Nightmare Flight on US Airways

On July 9, 2011, I made reservations to fly to Las Vegas from Houston on U. S. Airways Flight 362 departing at 8:20 a.m. from Houston Intercontinental Airport with one stop in Phoenix.  I was asked if I would mind sitting in the exit seat number 11D.  Since I had been an airline stewardess in the past, I knew how to operate exit doors, and gladly accepted.  After the takeoff, I began to take notice the neglected condition of this aircraft.  The first thing that caught my eye was that the frame at bottom of the seat in front of me was disconnected from the seat, exposing the seatbelt connections which appeared to be rusting.  The fabric was torn and tattered around the bottom of the seats also.

Then I glanced across the isle at seats A, B, and C.  Those seats also showed neglect as the fabric and seat belt connections were exposed and in disrepair.

At that time, I looked at the Exit door and was shocked.  I became extremely uncomfortable to the point of panic when I saw the door was bulging, coming apart from the fuselage, and was warped.  The paint was peeling and it looked like moisture had caused considerable damage around the upper and lower frame to include mold in one portion of the door as it appeared to be buckling away from the fuselage.

Then I looked forward and was really alarmed to see the window in front of me separating from the fuselage.

I can not tell you how upset I was for the duration of this flight.  I went to the restroom and found the sink completely stopped up with scummy water which would not recede when I pushed the plunger.

I commented on the unsafe condition to the two passengers near me and was quite surprised that it didn't seem to bother either of them.  When we touched down on the tarmac, I took a picture of the wing of the plane, and it was completely rusted.  That was the final straw.  By now I was extremely upset.

I was scheduled to continue on this plane even though the flight number changed to Flight 600.  I approached the desk to talk to an attendant from U.S. Airways and I told them that this flight needed to be grounded immediately.  I told them that the Exit door was going to blow, and that the seats were not safe.  I explained to them that this flight was not safe for the crew or passengers and that I refused to fly on it to Las Vegas.  The attendant called her Supervisor who rudely told me I could just write my complaint on the back of the boarding pass and re-board the plane.  I told her I would not ride on that plane, so I was booked on the next flight to Vegas.  That flight was Flight 1503 departing at 10:20 a.m.
Flight 1503 was a larger airplane and initially appeared to be in good condition.  However, when I took my seat I noticed that the carpet liner along the fuselage was coming apart.

It wasn't just beside my row, but all along the walls on both sides of the fuselage.  The take off and landing on this plane felt like the plane was about to tear apart.

I think it is amazing that the FAA is allowing US Airways to continue flying aircraft that is in such horrible disrepair!  I am reporting this to the FAA and posting it on Twitter and Facebook to make sure people are aware of an impending crash on this airline.  If US Airways is allowing their airplanes to deteriorate physically, what condition would you expect them to be in mechanically--frightening thought.

By the way, after boarding Flight 1503, the pilot announced that our flight would be delayed at least 20 minutes because the other flight to Vegas had been cancelled and we would be waiting for the passengers to board our plane.  One passenger who sat by me told me that she thought I had saved their lives by making such a scene while they were boarding, but that they were told the engines were over heating.  I personally believe the engines were overheating, because this plane, US Airways 362 and later, 600, was a deathtrap.  I was so grateful to get my feet on the ground and will never fly on this airline again.  In all the years of flying and being a stewardess, I never flew on a plane that was not in tip top condition and I am sorry to see that the FAA is allowing this to pass without notice when the TSA is going overboard checking old ladies, children and people in wheel chairs to prevent terrorists from crashing our planes.