My wife and I were flying US 829 from CLT-PHL today. Upon checking-in at CLT, we were told the flight was oversold. At the gate, we volunteered and were routed CLT-MDT then MDT-PHL. Upon arriving in PHL at terminal F, we went back to B/C Baggage claim because the one bag we checked-in supposedly went on US 829. When we arrived, the place was in chaos and surprise surprise, no bag. We got in the baggage service line which was about 100 passengers deep (stretching past carousel D for those who know the place).

So the story is that when Sunday afternoon football started, all of the rampers and ground crew stopped to watch football and refused to transport bags to the baggage claim. This was in response to the pay cuts that recently went through (25% cut last week was the rumor at the airport). As a result, bags were about 2-3 hours delayed. After we had been in line for about an hour, our bag came on a carousel but this was even after other flights from CLT had their bags delivered.

Most customers in the baggage claim were livid, cursing US and its people and actually hoping that they go under soon. Young mothers with babies in their hands were screaming that they had run out of diapers and needed more from their bags. Abandoned bags were piling-up in the unclaimed area from passengers who had left hours before so that they could be delivered at home tomorrow....probably at the cost of a few thousand dollars to US. In the baggage service office, there were only two lackadaisical employees who made sure that they were just taking their time as the line grew longer. The employees there didn't seem to care about anybody else's inconvenience...both US's and PHL's people.

I'm really pulling for US and hope that they can make it through. I'd like to hear from US employees though about this duality. Would you rather take a pay cut and give poor service or would you rather not have a job at all?

Well, it wouldn't be the first time union action befell a company. It seems that many unionized employees believe solidarity extends to include customers - it simply doesn't.

When union action begins to affect customers, it's a sure bet that you will start to loose public support. Simply put, people may have sympathy for employees (and even support their demands) but when you create a negative impact on someone (like we saw in your story) they will turn on you.

Unions need to be careful that their action informs customers of their demands and requirements, and does not alienate them from their cause. This example is a massive blunder on the part of the US Airways employees. I wouldn't be surprised if they lost future customers, and lost the support of all those people in the line.

You can piss people off all you want, but keep in mind - they're the ones contributing to your paycheque, not 'management'.

US Air PHL has been notorious for baggage problems. The station actually has been way under staffed the last year or so in addition to suffering frequent baggage belt system breakdowns.

Undoubtedly the companies Ch11 status and further employee pay cuts do not help staff morale at the station.

"I'm really pulling for US and hope that they can make it through..."

After that experience, I wonder why?

cheers

mariner

Being a PHL guy, I support US Airways and I hope that they pull through... If something like that happened to me because the employees wanted to watch a football game, I'd travel through hell and high water before I'd buy another US ticket.. Shame on those employees. It sounds like they'd rather be unemployed..  

@ Mariner - well, I neglected to mention that in addition to still having FF miles, my wife and I accrued 4 free tickets on this trip (volunteered both outbound and inbound). This isn't my first negative experience with US either...they lost a bag and ended-up paying me about $800 this past summer because we had receipts for almost everything in the bag (including the bag itself). Not only that, it's so darn convenient to fly on US AND, my wife and I are considering moving to Charlotte - an area that is dependent on US.

Welcome to my world. I experience US most weeks. I've only had a bag checked once, and that was by a flight attendant without my permission. After my camera was broken, it was the oh-so-friendly folks in PHL baggage service who said it wasn't US' fault that my bag was checked, and that a 737 is a regional jet so "you should know better."

The crews on the airplanes are the only decent people left... aside from maybe the CLT gate folks.

~" a 737 is a regional jet so "you should know better." "~

They really told you that?? So what is a passenger to do? We can't fill the isles with our bags if we don't want our stuff to be broken..  

If the ground crew had stopped working and was watching football, wouldn't you have still been sitting on your plane as there would be no one to marshall the plane in?

I thought they didn't send bags on planes when the passengers were on different planes?

Something just doesn't seem right.

Cactus739, you are right that the generally do not send bags on a flight without the pax for security reasons. However if the pax had checked in, been issued a boarding pass and was at the gate and then bumped, the bag might be boarded since it seemed to be the intent that the pax was flying that segment.

As to the workers stopping to watch the football game, I really do not blame USAirways. I blame the UNIONS!!!! The workers know that they can get away with this and do it. If something was done to the employees the unions would be yelling bloody murder. It is just never the other way around it seems.

When are people going to realize that the unions are the ones destroying the business world. The airlines are just one example.I was on a construction site on election days and all the union employees left to campaign for Kerry. No recompense to the owners of the building. They just did it!

Cha747:

"This isn't my first negative experience with US either..."

Then I have to ask again, why do you continue to fly with them?

(i) Presumably, the reason you got 4 free tickets is because US was either overbooked or couldn't put you on your original flight.

If you are prepared to put up with this for the sake of 4 free tickets (and what may be another negative experience), you are obviously a glutton for punishment.  

