of overcoming the many challenges we faced. We are especially concerned that we missed opportunities to lessen the effects of the weather disruption.
Regrettably, many times we don't have too many options to help make such situations less trying. Because of inclement weather conditions, the diversion of your flight was unavoidable. Still, your comments enable us to understand things from our customers' perspective, which is crucial as we strive for better performance next time.
We know how frustrating it is to be "stuck" at an airport when flights don't operate as planned. While we've always tried to do our best to minimize the associated discomfort and aggravation, we simply cannot continue to routinely offer our customers overnight accommodations and meals when flights are delayed or canceled. There are too many uncontrollable variables which can affect airline schedules and the practice of regularly paying for hotel and meal costs is not feasible. While we are not completely eliminating the provision of these extras, we've had to establish some limitations and guidelines.
This does not mean, however, that we are any less committed to our passengers' comfort. In the event of an off schedule operation, our focus will be on doing all we can to get you to your destination. At American Airlines our priorities have always been, safety, on-time flights and customer service. While some of our procedures have changed -- our priorities have not! We hope you will continue to travel with us.
Mr. "Q", you have my assurance that we will always work hard to get you to your destination on time. We hope you will give us another opportunity to do so.
NOTE: I don't thnk weather was ever actually the cause of the disruption.
TRANSLATION: We value the "cost" of your disruption and inconvenience to be less than $ 2 per hour, since we wouldn't give you a food voucher for $ 10 that you requested. Have a nice day and get lost, thankyouverymuch.
If I had gotten such a letter I would have rather they didn't ignored my request. It could not be more of a "screw you" if they tried. I wouldn't doubt that this isn't a form letter either.
There's a saying about telling many more people about a bad experience than you would about a good one.
Quote: 1BBMy wife and I flew Jet Blue this past week. They give unlimited snacks and drinks to all and it's the whole soda or juice can. They don't pour it to get two drinks out of it. They also had free movies. On one flight my wife's speaker didn't work as she attempted to watch the Steven Hawking movie. The nice flight attendant immediately moved us to two empty first class seats. There were $40 stretch out seats available but he took us straight to first class.
There's a saying about telling many more people about a bad experience than you would about a good one.
Southwest will give unlimited snacks (when they offer just grab more than one) and give you the whole can or bring you a second/third drink, but you have to ask for it. The fact that the legacies do not give any free snacks during a 5 hour transcontinental flight is egregious, a pack of peanuts can't cost them more than a quarter.
The way I see it, I closed a contract with the airline: I give them money, they take me from point A to point B at an appointed time. NOT at a time of the airline's choosing. They don't hold up their end, I get my money back. But I probably see it wrongly.
Quote: CanyoneroIs anybody here knowledgeable about customer's rights in case of delays?
The way I see it, I closed a contract with the airline: I give them money, they take me from point A to point B at an appointed time. NOT at a time of the airline's choosing. They don't hold up their end, I get my money back. But I probably see it wrongly.
This seems to be the "definitive" list, at least concerning travel within the USA. I am under the impression that if a flight is delayed, the best you are guaranteed is, at your option, a refund of the unused portions of the ticket.
Quote: ThatDonGuyThis seems to be the "definitive" list, at least concerning travel within the USA. I am under the impression that if a flight is delayed, the best you are guaranteed is, at your option, a refund of the unused portions of the ticket.
Thanks for that!
Wow, that's terrible. Delay = Fuck you
Someone should really strengthen the customers rights! Oh wait - that would be socialism and hurt job-creators. We wouldn't want that, would we? The airline knows best. Forget I asked.
At least Congresspeople have to sleep on the airport floor with everyone else when their flight is delayed.
[Bear in mind though, that because of this, people have to sit on wooden benches during the flight, must travel wearing only a loincloth, and 50% of planes crash. Plus, all European airlines are bankrupt.]
Delays
If an airline expects a flight to be delayed, passengers are entitled to refreshments and communication if the expected delay is more than:
two hours, in the case of a type 1 flight
three hours, in the case of a type 2 flight
four hours, in the case of a type 3 flight
(see notes for flight types).
Additionally, if the flight is expected to depart on the day after the original scheduled departure time, passengers are entitled to accommodation.
If a flight is delayed by five hours, passengers are additionally entitled to abandon their journey and receive a refund for all unused tickets, a refund on tickets used already if the flight no longer serves any purpose in relation to their original travel plan, and, if relevant, a flight back to their original point of departure at the earliest opportunity.
Finally, court cases (see below) have established that a passenger experiencing a loss of time equivalent to three hours or more at the final destination is entitled to compensation as though his flight had been cancelled.
Your flight delay is based on the scheduled arrival time. This is defined as when the doors are opened on the plane and not when it lands - as some airlines may claim.Bureau of Transport Statistics: On Time Performance
Compensation and assistance
There are three broad categories of compensation and assistance that may be required in the case of cancellations or denied boarding.
Cash compensation
Cash compensation is a payment of:
€250/400/600 for flights type 1/2/3 (see notes).
Where rerouting is offered and results in the passenger arriving within two/three/four hours of the scheduled arrival time for a type 1/2/3 flight, the compensation payable is halved.
This payment is strictly a compensation for the customer's inconvenience and does not replace or form a part of either of the following two compensation categories.
The Airline is not obliged to provide cash compensation in the case of extraordinary circumstances which could not have been foreseen even if the airline took all reasonable precautions, according to Article 5, Paragraph 3.
Rerouting or refunding
Rerouting or refunding is, at the passenger's choice, one of the following three compensations:
Repayment of the cost of unused flight tickets, and for used tickets where the flight(s) taken no longer serve(s) any purpose in relation to the passenger's original travel plan, and where applicable, a flight back to the original point of departure at the earliest opportunity
Rerouting under similar conditions to the intended final destination at the earliest opportunity
Rerouting under similar conditions to the intended final destination at the passenger's leisure, subject to the availability of seats.
If a passenger's destination is an airport at a city with multiple airports and rerouting results in the passenger being taken to another of those airports, the airline must also pay for transport for the passenger to the original intended airport or an agreed nearby destination.
Refreshments, communication and accommodation
When passengers become entitled to these assistances, they must be offered, free of charge,
Meals and refreshments in proportion to the waiting time
Two telephone calls, fax or telex messages, or emails
Hotel accommodation and transport between the airport and the hotel, if a stay of one or more nights, or a stay additional to that intended by the passenger becomes necessary
In the case of a delay, the airline may withdraw or abrogate these entitlements if offering them would delay the flight further.
Quote: IbeatyouracesIt's just a bus ride in the air.
This is exactly right. The days of flying being "glamorous" or high-end are over. Except for some long international flights. They are just cattle cars. Cram them in close the doors and lets get there. Frankly I'm fine with that. Most domestic US flights are pretty short. I can stand a lot for 2 or 3 hours.
