Originally Posted by
buzzpat
I agree FC. But here's my take: I was flying last week in the Northeast as well. The "predicted snow" was no where near what they though. DAL cancelled a lot of flights trying to avoid the new passenger bill of rights that limits ramp time on the aircraft. I spent two hours needlessly in MSP waiting to fly into ATL for the snow that never came. Also, case in point: I flew back into SNA on the back end of a grueling 5-day. We had to wait for 45 minutes upon arrival for our (Delta) only gate to open. We've contracted the other two out to Alaska as part of the code share. Even though one of the Alaska gates was open, our ops wouldn't clear us in. So, we sat, engine running for 45 minutes.
When we deplaned, a Delta frequent flyer platinum dude laid into me about the delay. No clue, no thanks for the pristine landing into a 5701' runway, or the brand new airplane that smelled like a new car with satellite TV and wireless. Nope, he was ****ed that we didn't have a gate. Now THAT'S a company issue, not the weather or the bill of rights. Plus, the Delta ops guy I was appealing to on the radio could have cared less. That's a lack of customer service on all fronts. I'm with you FC, we can bust our ass for the cause but if the rest of the team doesn't step up, its on us.
Jumpseating out of JFK a few months back to go overseas, and we ended up waiting in the check-in line at the ticket counter. Must have been about 15-20 people waiting on line with a floating 2-3 representatives helping customers. Basically ended up waiting over an hour until we got helped, which isn't my complaint as a jumpseater. My complaint is watching a First-Class passenger waiting in the Business/FC line for over 30 minutes waiting for someone to call them to the counter. Funny thing is this guy was the ONLY guy in the first class line.
Personally, I find things like this unacceptable, most times these FC passengers pay 5 figure ticket prices on average, especially on long-haul international flights. When these passengers show up to the airport the white gloves should come on immediately. Having a special red carpet on a separate partitioned line that is on most times as long as the regular line doesn't hack it.
I've seen overseas carriers provide curbside check-in counters in a separate part of the terminal with direct access through security to the club lounge. That is why we will lose money hand over fist on the international side of the house unless we straighten these issues out.
I've also seen a flight attendant refuse a FC passenger a bottle of water during the boarding process. Honestly that is not a common scenario, but even if it occurs a few times the end result is turning away a customer in the long run.