Understaffed US Airways means more business for Delta

Date: 15 March 2012
Airline: US Airways
Location: Jackson, MS
Flight: 2526

Online materials printed after online check-in were not considered valid boarding passes by TSA.  TSA then refused passage to the gate after a 15 minute wait in line at Jackson - Evers International Airport, Jackson, MS.

I presented myself to kiosk at ticket counter but kiosk was locked out at 30 minutes prior to flight. With 25 minutes left until flight, ALL TICKET AGENTS went to the gate. NONE of the agents would return to the ticket counter until AFTER the flight had left, even though there was still 25 minutes left before the flight. There were NO ticket agents available. ALL COMPETING AIRLINE TICKET COUNTERS HAD MORE THAN 3 TICKETING AGENTS AVAILABLE. There was no way to check for following flight since the flight scheduled was at 0551 (AM) and the customer service center was not open.

I bought a ticket on Delta. When the station manager returned with the ticketing agents to the US Airways counter, I was told, "that's our policy, call customer service." This business model is absolutely anti-customer service. The station manager only employs enough personnel to handle either the gate or the ticketing counter but not both. Any problems within 30 minutes of flight means that the customer cannot resolve that problem in time to make that flight.  Luckily I was able to rely on Delta for my urgent business needs.

Holiday Airline Travel Advice on Security and Baggage

With the holidays comes the joys and the headaches of holiday travel, especially if it involves going to the airport. If you follow AirSafe.com's advice, you could avoid most of the mistakes that passengers make when it comes to packing and air travel.

Advice for infrequent flyers
If you have never flown before or if you have not flown in a long time, you should review the AirSafe.com's Advice for the Infrequent Flyer, which covers some of the basic things you need to know, and also has links to more extensive information about security and baggage issues.

Baggage Advice
The following links will provide you detailed information on a range of baggage related subjects of interest to travelers during the holidays or at any other time of the year:
What the TSA allows in checked and carry-on baggage
Carry-on baggage tips
Top 10 baggage tips
Baggage claim advice
Lost and damaged baggage claims
Duty-free items
Traveling with your laptop
Overhead baggage risks

Security Advice
Top 10 Security Tips
Acceptable identification
Restricted and prohibited items

Other advice
Fear of flying
Traveling with children and infants
Top 10 tips for children traveling alone
How to fly with your pets

Serious Security Allegations at Cairo Airport

On occasion, we receive information that is so potentially serious that we feel compelled to make our audience aware of it as quickly as possible. The following information was provided by a passenger who witnessed what appeared to be a clear violation of fundamental security procedures.

Location: Cairo International Airport
Date: 19 September 2010
Airline: EgyptAir
Flight: MS914, 1030 hrs, Gate G08

Whilst waiting to board an Egyptair flight from Cairo to Abu Dhabi I witnessed the x-ray machine operator accept cash from passengers to carry on board items which are not permitted. Every time he saw something on his machine he asked the passenger to open the bag and he would remove items, I saw aerosols, scissors, lighters and ligter fuel and much more, then a coversation would ensue, on at least 10 occassions money changed hands and the items were placed back in the luggage.

As if this wasn't bad enough the guard operating the metal detector noticed my intent interest in what was going on and 'invited me to move to a different part of the departure lounge' I guess he gets his share later. I for one will not be flying this airline again.

Name withheld by request

If you were on this flight, or have seen similar problems at this airport or with this airline, please share your experiences with us.

How can a simple request for food turn into a security situation?

The following article is from a copy of a customer service email that was sent to our partner site AirSafe.com. It is about an American Airlines Flight on August 4th where things got a bit out of hand between a flight attendant and two passeners. Some of the contact information was removed, but all of the emotion remains.

Date: 4 August 2010
Airline: American Airlines
Flight: 1212
Location: Orlando, FL to Chicago, IL

Dear American Airlines,

On Wednesday August 4th 2010 my fiancé and I flew from Orlando airport to Chicago O’Hare airport on AA Flight #1212. The customer service during this flight was horrendous and needs to be dealt with in an immediate manner. We were treated like criminals by a flight attendant just for asking for cheese and crackers. Due to this incident we will never fly American Airlines again unless the situation is handled properly.

