You Won't Believe This-- I Really Need Your Help Or Advice Beverly Lynn Airtran Farce

[princess crazy]

Hi Beverly Lynn-

We just returned from a wonderful 7day land/sea trip to WDW and the Disney Wonder. I can't say enough about the trip! We had great transportation from Yourride and I will be posting the great experience we had there!

The whole trip was successful until our flight home. We flew Airtran which is the carrier of choice out of our hometown and have flown them before with only a few minor problems but boy this time made up for them all!!!!!

Our original flight was supposed to leave at 1:05pm and they came on the speaker telling us that they were having mechanical problems. We were delayed for almost an hour because of this problem. After finally getting on the plane we get up in the air and about 20 minutes into the flight we hear alarms going off and hear sounds that don't sound very good. We knew something for sure was'nt right when the attendants were giving hand signals and frantically running to the front of the plane.

A few minutes after all this the pilot came on and told us that we were loosing oil from engine number 1 and that we would be turning around to return to Orlando for an emergency landing. He said they had shut the engine down and that we were running on only one engine and not to worry that they train for this all the time. I was saying alot of prayers because things did not sound right in the plane and we were going over water for a while not a good sign.

I do have the so called supervisors name and badge number she was really rude to just
Thank the Lord we landed with a pretty rough landing. We had to sit on the tarmack while all the fire engines checked everything out. We thought for a while that we were going to have to use the emergency chutes. We finally got back to the gate and that's when the circus started!

They assured us they would do everything they could do to get us to our destinations and try and make some connections. Well needless to say this went on for hours and hours. It was 5:00 before they had everyone taken care of it that's what you call it.

Well it was a full flight and of course we were the last ones to be put on a flight. Through all of this they lied to us over and over. First saying we'll have all of you out by 3:00 and then continuing to push it up an hour every hour. Telling people if we can't get you on one of our flights we'll put you on another carrier which they never did. One couple with a little boydemanded they put them on Delta and the so called supposed supervisor said thereare'nt any seats on there flights and so that couple went to the Delta ticket counter and found out there were plenty of flights with seats and came back and told them you are lying to us put us on a flight and so they had to do it.

They then tried to push over on us and tell us that everyone would get compensation and they would be giving everyone round trip tickets. They first said someone was on there way up with packets. And they did'nt know what was in the packests because they were a new thing they were doing. Of course 2 hours later when no one had shown up with the packets they then told everyone that they were only for people that had to be overnighted not for anyone else another lie. No one ever showed up with anything and they then started telling people that the packets would be overnighted to them. Ha Ha what a joke!!!

about everyone. They finally put us on a 6:30 flight which was delayed until 7:00 which got us to Atlanta to make a 10:30 flight to our home town . We finally got home at 12:30 am!!! We were supposed to be home at 4:40 in the afternoon!!!

Now the biggest farce of them all was when a half an hour after we got off of the flight with an emergency landing while trying to get us all on other flights they announced that by the way the plane that you just lost an engine on has been fixed and if you would like you can get back on that plane and continue your travel! Everyone was soooo mad!!!

We all said no way are we getting on that plane--it was an old one about 35 years old. I thought maybe you could help me with anyone I could contact to get something done about the compensation we should recieve..

I know it's a joke when trying to get anything from them. On our last flight with them they lost my stroller pad and I called and left an message with lost and found and never even got a call back after leaving two messages.

I will be doing everything in my power to let them know of this shoddy situation. I may even call the FAA. Bevery Lynn if you know who I could contact by phone that I could actually talk to and also where I should send a letter and or email. This was the most scary and frustrating experience we have ever had in all our years of flying and for them to not offer what they said they would is unacceptable!

I appreciate any help you can give me Thanks alot!!!

PS by the way after the emergency landing the pilot came on and said in all of his 17 years of flying he has never had to shut an engine down so this was a pretty serious situation. I can't believe that they treated us this way!

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> Engine losing oil. Pilot shuts it down and plans emergency landing. Half an hour after landing they announce it is fixed.

I actually believe that the engine problem, although major while the plane was in flight, was minor when it got fixed. Most likely the pilot shut it down before it lost all of its oil and seized. Then on the ground most likelhy they found the loose drain plug, refilled the engine and ready to go!

Other Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[princess crazy]

Thanks for your reply seashorecm:

But it may not sound like a big deal to some but being as this was probably the problem they were working on for an hour before we ever stepped foot on that plane did'nt make me feel very safe. And then for them to say hey just hop on this again after we've fixed it 2 times over 90 percent of the people on that flight said no way are you crazy!

And yes it was very major while in flight! We could hear and feel sounds and movements that would make your heart jump right out of your chest! Circleing over water continually is'nt a very good feeling either. Someone who was seated by the engine they shut down said they could see fire shooting out of it even after it was shut down and with just leaving Orlando and having a full plane loaded with fuel it was pretty scary! After all was said and done I thought this must have been only a fraction of the fear the people on 9-11 felt. When you have no control and can't see the airport runway all you can do is pray and rely on your faith but those people I think pretty much knew their fate and after this experience I can't even imagine what must have been going through their minds. God Bless them!

