If you have been researching flights online lately, you may have come across Eastern Airlines. They offer incredibly low prices on flights, to the point where it almost seems too good to be true. And if it’s too good to be true, you know it usually is.
In this post I will outline why I would not recommend anyone book a flight with Eastern Airlines.
I have personally booked domestic and international flights through them, and I am extremely unhappy with the service I received on both occasions. Because of my experiences with them, I am currently considering taking legal action against them for their failure to provide a service that is of acceptable quality under Australian Consumer Law.
Booking a Flight: The first thing I noticed about booking a flight with Eastern Airlines was how cheap their prices were compared to other airlines. I could fly one way from New York to London for $200 USD – crazy! But this was actually one of the reasons why I didn’t book my flight with Eastern Airlines in the end. It seemed too good to be true, and if it’s too good to be true, you know it usually is. But even though they seem like they are trying to scam people by offering ridiculously cheap flights, there is no doubt that some people
You’ve probably seen all the ads on TV. The ones with the cute little animals and the funny sayings that all end with the phrase “You’re gonna like the way you fly. I guarantee it!”Well, let me tell you something – you’re not going to like the way you fly. You’re going to hate it. Because if you book a flight on Eastern Airlines, you might not actually get where you want to go. And if you do, you’ll be paying a lot more than you should have to, and your trip will take much longer than it was supposed to.
I learned this lesson firsthand when I booked a flight home for Christmas vacation online. The first time I tried to book my flight, I put in all my information, but then when I clicked “accept payment,” nothing happened. So I tried again with a different credit card. Same thing. And again with a third card. Nothing happened each time.*
I recently had a frustrating experience with Eastern Airlines and I wanted to share my thoughts on what I’ve experienced so far.
While booking flights online, I came across a relatively new airline called Eastern Airlines. The flight times looked good, the prices were affordable, so I thought I would give it a try. At the time of booking, there was an option to purchase travel insurance for $30. Since this was a new airline, and not finding much information about it online, I thought it would be better safe than sorry and purchased the travel insurance.
A few days later while checking my credit card statement, I noticed that I was charged twice for the travel insurance.
I reached out to customer service via email, but received no response. After waiting a few days, and still no response from customer service via email, I decided to call customer service. Unfortunately at this point I hit another roadblock as none of their phone numbers are working!
I then tried contacting them through Facebook Messenger but again… no response!
Long story short… if you’re considering booking a flight with Eastern Airlines, DON’T!
Eastern Airlines’ logo, which is basically an E with a line through it, was a well-known mark of quality in the airline industry. These days, the well-known Eastern Airlines is not the same company that used to fly people around. Now named Dynamic International Airways, this company flies under the name Eastern Airlines (and other names) and also uses the same logo as before. It’s hard to tell at first glance if a flight you’re booking is with Eastern or Dynamic.
Dynamic International Airways was founded in 2010 by a group of investors who saw opportunity in an old brand. The original Eastern Airlines went bankrupt in 1991 and stopped flying two years later; it was sold off piece by piece in bankruptcy court and eventually disappeared entirely.
The new company uses parts of Eastern’s old infrastructure to fly jets under different names: Dynamic, Florida Coastal Airlines, and World Atlantic Airlines are some of its brands. The owners of Dynamic say they wanted to revive one of America’s iconic airline brands, but they were sued by former employees who said they were only doing it to avoid paying severance payouts due to them from when the original airline went bankrupt. The case was settled out of court in 2016.
The current incarnation of
I’ve never been a huge fan of the airline industry. As a frequent traveler, I’ve experienced the extreme lows and highs of what flying has to offer. There is nothing better than getting in your seat on a fully loaded flight and having the staff offer you free drinks for a 2 hour delay. Or sitting in your seat for 5 hours as you wait for a gate because there are so many flights coming into that airport that day. In addition to the perks of flying, it can also be very frustrating when things don’t go according to plan.
I have always been a big believer in customer service and this is one of the main reasons why I believe Eastern Airlines is one of the worst airlines I have ever flown on. Their customer service is terrible, their planes are old and dirty, and they charge too much money for all of this nonsense. On top of everything else, I am truly surprised that they are still in business after all these years!
On October 29th of 2015, I was supposed to fly from Newark to Panama City. My flight was at 7:15 PM. The day before, I had checked the weather and noticed that there was a storm coming through New Jersey. I figured we would be delayed for a few hours and decided to just show up at the airport and wait it out.
When I got to the airport, there were representatives from Eastern Airlines telling people that their flight had been cancelled and they were being re-routed on Copa Airlines. Several people told me that Copa had lost their luggage and they were very unhappy with the service they received. Copa Airlines was completely booked until November 2nd so I went over to another airline’s check-in counter and booked a flight on United Airlines for the next morning, October 30th at 10 AM. It was more expensive than my original flight but worth it if it meant getting home in time for Halloween on October 31st!
The airline representative told me that my new flight would be ok as long as I showed up before 10 AM because there was another storm coming in later that day which might cause delays once again. I booked my new flight with United Airlines, thanked him for his help and headed over to baggage claim
Eastern Airlines was founded in 1926 as Pitcairn Aviation. It was a small commercial airline that operated from New York to Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
In 1938, Eastern Airlines officially changed its name to Eastern Air Lines. The company expanded rapidly in the 1950’s and 1960’s, becoming one of the largest airlines in the United States.
Eastern Airlines was purchased by Texas Air Corporation for $676 million in 1986. Texas Air Corporation was also the parent company of Continental Airlines, which was renamed Continental Express in 1990 and merged with Eastern Airlines in 1991.
In 1992, Frank Lorenzo took over as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Eastern Air Lines. Lorenzo is best known for buying Continental Airlines, cutting wages and benefits, then filing for bankruptcy protection in 1983 to avoid paying union employees what he owed them. This led to a strike by Continental pilots who were members of the International Association of Machinists (IAM). The strike cost Continental pilots their jobs and led to a cut in pay for IAM workers at other airlines.