US Airways - has anyone flown with them before??

[MissyGee]

Hi
This may seem like an irrational post, but I am flying out to the States on Saturday for a work exchange programme and decided to look on the net for info on the airline I'm flying with - mainly to see about onboard facilities, entertainment,etc.

However, I ended up stumbling across those e-opinion type sites where folk have inputted their opinions on things and I was a bit taken aback at the amount of very bad reviews this airline got in terms of everything, ie old, shabby planes, poor customer relations, delays, lost luggage etc etc and even bad reports of the abilities of the pilots to handle the planes properly!

I'm a nervous flyer already and to be honest it has kinda freaked me out maybe even to the point where I'm kinda building a blind spot to any positive feedback, but it seemed to be majorly extremely bad reviews.

Just wondering if anyone here has flown with them and what there opinion was??

Am I just getting myself irrationally wound up coz of the fear of flying thing:(

[Throbbing Angel]

Calm down!

The hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers who have flown with them will not have taken the trouble to create a bulletin bord praising them for doing their job adequately [or better] now will they? I've never heard of US Airways tbh, which means no one I know has had anything bad to say about them - so relax - and yes you are being irrational - if you have genuine cause for complaint on the day, say summat. When you check in tell 'em your nervous, they'll be nice to you

Have a great exchange thingy!!

[rubbershoes]

I seem to remember flying with US airways once, but i can't remember anything about them, so they can't be too bad

[FridgeMagnet]

I have. They're pretty standard, nothing special, but nothing too bad either. Everyone seemed perfectly competent. As TA says, don't base your opinions on complaint sites - obviously you're only going to get negative views from those.

NB you won't be getting any free booze though

[dessiato]

Friend of mine uses them about four times a year because he prefers them. He says they are good value for money, and he never has a problem with them.

[simon_rushton]

I've always found Skytrax to be reasonably accurate as a rough indicator of what to expect from an airline: www.airlinequality.com

US Airways gets 3 stars overall: fine, but nothing special. You'll be pleased to see that they get 4 stars for cabin safety procedures. http://www.airlinequality.com/Airlines/US.htm

BUT as everyone else has said, ignore the passenger comments. Only disgruntled people usually bother to post.

From a safety point of view I wouldn't worry about any US-based airlines. They have strict and properly enforced safety regulations.

The main differences are going to be:

1) the catering, in-flight entertainment etc etc.
2) For me what separates the reasonable airlines from the good ones isn't anything to do with the in-flight experinece, it's to do with how much they help you if something goes wrong (lost baggage, delays etc). It's then that you really realise why some people don't mind paying a premium to fly on one of the more expensive airlines

It'll be fine. Have a good trip.

[Isambard]

I flew with them once in the US and had a shitty journey.

I'm going to the USA for a wedding next year and USAir offer the best connections. I was NOT going to fly with them until I got to know some fabulous trolley dollies who are going to break out the bubbly for me. when I go. :D

Beer @ USD 5 a can. :eek:

[JWH]

I seem to remember flying with US airways once, but i can't remember anything about them, so they can't be too bad
Same here. Don't worry, MissyGee. :)
NB you won't be getting any free booze though
American airlines! :mad:

[rennie]

I used them a few times... got me where I wanted n that's all that matters. no free booze n i had to pay for earphones to listen to the film but who cares?

[MankyMonkey]

I used them for my one & only trip to the states so I've got no real frame of referance to compare them to but they seemed pretty cool. You need to buy the crappy headphones to watch films tho, so it might be worth getting some of those in the airport.

Oh! and I had an explosive nosebleed due to air pressure & a cold & they were very helpful & gave me hankies & stuff.

[oneflewover]

Internal and external flights have all been Ok, no baggage loss, no huge delays and check in staff Ok. I would recommend them. You will have to buy your alcoholic drinks if you are at the back with us plebs. The only point to note is the higher proportion of american passengers. (obvious really)

edit :- forgot this and added later - good website with seat picking and plane info

[Pie 1]

I flew to Charlotte NC with them a couple of years ago - They were fine. comfortable hassle free flight. Better than some of the bigger US carriers.