The flight left the gate on time however a minute after leaving the gate they announced that the flight was going to be delayed for over an hour due to weather in Chicago. When we called our family in Chicago they said that the weather indeed had been horrible. Our question is why in the world would we leave the gate if the weather was that bad and wouldn’t they have checked this prior to leaving the gate? How could they have not known the weather was bad just two minutes before? This inconvenience was not comfortable to deal with but I would never write a letter like this just because of this problem. The major issue, which is why we are writing this letter, is the service that was provided by one of your flight attendants named Darlene and the resulting events.

With both of us being in customer service fields we see and deal with many patients and guests every day. One of us is a nurse practitioner and the other is a hotel manager. We both know the level of service that is expected and needed in customer service fields. On Wednesday August 4th that level of customer service was not met and was breached beyond belief. It is the worst customer service that I have ever seen or experienced in my life by an airline attendant.

When the plane took off it was a quiet ride until it was time for drink service. We were seated in an exit row about half way down the plane. We did not buy snacks at the airport because we thought we would be arriving before lunch in Chicago. However, since we were delayed I decided to purchase the cheese and crackers snack since I was very hungry at this point. I then proceeded to ask Darlene if I could purchase the cheese and crackers, Darlene then rather rudely responded we are out of cheese and crackers. When I asked what else she had she took a bag and threw it on the cart and said “these”. I then asked what “these” were and she answered I don’t know some kind of nut mix. I responded do you have anything else available because I am allergic to some nuts. Remember we are only halfway through the plane and nuts were the only thing you had left. I understand that the airlines are feeling the economic pressures and that items are no longer given away for free but you should have the proper amount of product to be bought if offering this to customers. She responded no and so I asked how can you run out of all snacks when you aren’t even half way through the plane. Darlene responded well I don’t stock the plane and if you don’t like it you can write a letter to corporate. This comment was given in a very sarcastic loud tone.

Seeing that this was going nowhere and Darlene was not being very nice and becoming very animated, I very politely asked her to be quiet and not talk to us anymore because she isn’t helping the situation and if she could please serve us our drinks and drop the snack issue. She continued to badger us and kept talking about how she did not pack the cart and we should write a letter. We then asked her to please stop talking to us and leave us alone again. At this time she replied did you just tell me to shut up. My fiancé replied that this was horrible customer service. She then said if you continue to talk I will have security meet you at the gate when we arrive.

We then asked her again to leave us alone which she replied you’re harassing me and I don’t need this and turned and stormed towards the front of the plane. We were unable to walk away from the situation like I normally would because we were trapped in our seats by the two flight attendants and the service cart. We both sat there in shock of what just happened. She then went to the front of the plane and came back and said security would be waiting for both of us. Darlene then said to the other flight attendant standing there that she would not serve us and asked him to do it. At that time we asked the other flight attendant if he heard what was taking place and want we did wrong which he replied that he wasn’t paying attention and he only heard us ask her to leave us alone.

About 15 minutes later she came down the aisle and gave us paper work that stated that we were interfering with airline business, being verbally abusive and intimidating an airline employee. First of all during the whole encounter the only thing that my fiancé said was this was horrible customer service and he was also given this paperwork. Secondly neither of us should have received this letter as the Darlene the flight attendant was the only one in the wrong in this situation. Neither of us at any time interfered with any airline business and at no point did we ever threaten her or verbally abused her. We never even stood up in our seats, cursed at her or made any demeaning or threatening comments. How is asking someone to leave you alone threatening? If anyone was becoming aggressive or threatening, it was Darlene not either one of us. After we received the paperwork we called over the other flight attendant again who was present during the whole situation and asked him why are we receiving this and what does it mean. He said well I wasn’t paying attention so I don’t know why you are getting the notice and he did not know what it meant or what would happen but he would send Darlene back to answer this. Are you telling me, that you as an airline employee seeing a confrontation occur with a passenger that you are not trained to watch the situation to see what occurs especially when you are three inches away from the situation? If the situation was so severe that it is going to involve security why would another flight attendant not get involved? Wouldn’t you step in and try to diffuse the situation or at least assist your colleague?