(ii) CLT may be "dependant" on US, but US isn't the only airline that flies there. I'd start a FF program with another airline, pronto.

However, if you are happy to give US lots of money to return for negative experiences, hey, there's nothing I can say. Except:

Good luck.

cheers

mariner

I thought they didn't send bags on planes when the passengers were on different planes?

Nope...when they lost our bag in July, we inquired about the 100% baggage matching rules as we thought US was in violation of federal law (which they, in the end, were not). The idea was that for every bag on the plane there should, theoretically anyway, be a boarding pass to match that bag. However, if a passenger volunteers or is bumped, "secondary screening measures" can keep their bags on the original flight. Whether those be hand or xray searches, as long as the bag is cleared to fly it can fly without a boarding pass.

@ Mariner - call it a form of benign masochism  

If the ground crew had stopped working and was watching football, wouldn't you have still been sitting on your plane as there would be no one to marshall the plane in?

That's what I would have thought as well. Two things I noticed. It took an awfully long time to taxi up to our gate on the F terminal. Also, while we were in baggage claim, I heard at least 5 if not 7 gate changes for US flights. I don't fly THAT often but it seemed like way too many changes for PHL.

I've had baggage problems with most airlines I've flown, which is why I rarely check luggage. I can do a week out of carry-ons easily, so that's what I do.

I have bad experience after bad experience with US Airways this year, but I do usually end up getting to my destination within about 3 hours of schedule in the end. I fly them still because I'm Gold, so I rarely see coach, and they are the most convenient airline for travel up and down the east coast. There is Delta, but I refuse to fly Delta (after I transferred all my miles to Hilton points, cut up my Medallion card, and mailed it back to them with a little note). I don't care if I lose the miles if US goes under, as I think FF miles are overrated anyway with airfares as low as they are and the amount of restrictions present on miles.

I would blame the described debacle on the supervisors of those employees and station managers whom are non-union. Normally I tend to be supportive of unionized employees, but here they went apparently wanted to make a point in a very bad way. They should have read the 'riot act' to all these idiots and ordered all radios, TV's, headphone radios, etc. off and make it clear the baggage handlers are here to work and they should not be so distracted from their work as can cause an injury. If necessary, call the Philadelphia City police in to back up the supervisors. Maybe have a few of them have to face the public for a while and make it clear to the public that they caused the baggage delay.
In the aftermath, all of the subject employees should be, if possible, fired now, (screw the union here - they broke their contract) or be the first ones fired in the next round of cutbacks. A top executive from Headquarters should make a speech to all of the staff at PHL and make it clear that any job actions will lead to discipline. Maybe they should just dock their next paycheck and to get the next one they get from a top Corp manager in person for it and explain their actions. (worse yet, the Eagles lost bad to the Steelers!)

Ltbewr--If a supervisor starts doing what you suggest, at a minimum, his or her car will be torched. He may end up in the hospital--or the morgue.

This is the IAM in the most heavily unionized city in the U.S. with the most radical and hard-line members.TC

The news in Philly just reported that only 2-5 baggage handlers showed up for work at terminal C. Can someone explain to me how the Unions think that this kind of action is going to save USAirways, to say nothing of their union jobs? So now they have once again alienated flyers, and do they actually think people will fly them and thus save their jobs? What planet do they live on? And they will be "disgruntled" when the airline goes under and they lose their jobs. Will the Unions then support them financially?

I agree with so many on here who do not want the employees of USAriways to lose their jobs by the airline going under, but perhaps there are "exceptions" to those employees!

OK, I've heard the blame put on US Air, the Union, the supervisors, and everything else EXCEPT where it belongs. The Employees are the ones who failed! They may very well have been trying to make a point, but failing to serve the customers who ultimately pay your salary, is not the way!

Having not seen the word "union" in the original post I'd like to know if anyone knows for sure if this action was organized by union leaders? Has their been a statement in local media from union leaders? Is this a "sick in" or are they refusing to work while on the job? Would not a "union" action be company wide? Are union leaders really so incredibly stupid as to say I refuse to work, will disgrace myself, my company, my job, and to h--- with the public?

Or -- is this a small section of the unions members who are spoiled rotten by the cess pool work environment at PHL and are so used to strong arm tactics that combined with a feeling that they are doomed anyway they have just said forget it. Wildcat. They will drag the rest of the company down with them but feel you can only go so low. That's a terrible shame and I don't feel too sorry for them. I feel far worse for the passengers they have left. Hotheads in a jungle can do far to much damage. Obviously supervisors and management are afraid. Afraid of reprisals. Afraid they cannot get replacements.

Would you ask for a job at US PHL ramp????????

Wow... things continually get more and more interesting over there....

First its that clown Fred Freshwater at ALPA (speaking on behalf of the pilots) who says that pilots should be tipped $20/flight, and now this. It seems that there's a significant number of people who are deserving of this winter's cruel events that will occur, say in February. Everybody knows the ship is sinking and just doesn't care anymore. The union probably defends these potatoes that were watching TV......   .... *sigh*