Originally Posted by
Duke990
I've worked the Delta Connection side for 5 years and now I work for CommutAir. The difference in service is astounding. I find our crews are always busting their butts trying to make everything work right, but it's like leading a horse to water only to have it stand there stubbornly not drinking. I'm Dulles based and the ground handling from Air Wisconsin is absolutely abysmal. Trying to get a lav service, commissary, or ground air is an effort in futility. "Hey ops, we need blah blah blah." "Copy" Aaaaaand, then nothing happens until I walk into the commissary area and say we need commissary at gate so and so. Then I walk into the ramper break room and say, "hey guys, this is a Q200, we don't have an APU, we need ground air. It's 90 degrees today." And they look at me like they have no idea what I'm talking about. I won't even get started on the customer service agents "above the wing."
I feel so terrible for the passengers. By the time they get to my plane, they are already ****ed off. I try to make my part of the experience as enjoyable as possible (it is a Dash8 after all) but I can only do so much. I really hope United gets its act together....and soon!
When dealing with UAX I just advise the station on the in-range call that we will be needing lav, bug-wash, commissary, etc and we will not be leaving until we get it. The delay will be on them, and I follow up with a phone call to the company to make darn sure the delay sticks where it belongs. I think they know who I am now, but I always seem to get what I ask for.
I do however try to plan PITA ground service requests for the longer turns so the station isn't hopelessly under the gun.
That's about the best I can do with UAX.