Also, are your flight attendants not aware of what these notices mean and how to properly use them since he could not explain this to us? We then had to sit there for over an hour wondering what was going to happen and if we were going to be arrested. Being so upset and bothered by the situation I cried for over 20 minutes and was tortured by the fact that we didn’t know what was going to happen.

When we got off the plane Darlene was standing with 10 American Airline Corporate security agents. Darlene pointed at us and said “that’s them”. Everyone on plane then looked at us as they were walking by like we were terrorists or criminals when we never did anything wrong. When the head security agent, Joe, saw us he told the other agents that he would take care of the situation and to go about their business elsewhere. Joe was extremely respectful and told us to continue on to the end of the jet way and wait for him. He then explained that he already spoke to the flight attendant but that he needed to hear our side of the story because they still needed to make a report. We proceeded to tell him the details of the incident while the whole terminal was staring at us. He then apologized that this happened and stated that we were not in trouble and there would be no further repercussions for us.

We then told him that we wanted to make a complaint against Darlene. I explained that this was such a silly thing to be calling security over and what a huge waste of our time and I wanted the airline to be aware of how their flight attendant is acting due to the fact that her instability could affect her ability to perform necessary flight actions. The security agent agreed with us and thought that Darlene was the one that was wrong. We proceeded to retrieve our luggage where I asked the customer service representatives if I could please speak to the flight attendant supervisor. They replied that they had no idea how to get a hold of them and to send an email.

I then proceeded to the ticket counter where I again asked to speak to a flight attendant supervisor. The first representative said that she had no idea how to get a hold of one and then called over her supervisor who then proceeded to call flight services. Flight services wanted to speak to me over the phone who it turned out to be the security agent, Joe. Joe explained to me that the flight attendant supervisor was not in today. I asked if I could call her tomorrow then and he replied that there is no number to reach her at. So then I asked if he could leave her a message so she could call me back as I wanted to make her aware of the situation, he said this was possible and that Jennifer would be calling me the next day. Over ten days later and I have still not received a phone call.

The customer service that was provided by Darlene we are sure is not what you expect from your employees. Working in the medical field and the hotel industry we know that we would want to know if this extremely poor level of customer service was being shown to our guests. We expect that something should be done with this letter as it was the worst travel experience that we have ever had, and further more the worst example that I have ever heard of. We also expect to be compensated in some way for the inconvenience and suffering this has caused. With many choices of airlines to fly on we will be very skeptical to ever fly on American again unless you truly show that this is not the level of service that should be provided by American Airlines. We will be happy to discuss this issue further at anytime.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this horrendous matter,

[names withheld on request]

When the TSA and the airlines don't work together, passengers suffer

While safety is a priority, it seems that TSA and the airlines should be able to figure out ways to get people to their aircraft in a timely manner, especially when passengers show up well in advance of their flight.

Airline: Delta Airlines Flight DL6093
Date: 3 January 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA (ORF)


I arrived at Norfolk airport(ORF) at 5:00am for my 6:15 flight to Orlando via Cincinnati this morning. I electronically checked in at a kiosk, received my boarding pass and proceeded to wait in line at security for over an hour. Only 2 of the available metal detectors were in operation. When I heard an overhead announcement for the last call for boarding of my flight, I showed my boarding pass to a security guard and asked if there was anything that could be done. I was told no, and that everyone else in line was in the same position as I was. I also was required to wait for a "female assist with no alarm", a new security precaution to me.

I was not the only passenger sprinting for a gate. I and several other passengers approached the ticket counter and were told by the representative at the gate (in an unspeakably nasty manner)"Too bad, it will be a long wait until we can get those of you who missed your flights".