By the way the compensation that over 95 percent of the passengers on this plane wanted was not for the engine failing while in flight it was for all of the circus we were put through for over 4 hours and not knowing what was going to happen to us until they got to each individual. Any other airline would have had this taken care of behind the scenes with a computer but these 2 clowns were standing with phones to their ears acting like they were doing something for 4 hours! 4 hours I say!!

Thanks again for replying and I hope Beverly Lynn can give me some insight to this.

 

[kntheboys]

14 years ago, when my family was leaving MCO, we had the exact same thing happen to our plane-- to a "T" (strange noises, fire coming out of engine,circling, fire trucks, waiting in airport, etc.) We were scared out of our wits, too.This was on a charter flight with MLT or Sun Country (can't remember which!)

Anyway, we sat in the airport from 10 or 11 am to 6pm, when they put us up in a hotel with dinner and breakfast. They also handed out lunch vouchers to everyone a couple hours after we had "deboarded" and waited in the airport (to be used in the airport -- there was not a candy bar or "prewrapped" snack to be had at the restaurant cash registers, since if people didn't use the full amount they were allotted for their lunch, they used up the rest of the money buying snacks at the registers!)

Throughout the day, the airline was placing people on other airlines' flights, giving preference to pregnant women, people with small children and business people. (we were none of these) Thus, at 6pm , when they realized they wouldn't have flights for everyone, they began shuttling us to hotels, and scheduling us on flights the following morning.

The sad thing is, one of the flight attendants on our flight the next morning was killed the next week in the big Northwest airlines crash in Detroit. (Anyone remember that crash--August of 1987??)

 

[TrudyZ]

August 16th--Flight 255--I am sad to say I remember it well.

Trudy

 

[travelcoupons]

Northwest flight 255 on the evening of August 16, 1987. Bound for Phoenix and continuing on to Orange County, carrying 148 passengers and six crew members. It only gained 50ft in altitude after takeoff before clipping a light pole with its left wing. It hit a number of other light poles and then clipped the roof of a building, rolling past 90 degrees and then slamming into the ground and bursting in flames. Everyone aboard the aircraft was killed with the exception of a four year old girl. Two motorists who were driving along a highway where wreckage was strewn were killed also.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The flight crew's failure to use the taxi checklist to ensure that the flaps and slats were extended for take-off. "

 

[Luv2Roam]

When I had AA woes, on Beverly Lynn's, instructions I wote to:
*DOT (Dept of Transportation -- they have a web page). They won't provide compensation or contact the airline. But your experience will be provided when they present reports to the media about airlines. At least it is just another official black mark against the airline.
*Customer service of the airline. Which did nothing. So, I wrote to
*the airline's CEO. (Got a $100 voucher after finally doing that. Big deal -- but better than a kick in the teeth like I got from AA at check-in.)
On my own, I wrote to my state's Attorney General Office, and the Consumer Affairs Div. Again, they aren't a lot of help in this area. But I felt better making any stink I could.

 

[Poohbear123]

I flew twice in my life, to Boise ID, and back and have NEVER been on a plane since, and NEVER Will ever again!

 

[travelcoupons]

To file a complaint with DOT (which does nothing for you. Justs shows up in a report against each airline, called the Air Travel Consumer Report) see:
http://www.dot.gov/airconsumer/problems.htm

To contact the top dog in Customer Service at Airtran:

Thomas Kalil
Senior Vice President, Customer Service, Airtran Holdings
9955 AirTran Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32827

or Joe Leonard (who is the CEO) at the above address.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

you want to contact Fred Cannon at Air Tran. the other ones don't do diddly squat.(they pass it on down the line) his address is:
Two Crown Center
1745 Phoenix Blvd. Suite 370
Atlanta, GA 30349
770-907-5070
fax 770-907-2589
mco fon :407-251-5623

I would also send a copy of whatever you send to the FAA and DOT to the General managers of your hometown airport, the GM at the city in which you were stranded for 4 hrs. Also let them know that you will contact every agency that you could possibly contact regarding this issue and the horrendous customer service they gave to you. I have a few more contacts that you can send it to if you wish. pm me and I can give you the rest of the info.

 

[princess crazy]

Thanks to all here and Beverly Lynn!

Beverly I will pm you when I get some time this week. I really do appreciate your willingness to help as this was a pretty frustratiing experience. Thanks again!

 

[Ted and Holly]

Princess Crazy,

Good Luck, I doubt you'll get anywhere with the airline, though! These things happen "all the time" Last year we had a VERY similar situation, the windsheild in the cockpit shattered mid flight... we had the emergency landing, fire trucks, 7 hours in an airport, etc. We received NO compensation, and there weren't even beverages/snacks available when we did get on another plane.... We will NEVER fly that airline again. The problem with these small airlines is that they have very old planes and don't have the means to properly compensate for a big problem. Let me know if you get anywhere!! I hope you do!

Holly