US despAIRWAYS

It’s been a long time since I’ve flown US Airways. I flew it last week, and I think it will be another long time before it happens again.
I ended up on a US Airways flight to Amsterdam because Continental, the airline on which I had piles of miles ripe for redemption, joined the Star Alliance. One day, it was offering SaverPass seats in BusinessFirst; the next day, the only thing available for the outbound flight was US Airways’ economy cabin.
This was a very sad experience. The itinerary was gruesome, with an eight-hour layover at Philadelphia. The airline would not check my bag through to Amsterdam because the layover was too long, so I had to claim it, drag it to the international terminal and recheck it. I guess they thought I might need something to do.
The flight was on a 757 – a terrible aircraft for transatlantic flights – and this one was showing its age. The bathrooms looked completely beaten up.
US Airways has taken the ancillary revenue concept to heart. Flight attendants marched up and down the aisles hawking movie headsets for $5 – this despite having only overhead monitors and no choice of film. They sold beer for $7. Budweiser. Seriously.
Saddest of all was the little “breakfast,” which confirmed for me that this airline has lost its pride. It didn’t even come with a plate.
My return flight was on Continental. I watched a couple of movies of my choice on the seatback monitor (no charge), had a gin and tonic for $5, was given actual utensils with which to eat and flew in relative comfort.
The old aphorism, “You are judged by the company you keep,” applies to airlines as well as people. If my loyalty to one airline is rewarded by a flight on a carrier with a far lower standard of service, I’m going to have to rethink where I buy my future flights.