US Air = FAIL (Yes this is a rant blog)

Why, oh why, anyone would fly on US Air if they could avoid it is beyond me.

I understand the airline industry is facing tough times. Hell, they have been for most of the last 18 years, which tends to indicate a poor business model if you ask me, but I digress. But in this spirit, I can accept some cutbacks and reductions in, lets say, "perks". Hell, an extra soda or bigger snack isn't going to make me hate the experience of being stuck in a metal tube with 130 strangers going 530mph at 30,000 feet for two hours any less.

But.

US Air takes it to a new level. I'll admit, I'm an American Airlines snob. They just seem to know what they're doing a bit more, and I flew Continental on Wednesday and had a good experience.

But anymore, many airlines make passengers feel like they are doing you a favor for allowing you to patronize their services. I guess it's not surprising that, since merging with America West (widely scored the lowest on customer satisfaction survey) US Air has taken a customer service nosedive.

Case in Point: Yesterday I got to Charlotte, only to realize that I could still get on an earlier flight to DCA rather than cool my heels in the airport for yet another 90 minutes. So I got up to the gate, where the door is ready to close, and ask to get on this flight. Its a $50 dollar charge. But... the seat is empty, right? Yes. So... if I didn't pay it, you'd have an empty seat on this plane, and the flight later which may be potentially full, would then be occupied by me, correct? Yes.

I'm not seeing the reason for a fee here. I've done this dozens of times before on airlines, never been charged.

And this wasn't some special web fare I'd booked six months ago, this was a last minute, full fare ticket that I'd purchased not even 12 hours before. Then of course, you get on the plane and are charged 2$ for soda and water, and a dollar for coffee. Come on people, that cup of coffee cost the airline about 3 cents, you're going to stand there and make the flight attendant fumble around with a credit card machine for a 3 cent loss? It's not a fee to recoup losses, it's yet another blatant example of US Air saying EFF YOU to their customers.