Subj: Complaint
Date: 26/06/01 13:57:44 GMT Daylight Time
From: tarpon@pcfl.net (Tom Tarpon)
To: VirginLies@aol.com
On June 8, 2001 my husband and I flew flight 76Q from Orlando Fl, to
Manchester England. This was a horrendous flight to say the least. The Pilot
informed us that he was putting on the seat belt sign and to remain in our
seats as he was going to fly through a severe storm rather than fly around
it due to the fact it was time saving to do so in his opinion! We
encountered drops and turbulence that caused children to urinate and
defecate on themselves not to mention the screaming from both children and
adults.Our attendant would not allow parents to assist their children to the
toilets and made them remain seated. The smell was horrendous to say the
least. We had to demand that the toilets and our seating area be sprayed for
the smell. Our attendant reported to us that this was without doubt the most
horrific flight she had ever encountered during her career.
Once that settled down, the horror story continued.For some reason I was seated in row 37 right in front of the Emergency Exit
Door which protruded out so far that I had little to no room for my right
leg. This seat would have been better suited for a child at best. To expect
an adult to sit at this location for an international flight is absurd!!!!Our beverages were not served with our meals and we had to wait some 30
minutes or longer for our area to be cleaned. This meant that passengers
were leaving trays in the floor in order to go to the toilet. The toilets
were not cleaned or serviced during our flight and the smell would make a
person with the strongest of stomachs gag. Why is it an Airline can serve
alcohol non stop on a flight but they cannot provide Lysol for the smell and
germs in their toilets?During the early morning hours I tried to get a few minutes of rest, only to
have the flight attendant laughing and chatting with 2 other passengers
right at the toilet area right beside my seating area! I had to tell them to
quiet down! Shouldn't it be the other way around? Are not the attendants the
one's to keep passengers not only well taken care of but to insure their
comfort during the flight?This was our first flight with Virgin Atlantic and I must say our last!
I have tired to contact Customer Relations since June 9th 2001 to no avail.
I have logged a complaint on the web site for Virgin Atlantic and no
response. I then decided to contact Passenger Rights and in addition contact
the Better Business Bureau.Some one has to stand up for travellers and enforce our rights when an
Airline ignores our complaints and needs.If we don't voice our horror stories no one will ever be an informed
consumer and be in the position to make the right choice and choose a better
Airline.