Far from the best : America West
Written: Jan 01 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: We arrived safe & sound
Cons: A few delays and difficulties
The Bottom Line: I will not be flying with America West airlines again.
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| mycouponz's Full Review: America West |
First of all, happy new year!
After searching, I have finally found the correct listing for America West the airlines in Hotels and Travel. I found if I type in "America West" in the Epinions searchbox and search under all categories, it only comes up on page four. Searching for "America West airlines" brings it up to the first page, second listing. Sorry for originally posting my review in the online stores & services listing.
I will never fly with this airline again. I'll start with the negatives, since they will make up the majority of this review.
Today, on our way back from Phoenix to Vancouver(direct), our flight took off from the runway one hour late. Now, with all the extra security precautions and due diligence that goes along with that, you might not think that one hour is that bad. However, not fifteen minutes before the flight was scheduled to leave, the information on the board at our gate said that the flight would be on time.
My father and I arrived at the boarding gate about an hour before the flight was scheduled to leave. The gate was already crowded. They had a message up saying that the flight was overbooked, and that they were looking for volunteers. Uh oh was the first thing that came to mind. The America West staff made several announcements to let everyone know that they needed volunteers, and that they were offering US$300 in travel credit to be used on their airline. We might have thought about volunteering were it not New Year's Eve and we needed to get back for other reasons too. Anyways, we both went to get some breakfast and came back about fifteen minutes later, only to see the airline now offering US$400 in credit for volunteers. Since we booked e-tickets for the flight, we did not yet have seats assigned at that point. I went to the gate and asked about getting seats, and was told that they just needed four more volunteers, and they would help us out shortly. Anyhow, to make a long story short, we boarded a little bit late, and after sitting in the plane for 30-45 minutes, we finally took off at about 12:05, an hour late.
That was quite bad. It's even worse if you consider that our America West flight from Vancouver to Phoenix was also delayed for the same reason - that the airline had overbooked seats. Although on that leg of our journey, everyone was actually on the airplane before they realized their mistake. Somehow or other they corrected it in about half the time it took for the above situation.
On the return leg, when we eventually did get up in the air I had more problems. Being in Arizona for about a week, I found myself consuming a lot of water. So naturally I brought a bottle on the plane with me. It didn't take long for the container to run dry, and so about half an hour into the flight I was in need of more H20. I pushed the attendant button. There had been some turbulence shortly after we reached cruising altitude. Still, the turbulence only lasted about fifteen or twenty minutes, and I had requested assistance about 3/4 of the way through the turbulent spell. The light above me indicating that I wanted some attention from a staff member stayed illuminated for half an hour before I got service. None of the crew walked up or down the aisle for at least twenty-five minutes during that period. When I did finally get service, it wasn't because the light was on - they didn't even notice it. One of the crew was slowly handing out drinks one aisle at a time, and I did finally get some water at that point. About an hour after I pressed the call button, I switched it off, noting that they had paid me no attention as a result of it. I find this situation very serious. What would have happened if I had been having trouble breathing? Or, g-d forbid if the passenger next to me had a heart attack? Would they have told me that there had been turbulence, and as a result for their safety and ours they could not help anyone? I'm sorry, but that is just not good enough.
These are our first experiences with America West. Both direct flights took about three hours. I found there was very little legroom to speak of - we were in coach on a Boeing 737. Once I'd put my magazine and water bottle in the pouch in front of me, my legroom was even further restricted. I also noticed that, on both occasions before takeoff, there was no baggage/seat check to make sure that all baggage was properly stowed, and that all seats were in the full upright position. On the flight to Phoenix, I had my seat all the way back, as I noticed a few other passengers had theirs. I even saw one lady lying over her partner's lap during takeoff!
I cannot review their food because all we got was a bag of pretzels each way. Soft drinks, juice and water is complimentary - if they choose to serve you. Customers can also purchase alcoholic beverages for an extra cost.
It wasn't all bad. I suppose I should also cut the airline and their staff some slack because it is the holiday season, and I know this is a very busy time of year for them. That's probably a good reason for their overbooking the flights. Both times we checked in - in Vancouver and in Phoenix - I found their check-in areas to be clean and well-staffed. Although there were lineups both times, there wasn't much of a wait. To my recollection AW employees who were serving customers occupied all of the available desks.
I didn't have a problem with the seats on the 737s. I usually have some difficulty getting to sleep while in the air, but I had no problems this time around. Leather seating would have been more comfortable. On the way to Phoenix, I found that there was no air-conditioning or fan above my head. Usually you'll find the fan next to the light, and you can turn the fan on or off. Not so on that flight, which made the aircraft quite stuffy and hot. I should also mention that I found some garbage in the seatback pocket and in the small ashtray-size compartment between our seats. The plane had been cleaned, but it must have been done quickly or not thoroughly enough. The supplied magazines were well worn, with bent covers and more.
I cannot really comment on the on-board entertainment because there wasn't any to speak of. Only the AW magazine and their catalog of merchandise is supplied in the seatback pocket. Of course you'll also find an air-sickness bag and instructions on how to exit the aircraft in an emergency. There was no radio/music service onboard and no TV shows or movies shown on either of our flights. The AW employees that explained how to buckle one's seatbelt were not that entertaining either.
We did a lot of research online before booking our flight and hotel. Eventually we booked through flight centre. Comparing apples to apples on the individual websites of airlines and on expedia.ca and travelocity.ca , I believe we paid about $200-$300 more than the lowest rate quoted. However, we paid more for the privilege of flying direct both ways. Otherwise we would have faced taking two or more planes each way - routing via Las Vegas and Los Angeles,etc.
I am giving America West 2 stars out of 5. Takeoff on the way there was 30 minutes late, and on the way back was 60 minutes late. I would certainly not recommend them after my experience. They have a lot to learn when it comes to customer service. Their attitude seems to be that customers will fly with them no matter what because they are a low-cost airline. The only other American airline that I have flown with in recent memory is United, and I can tell you that United was much better. Westjet, the Canadian airline which I wrote a recent Epinion on, is simply the best airline I've ever flown with. The way they treat people, and the way they approach flying is refreshing. America West could really learn a lesson from any of these airlines. If you've seen Airline on A&E, and you think Southwest is bad, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
mycouponz
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Cozmo Kramer
Location: North of the equator
Reviews written: 125
Trusted by: 45 members
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