June 8
Attention: Complaint Resolution; Larry Kellner, CEO Continental Airlines, et al.
Below is a brief description of the occurrences we encountered while trying to live and enjoy a dream vacation. We are Senior Citizens just to note the effect of what is to follow.
One June 1st 2006 my wife and I were scheduled to fly to Anchorage, AK for a long sought once in a lifetime vacation. It took us many years to save enough money to experience adventures in a place that most people only see in books, TV etc.
Then the nightmare began. Continental Flight xxxx was scheduled to leave Atlanta Hartsfield Airport at xxxx. We boarded and pushed back a few feet from the Gate when all activity ceased. It was twenty to thirty minutes before the flight's Captain announced to the passengers that there was a problem with the AC controls in the aircraft and a crew was onsite to repair and we were to get underway in a few minutes, these few minutes turned into an hour plus. It was now into well over an hour and a half since the departure time for this flight had passed when it was decided that the aircraft was to be disembarked and the passengers needing to meet connecting flights would be given immediate attention to try and meet those connecting flights. The flight operations manager of this flight in Atlanta did an excellent job getting passengers to flights to help make their connections and we would like to hear that he is acknowledged for his efforts. This resulted in us being flown to Houston on another flight to make our connecting flight to Seattle then on to Anchorage. This is where Continental Airlines dropped the ball and at their own Hub. We got to Houston to meet our Seattle flight while the plane was still at the Gate but were denied seating on this flight one that we had booked many weeks before. The plane was at the Gate and remained there for several minutes before leaving. There were the two of us and three other people needing to get on this flight. Needless to say all of us missed our connections. At Continental's customer service center located close to the Seattle flights departure gate we told our story to two Continental customer representatives, one man and one woman who spent over an hour bickering back and forth with one another about who has the most pull with other people in the Continental organization when booking other flights for people who have missed their connecting flights for whatever reasons, this in front of us and many other people needing help. The attitude, demeanor and complete lack of respect these Continental representatives showed us and the other stranded customers was completely devoid of any caring or concern for our situations and the lack of getting us help to meet our flights in any way so we would not miss the tours and activities we booked for our vacation. After this complete lack of respect and uncaring attitude for the customer ended, the result was us being put up in a Clarion hotel in Houston at Continental expense and being booked on a flight the next afternoon with the explanation that is all we can do. Take it or leave it or I can send you back to where you came from and you can start over Please note the quote notations.
The lack of concern for our situation, the lack of help in solving the situation, the complete disregard for our feelings and the insolence by the bickering and arguing instead of offering a solution we received from these Continental representatives and the well too bad so sad attitude for the lost of part of our vacation with a monetary value of $800.00 Dollars is the very reason for this complaint. All of our flight segments for our vacation was booked with Continental and every flight was late leaving or had problems, such as the one in Anchorage on June 6 where it took well over an hour after boarding to replenish oxygen bottles that the previous flight had used, this need to replenish these resources was known before this flight landed but still Continental boarded this plane and let the passengers sit for well over an hour on a flight that was to already be seven hours long, offering excuses that were designed to buy time while the oxygen bottles were being filled and appease the boarded passengers, in fact the Captain of this very flight announced that if this had happened in a Continental Hub all that need be done was to switch out the empty oxygen bottles for full ones, it would appear to this writer any Airline, not just Continental, should be ready to address any events no matter how big or small anywhere in the World the flight is located, this statement by the Captain of this flight not only proves my contentions but does indeed show complete incompetence on Continentals part and resulted in us almost missing our connecting flight in Houston for Atlanta and we would have missed it if not for the luck of flagging down a golf cart and getting rushed to the departing flight's gate, we made in just in time, and just in time means that this flight also was late in leaving. Otherwise we would have perhaps spent another night in Houston at the Clarion hotel. The reasons for the above entry is to futher explain Continental's complete incompetence in many aspects of their business practices. Every flight segment that we took, Atlanta to Houston, Houston to Anchorage, Anchorage to Houston and Houston to Atlanta with Continental on our vacation had problems of various natures, every single one, this all in one week, what else could explain this other than complete incompetence. If Continental Airlines has this much problem with the events just explained then what other problems does this airline have that could be of a much more serious perhaps life threatening nature and how often do these problems occur? Could be these type of problems are kept well guarded.
Bottom line we would like to hear how Continental intends to reimburse us for our lost vacation tours and our time at our cost of $800 Dollars and what the Company will do in order to see this does not happen to others who follow us. Simple apologies will not suffice or address the severity of the events suffered by us on a valued vacation that now has been forever soiled by Continental Airlines incompetence.
We are in possession of all documents necessary to detail the above events. Our booking Agent, Alaska Tour and Travel will present verification and cost of missed scheduled tours. Doyon/Aramark, operators of the Tours and Hotels in the Denali Alaska resort area will assist us with verification of the existence of named Tours and Hotels. The service and customer attention shown to us by Alaska Tour and Travel and Doyon/Aramark was nothing short of Top Notch!
This complaint about Continental Airlines service its lack of problem resolution/restitution is being sent to all agencies of record in the Airline Industry to include the Department of Transportation, as well as Alaska Tour and Travel and Doyon/Aramark. These businesses may want to issue warning statements to their customers about using Continental Airlines as a travel provider. These businesses are dedicated to customer service and satisfaction and may choose not to their have their reputations "stained" or lose customer base to the complete imcompentence and uncaring attitude which Continental Airlines exhibits daily. These businesses CARE about their customers and it shows constantly as the level of attention a customer receives is outstanding and professional when dealing with any employee of Alaska Tour and Travel and especially those employees of Doyon/Aramark in the Denali Resort area.
Copy to Doyon/Aramark, Alaska Tour and Travel
Steve and Barbara
Steve
kennesaw, Georgia
U.S.A.
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