United and US Airways Said to Be in Merger Talks

My sister and I were traveling to Amelia Island via Jacksonville a couple of years ago for my birthday. Of course, there was a tropical storm bashing The Panhandle the morning of the flight. I called our hotel and was informed that the bridge to the island was closing, and it was very possible we wouldn't be able to access the inn. The reservation agent couldn't have been nicer, and I was able to cancel the room without penalty.

I then called US Air and asked if we could change our reservation to the following week. Same days, same times, same everything. I was told this would cost me $150 per ticket. I tried explaining to the US Air codfucker that even if the flight did leave Richmond, I couldn't go anywhere once I got to Jacksonville. And the storm was just starting to hit Florida, so I really didn't feel all that comfortable getting on a plane in the first place. If they wanted to charge me some sort of "service" (hahahahaha!) fee for altering the tickets, fine, whatever. But $300 fucking dollars to fly into a tropical storm without a way to access my hotel? I was told repeatedly by every stream of asparagus-laced piss I spoke with that this situation was an "Act of God" and they were not responsible for the weather. Like I was. I said fuck it, canceled the reservation, wrote a letter to my congressman and haven't flown with those dicksticks since. Apologies for my language.

 

I'm sure this will come with a $50 merger fee for each leg of future flights.

 

I gave up my seat on a US Air flight, took the next flight 2 hours later, got a voucher for a future free flight.

Turns out free seats were not available on the one trip I tried to use the voucher for the following year (no surprise, I guess, as it was Christmas. I should have used it for a trip in October).

Wrote a polite letter to U.S. Air, telling them how "disappointed" I was.

They sent me a $200 credit for use on any US Air flight.

So I basically got $200 for 2 hours of voluntary inconvenience.

Doubt I would have gotten anything had my letter been written with asparagus-laced piss.

Good idea.

Oops. They don't fly to either of the two cities I'm flying to this year. Never mind.

 

My United experience:

I had a connecting flight through Seattle, and right after we landed they closed the airport because of snow. I end up at a hotel next to the airport, but have to return to the airport about 6 hours later for the next flight. I walk into the United ticketing area as they announce "The airport is closed. There are no flights leaving. We do not know when it will reopen. Call your travel agent to rebook a flight." The place is a zoo. There are no phones available. It's impossible to speak with an employee. I can't even find a place to sit.

I eventually give up on that section of the airport to see if there's at least someplace to sit in the gate area. I arrive there just in time to see my flight taxiing away from the gate to the runway. I run to the gate to see what is going on. I tell them they announced downstairs that the whole airport was closed and absolutely no flights were leaving. The guy at the gate responds "That's United. We're United Express." Then he adds in a singsong voice, "Your fault!"

That's when I went halfway over the desk trying to get that little fucker by the throat.

His coworkers were pretty quick. They hustled his ass away, were very apologetic, and assured me I'd be on the very next flight. I was, five hours later.

 

My United experience: I'm supposed to be leaving Podunk with a connector through Nashville on American, but the March '93 storm is paralyzing the southeast so I'm standby on United now through O'Hare.

Hey, what do you know there's a seat open on that flight. I get on the plane, last one on so already I'm getting the stare of death from everybody else on the puddlejumper. Take off my jacket, sit down, buckle the seat belt. "Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Fear. The person showed up so you'll have to get off the plane."

WTF. But it gets better (worse?). Since I was on the plane once, and had my boarding pass taken, they were unable to get me on another flight that day because their records showed that I was supposed to be in Chicago and the gate attendant that pulled me off the plane was nowhere to be found.

That's when I started raising holy hell. I showed them my stub of the boarding pass, and pointed to the plane literally taking off. Sorry too bad. Finally an hour later the gate attendant comes back from lunch or where ever the hell she went and asks what the problem.

After explaining what was going on she says: "Oh, I knew I forgot to do something before I went on break. I'll get the paperwork started." Four hours later they finally get me through Indianapolis on one of the last planes into Philly before the storm shut them down.

So to make a long story short: "Fuck United."

 

Ding-ding-ding!!

One bad airline + one bad airline = one bigger bad airline.

 

Yep, they were talking . . . but that was prior to United and Continental going kiss-kiss.

Adding US Air would be a wailing anti-trust red flag.

 

The United-USAirways deal was supposed to go down two years ago just after the merger of Delta and Northwest. USAirways was the sticking point but things have changed for both airlines. USAirways has lucrative overseas routs that United doesn't have. The unions could be a problem, have been in the past, but with the way the economy is, it may not be a problem this time around.

 

There is no place one need go to overseas that doesn't have some government-supported foreign airline offering utterly superior service flying there.

 

United is now talking to Continental:

Continental's been the better airline for a long time. Better management, better operations, better management-employee relations. If United's management could swallow their pride and allow CO's team to run the combined airline, it might work.

But UA's been unwilling to do that, and CO's been reluctant to be swallowed up by the mess that is United.

I imagine that will continue.

United's whole flirtation with USAirways may just be an effort to bring CO to the table.

CO's said that they want to remain independent, but they don't want to be left without a partner if everyone else merges.

 

Co recently joined the star alliance as well making it even more streamlined. We are all going to have to merge I think. There were rumors of AA and US merging late last year.

 

I don't even have to text you any more for that.