While I was waiting on hold for a Delta customer service representative, I witnessed approximately 40 other passengers on the next two flights leaving from the same gate (one to JFK and the next to Detroit) who missed their flights because they were also held up by security. I overheard the same representative say to her co-worker at the boarding gate about the Detroit flight, "The rest of the passengers are still in security, go ahead and close the doors."

Here are the problems I see and, what seems to me, some simple solutions.

1) Better Staffing: I imagine that ORF knew in advance which flights were scheduled for departure this morning and which seats were booked. Adequate planning of an appropriate number of security personnel for the expected number of travellers could have alleviated some delay. Temporary usage of more than 2 metal detectors for an apparently heavy travel time would also have remedied the situation for myself and many of the other Delta passengers.

2) Customer service at the departure gate: I and many of my fellow travellers left stranded in Norfolk this morning were spoken to in a stunningly disrespectful way. A small effort could have been made for those of us who were already checked in to our flights to get us on board. This second problem seems to me the most important issue. A different way of conveying the same information at the departure gate would have greatly changed my experience this morning. As it was, I am left with a very sour taste both for Delta airlines and Norfolk ORF.

I am sensitive of the needs to cut costs by the airlines in these difficult economic times. However one of the results is overworked and disgruntled employees. In the future, I believe I will save myself the $400 plane ticket and $20 checked baggage fee and travel by automoblie.

AirSafe.com Responds
This passenger has a good grip of what is needed. The TSA and the airline have to be sensible about matching security staff with traffic demand.

Photo: mcandrea

Laptop and Other Items Stolen During an International Flight

This complaint was sent in by A.C. in early October 2009, about a baggage security issue on an international flight:

I traveled from Boston to Bangalore by Lufthansa flight Flight LH 0421 (Boston-Frankfurt) and Flight LH 0754 (Frankfurt - Bangalore). I checked my baggage in Boston on October 7th 2009 and collected it in Bangalore international airport upon arrival. My baggage has been opened and items from my baggage were pilfered and stolen.

Now it seems no one wants to accept responsibility for this theft. Since everyone claims to not be liable it is apparently acceptable if employees help themselves since no one has to be held accountable. How is that right? Someone needs to make restitution for these items.

I'll never feel safe leaving my luggage in the hands of airlines again. They should be held responsible to refund full face value of any items stolen. This person had enough time to go through and decide what he needs and only took the right things. So much for airline security!!! It seems to be a free for all at travelers expense.
One would think an airport has thousands of security cameras in it, someone should be able to determine what happened. Who has access to these cameras? So if they can take items undetected from luggage that means they can also place items in. So how is that secure? Your bags could be transporting who knows what from point A to point B and you would never know.

AirSafe.com Responds
This passenger brought up two general issues, flight security and airline responsibility for lost and stolen items, implies two other issues, the role of the airport and the passenger's role in protecting a passenger's property.

Flight Security
While the passenger's baggage was opened at some point of the trip, it was not clear that it happened at the departure airport, the transfer airport, or the destination airport. We suggest contacting the TSA Claims Management Branch, and following their procedure. You can also contact the TSA at 866-289-9673 or TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov to report specific violations and concerns about security.

AirSafe.com has no equivalent contact information for Germany (Frankfurt) or India Bangalore).

Airline and Airport Responsibility
Because the thefts may be by airline or airport staff or their contractors, you should contact the airlines you used, and representatives of the airports where your baggage traveled, and file the appropriate reports. For information on what compensation you can get for baggage issues on international flights, visit AirSafe.com's main baggage page.

Passenger Responsibility
This passenger's experience is very similar to the FlightsGoneBad.com article about the airline losing a bag with keys inside. AirSafe.com's response is virtually the same. If you fly often enough with checked bags, eventually you will have one lost, delayed, or stolen, so prepare for that possibility when you pack. AirSafe.com recommends that some things should never go in checked luggage, and should always stay with you in a carry-on bag. The kinds of things you should not put in checked bags include medicine, computers, electronic files, legal documents; credit cards, checks, or other financial documents; cash, jewelry, keys, and items of great sentimental value.

