Taking the "CUS" Out of Customers

      Not that I was cussing, but spending a night (half sleeping) on the floor of the Charlotte Airport was not in my travel plans.  In fact, I was supposed to be sleeping in a bed in a lanai at the Hyatt Regency at Pier 66 in Ft. Lauderdale which was a far better accommodation.  But that night, the US Air Crew was delayed and so was our flight.  They finally arrived and we were seated on the plane ready for takeoff when one of the co pilots was burned by a spilled cup of coffee and was taken off the plane by paramedics.   

     We were told that they were trying to find another pilot but that never happened and so we were deboarded at midnight.  People were upset: they missed connections, cruise ship departures, funerals, meetings. Some were "cuss-tomers".  I was fortunate because my speech for the convention was not until the following day or I would not have been so calm. As we left the plane we were met by a crew who had allegedly re-booked us all and five very burly airport policemen...just in case we "might be aggressive" about the course of events.

     As a former substitute teacher, it disappointed me that US Air did not have a Substitute pilot on call at their hub. If schools can do it, why not the airlines???

     Some of the US Air employees were amazingly helpful. One man brought the food carts off the plane to provide snacks and water and then went back and retrieved all the pillows and blankets for us.  Some stayed three hours beyond their shift to be sure everyone was re-booked. 

     One passenger had her laptop, took pictures of us all trying to sleep in the airport and posted it on a site dealing with travel. A picture or 10 were worth 10,000 words. For me, it was an interesting sociological experience--- watching how people behaved, connected, shared, helped each other and formed communities and were generally kind to each other.

     I sent US Air an email through its website describing the ordeal.  To my surprise, three weeks later I received a coupon for a discount on future travel. Doing so turned what was a bad experience into one that included an apology and a tangible/monetary make-up. US Air rose to the occasion.That made sense and was a smart move on their part. The truth is that I really like the Charlotte Airport with its rocking chairs, skylights, food and shopping choices and live music. Sleeping there... well ...that's another story.

      And your story?   Susan@susanroane.com