US Air, American Merger? We're Not Buying!

US Airways and American are still in the process of consolidating themselves after their merger.
Each airline says it will be not just bigger but better as well -- and better able to serve you.
But haven't we all heard this before?
And haven't we all seen things continue to deteriorate - especially in the airline industry?
Well, the proof is in the service - or lack thereof.
Take our most recent experience. We booked a flight on US Air from Philadelphia to Savannah. Doesn't sound very complicated, does it? Well, it was.
Now remember: We booked the flight way in advance. And we specifically booked a non-stop flight. Ya gotta figure, a flight from Philly to Savannah would be non-stop anyway, right?
Well, none  of this seemed to matter. Because, before we knew it our non-stop flight was converted into a flight with a stopover in Charlotte. We were given no reason why this change was made and as much as we tried, we couldn't get US Air to make any adjustments for us. There were no non-stops to Savannah, they told us. Period. So, our trip was immediately lengthened by more than an hour.
Have you been to the Charlotte airport lately?
It's a mess!
And this is another US Air hub - just like Philadelphia.
The airport is sprawling and hopelessly crowded. And much of it is a bit shabby. Whole portions are in bad need of new carpets and there aren't adequate cyber connections, either. The place is dim, dreary and simply not up to date. It's been allowed to deteriorate - with broken seats, etc. You've gotta wonder why US Air hasn't seemed to play a role in trying to spruce things up. If they have, we've seen no evidence of it.
OK, so we're at Charlotte and our flight to Savannah begins to be delayed.
It's delayed 20 minutes. Then another 20 minutes. Then 30 minutes.
We're given no reason.
Finally, we find out it's "mechanical reasons."
It's a smaller American Eagle plane and they're tinkering with it, trying to get it "fixed," we suppose. At the same time other flights near us are being delayed for no obvious reason (the weather's fine) and gates are being changed. Hey, we already walked a huge distance to get to this connecting flight. But, we're not going anywhere.
As it turned out our flight was delayed an excruciating three hours. During the entire time, we were told that it was "mechanical reasons" and were advised to "sit tight." So, we had to hang out there, not knowing when or if we would be on our way.
Finally, we were switched to another plane.
When we got on the plane, US Air told us what a pleasure it was to serve us and informed us that because of the shortness of the flight there would be no beverage service. Not even a cup of coffee.
And, it took us  a-l-l  d-a-y to get to Savannah.
Look, US Air wasn't the greatest to begin with but somehow they managed to muscle in on cities like Pittsburgh and Philly and Charlotte creating a virtual monopoly.
Now, they've hooked up with American (which did the same thing in other parts of the country) in a huge juggernaut that, as far as we can tell, benefits absolutely no one.
So, here's our message to US Air/American or whatever they plan to call themselves: Stop bragging and scheming and try serving your passengers for a change.