Throughout the years I’ve heard many horror stories from clients regarding airline service, delays and missing baggage and have often taken the stance that one bad experience does not mean the airline is horrible and should be avoided. I have to admit I have had clients where I’ve made mistakes and if they took that stance I would be hurting as most of my business is word-of-mouth and repeat clients. Thankfully I’m still here because I believe in excellent customer service and rectify my mistakes to the best of my ability.
We Will Avoid USAirways at All Costs
This year alone I have decided to stop flying USAirways, my hub carrier here in Philadelphia. Over the years hiccups have occurred and I’ve tried to stay true to my philosophy here and give them another chance… and another… and another. I’ve had luggage lost and returned days later. I’ve had flights delayed on the tarmac for hours. I’ve had miles deducted for upgrades and then been refused a seat in business class. A flight was canceled due to “bad weather” while every other airline was flying that night. And I’ve had reservations made for the wrong date.
We all know that luggage is lost each day and thankfully mine was lost on the way home from Ireland rather than the flight over. My concern here is that USAirways could not track my luggage nor could they let me know when it would be delivered. Apparently a cab driver dropped it off during the day, leaving it on my doorstep in plain view for an entire day – in Philadelphia!
I can’t even remember where we were flying but I do remember pulling away from the gate and taxiing and then stopping. No bad weather, just traffic and congestion either in Philadelphia or a destination. Who knows but we were not advised of the situation until 30 minutes sitting there and it took another 90 minutes before our flight actually took off. I’ve missed connections in Ireland to Scotland due to their flight delays and just last October they delayed us two hours because our plane was late coming in – and no compensation for the delay and annoyance with everyone inquiring about our delay.
I’ve upgraded flights and when checking in through the First/Business Class line I was asked to change lines because they did not have my upgrade, but certainly deducted my miles. Rather than have a manager come and help resolve the situation I had to argue with the manager elsewhere, show her my upgrade on the flight over, my confirmation and even then she refused my seat. It took 30 minutes before she acknowledged there were seats available and we finally talked our way into the seats – our seats.
Just a few weeks ago my partner was in Tennessee and USAirways cancelled his flight home due to bad weather and they had no more flights for the day. He was told that Southwest was still flying and he could try to get on that flight and they would refund his ticket price… but Southwest was more expensive by $70! He did all of the work to get himself home and USAirways had no interest in helping him despite his continued patronage.
The final straw was our trip to New Orleans on May 23rd whereby I made the reservation directly with USAirways since we were using flight coupons from one of our delays. My mistake was not calling the Silver Preferred Reservation number and therefore I was transferred to an agent in the Phillipines, their call center location. We spent about 45 minutes making a simple reservation where I gave flight dates and flight numbers and at the very end the agent repeated everything back, I wrote it down and was told the record locator was the same as my flight certificate number – perfect. Two days prior I called to confirm – only to find the reservation was made for April 23rd! I would now have to purchase a new ticket at 3x’s the cost and lose the previous ticket! This is when I booked a ticket with Delta on the way down and Delta on the way back – and our decision to avoid USAirways at all costs.
The common denominator here has been poor customer service, USAirways agents either blaming me for the problem or unwilling to help find a solution yet we continue to fly this airline and keep them aloft. After speaking with many flight attendants and staff members I have found that the employees are extremely discontent with their management, management who make millions in bonuses while the employees make concessions in their pay and increase their hours. Their discontent has filtered down to us, the traveling public, and is evident from the service you receive on the plane to the way agents help resolve problems caused by their airline.
It doesn’t have to be this way though – other airlines haven’t fallen this far with regard to their customer service.
Customer Service Done Right
Our Delta flights from Philadelphia to Atlanta and Atlanta to New Orleans opened my eyes to service and how we should be treated by airlines that we pay hundreds of dollars each time we plan a vacation. Flying direct is no longer a concern these days and the connection typically reduces the cost – why, I have no idea but it does.
The plane to Atlanta was new with each seat having electronic monitors, games, etc. in the headrest and comfortable seats but it was so early and once I hear the hum of the engines, I’m out cold – and stayed that way the entire flight. When we arrived I knew we had a 2 hour connection but prepared myself for folks jumping up, grabbing their luggage and pushing past everyone else to get off the plane … but I was completely wrong! Everyone waited until the seatbelt sign went off and they casually stood up, pulled their luggage from the overheads in a relaxed, calm manner and were extremely courteous on exit, allowing the row in front of them to completely vacate before continuing. People were too tired from such an early flight … wait until they wake up.
The second flight did not have the electronic entertainment system but it was comfortable inside and the service was average but the attendants were very pleasant. Again, the passengers waited until we heard the bell to indicate we could stand and the deplaning was just as orderly as the first flight! Something wasn’t right and we both noticed it, appreciating it more anyone could know.
Delta was now one of our best experiences after having flown USAirways for 10+ years (well, aside from Lufthansa once).
Coming home was on Delta via Houston and we hit our first hiccup upon check-in … our taxi was late picking us up at the hotel and the gate to our flight was closed by the time we got there. The agent could not have been friendlier, checking flights and getting us listed as stand-by for the next available flight for both segments – what else could we do. The point is she was friendly and accommodating despite this being our fault – and putting us on the next flight at no additional cost in a time when airlines are charging for anything and everything. We made both of our flights home as stand-by passengers and we noticed that the deplaning process was just as orderly as Delta.
Doing a little research and looking back on these flights I speculate that the employees of Continental and Delta are content, if not happy, with the employer and the company. I believe they have a profit-sharing plan whereby the employees reap the rewards of happy fliers and increased sales which is important in the overall health of a company and more importantly an airline. Their attitude affects every aspect of flying from the experience at check-in and ticketing to the gate agent and flight attendants.
Was this the reason everyone on the plane was relaxed and orderly when we pulled up to the plane and ready to exit? I’m thinking it is – passengers are greeted at check-in as though their business is appreciated and if there is a problem, such as my delayed taxi, they take care of the problem and help reassure me rather than telling me to try another airline myself. When we were stand-by the agent was constantly hounded by others wanting to know if they were on the flight and she remained calm and pleasant, even joking with us as she handed us our tickets and we sighed with relief. The flight attendants were very pleasant and friendly throughout despite it being a full plane on a holiday weekend.
Yes, I truly believe that the employees working the flights are responsible for the success of these two airlines and I’ll be giving them my business in the future regardless of the price or number of connections.
Returning to Customer Service
I think there will be a shift back to customer service to attract passengers either by trying another airline based on lowest fare or hitting your frustration level where you say, “Never again.”
As airlines are adding more fees and changing their business model, some are opting to ensure customer service is integrated as each new fee is added to a ticket. Those that focus on the customer service aspect will retain and gain passengers while the USAirways, who add fees and have discontent employees, will continue to lose valuable (and preferred) customers to other airlines.
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