It takes a lot for me to sit down and write a letter to a company. But I'm getting fed up. Last night I jotted out a terse note to United about their affiliate commuter carrier, Mesa Airlines. Mesa is one of several smaller carriers that handles some of United's routes, mostly on regional jets out of Washington Dulles and Chicago. After the experiences I've had in the last week, I've come to call it Messy Airlines, and do everything I can to avoid it.

Phasing me with delays and cancellations is difficult. But Messy, I mean Mesa, does both of these with such incompentence and nonchalance it would make any frequent flyer cringe. I can think of only one of my Mesa flights that was not either delayed or cancelled. One! Take Mesa if you want exercise running through the terminal at O'Hare to catch your connecting flight. Or get used to the high-pitched security sound screeching through Terminal A at Dulles while you cool your heels waiting for a crew to show up. Most of the time, trying to communicate with gate staff is like talking to a dead tree. And I'm being kind.

My last flight on Mesa almost made me laugh. I had just arrived from an international trip and making my connection at the airport. At the gate, the agent announces that the departure is delayed 45 minutes until 8PM. I get up to go grab a drink and return at 7:30PM (15 minutes later) to find the boarding area empty. Where are the passengers? Where is the flight? I ask the gate agent. He doesn't even look at me. "It's gone." An 8PM flight closed at 7:30PM? (By United policy, flights close 10 minutes prior to departure, not 30!) "I'll put you on standby for the next one, but good luck, it's oversold." Not so much as an apology or even an excuse. After traveling for over 23 hours, I'm not a happy camper. I wait two more hours for the next flight (also staffed by an incompetent), but don't make it on. I end up renting a car and driving for 4 hours. I stopped every hour and splashed cold water on my face to stay awake. Finally, I crawl into my bed at 3AM the next morning.

So what's the solution? I'm strong believer in voting with my feet and my wallet. So I've taken my money to other airlines, like US Airways. Even though they have their "moments", US Airways mostly flies large jets out of my home airport and can still connect me to United mainline flights through CLT, PHL, LGA and PIT. I can avoid the messy, messy operations of Mesa Airlines and still earn elite-qualifying miles on United. Thank you code shares.