In many cases, airlines may not provide compensation for some types of valuables. Cash and jewelry are two examples. Also, it is very unlikely that a passenger would get compensation for the value of any lost data on the laptop.

Additional Advice
Baggage Basics for Checked and Carry-on Items
Carry-on Baggage Advice
Top 10 Baggage Tips
Top Ten Tips for Dealing with Security

Passenger Claims to Be a Victim of TSA Civil Rights Violation

This complaint was sent in by J.R. about an incident that allegedly took place at the Albany, NY airport on 10 October 2009:

First off. I arrived at the airport in Albany, New York. I went threw the security check point and was singled out because I am gay. Then when I asked nicely for the mans name and badge number he laughed and gave me nothing. I asked again for his name and badge number. He never gave it and ordered me to step threw the air sensor to check me for explosive residue. I asked to speak to his manager, boss, or who was in charge of him. Still nothing was given except his first name. As an employee of the federal system of TSA he is by LAW REQUIRED TO TELL ANY PERSON HIS NAME AND BADGE NUMBER WHEN ASKED BY ANYONE!!!! I was not given said information and I am really upset with the actions they took and the information they did not divulge the requested information.

AirSafe.com Responds
While no one at AirSafe.com has any legal expertise in this area and won't address whether TSA employees are required to provide their name and badge number. However, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is clearly not tolerated by the TSA. According to the TSA web site, If you believe that you have been discriminated against by a Transportation Security Administration employee on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, or sexual orientation, you may submit in writing an explanation of the complaint, including: the name of the airport, your flight information, the date and time of the incident, and if possible the name of the employee to:

Transportation Security Administration
Director, Office of Civil Rights
601 South 12th Street - West Tower, TSA-6
Arlington, Virginia 20598
Attn: External Programs Division

If you need additional information, you may contact the Office of Civil Rights toll-free at 1-877-EEO-4TSA (4872). If you leave your name, number and the best time to call you back, someone will return your call.

In addition, AirSafe.com recommends that you document as best as possible the circumstances of your incident. Visit the AirSafe.com complaint page for further suggestions.

TSA Violates Own Policy by Separating a Mother and Child

A recent article from the MyBottlesUp.com blog discusses an October 15, 2009 incident where the TSA violated its own policies and separated a mother and child during the screening process. The TSA's web site claims that they "will not ask you to do anything that will separate you from your child or children.", but in in the case of one woman at Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport, that was clearly not the case.

According to the article, after metal in the child's metal pacifier clip set off the metal detectors, mother and child had to wait further screening by the TSA. During that process, one of the agents took the child away from the mother.

For the full story, please read the full article. If you ever have this kind of problem with the TSA, you should do three things:

1. Get through the situation as best as possible with your dignity and sanity intact. If you can, contact a supervisor to help you resolve the issue.

2. Take the time to document the event as well as possible, including the names of the TSA agents involved, a description of what screening area you were in (many airports have more than one), and the time and date it occurred.

3. File a formal complaint with the TSA. There is no clear complaint process for this kind of situation, but you could try filing a discrimination related complaint, or TSA's generic online complaint form. In any case, make sure you keep a copy of anything you submit.

Recommended Resources:
Child Safety in the Air
Top 10 Tips for Traveling with Children

Your Comments Wanted
Do you have any suggestions for parents, or for the TSA? How about sharing your opinion about the TSA's policies? Feel free to leave your comments.

UPDATE: 9 November 2009
Our thanks go out to Ksenia Coffman who pointed out that the TSA has discussed this same incident in their blog. If you go to the TSA blog for 16 October 2009, you will find an variety of information, including multiple video recordings of the event. We invite you to review both blog posts, and to come to your own conclusions as to what happened in Atlanta.

No matter how this matter is finally resolved, the points mentioned earlier in this article are still valid. If you experience what you think is unfair or unlawful treatment at the hands of the TSA, take the time to carefully document what happened and to take appropriate steps afterwards, from filing formal complaints, to taking legal actions, to publicizing your experience. As this event shows, anything that is in the vicinity of a TSA screening area may be recorded and may become public later.