Customer Service
 

I fly a lot all over the US and Europe as a passenger. I have noticed over the last 10 years or so that the customer service with all main US carriers have gone bad. So bad that they make NY city cabdrivers look like limo drivers during the Oscars. Rude, obnoxious and plain unhelpful. I always admired Delta since they were trying to be like it was meant to be, but even Delta has gone south the last few years.

Pilots are on here whining and crying about their pay, pension and God forbid they might even have to work for a living. But they have in fact just become bus drivers (same lousy attitude and service). Make your airline better by providing better customer service, better service more passengers will fly with you, more passengers more money. And more money will eventually get you a pay raise.

With the basics not there you are not going to make it.
Why can the "other" (rest of the world) airlines do it and not here in the USA?

Respectfully, I disagree.

90% of (non-business) travelers consider one thing, and one thing only when purchasing a ticket: PRICE.

The internet has created enormous downward pressure on US airlines in domestic markets to provide cheap tickets for the masses. To try and make a profit, airlines have had to cut way back in other areas, and this includes staffing levels. Early retirements and buy-outs save the company money, but they also create the dual problem of eliminating your most experienced workforce while leaving the less-experienced personnel around to do even more work than before.

Frankly, I don't see this downward pressure ever going away, and pay at all levels in the airline industry are at best going to stabilize around current levels. There may be some room for premium ticket costs in the international market where flights are long and extra "goodies" (incl. premium customer service) might (!) cause some customers to pay more, but I doubt it.

This is EXACTLY the airline system the masses of Americans have been pushing for . . . cheap, no-frills, get-her-done travel. Be careful what you wish for, perhaps?

P.S. -- I think customer service overall is still pretty good at most US majors. Don't believe everything (or anything) you read in USA Today. It's called "Mic Paper" for a reason.

Jetcap, what line of work are you in, so we can all complain about how much better your product/service/price used to be?

I am complaining as a passenger on the airlines.

Why can the rest of the world still maintain decent customer service and with US airlines it is far far away, very few exceptions.

In my line of work customer will not only decide by price, but also reliability, customer service and overall performance of the company in the past.

Sounds like I hurt your feelings, for that I am sorry. At least I have you thinking about it and very deep down you agree. But go ahead and try to make me feel bad, if that makes you feel better :D

Again, JetCap, What do you do for a living?

and since you started this thread, by all means, PLEASE give us your professional opinion on how to fix customer service at Delta and other airlines.

Passengers are not going to travel on 1 airline anymore. Plain and simple JetCap, they look for "price"

you are a clear thinking individual, I'm sureeeeeeeee you can figure out why customer service is so bad.

Happy New Year to you

BTW, as your signature says,

If you are dissatisified with the status quo........Good!

Heres the problem, and this is just human nature, not particular to the airlines. When you work for a company that treats you like a slave and pays you little, you become angry, frustrated and an all together miserable human being, which also leads to resentment of the paying passengers. I understand people have choices in life and can opt to leave at will, however due to some circumstances, easier said then done. I have witnessed people getting off an airplane madder then hell, when we were 30 minutes early, I have also witnessed passengers happier then a pig in Sh-t after a 4 hr ground stop, the difference is how they are treated by the Flight Attendant. Its really simple, tell the truth, be honest and treat people like human beings, not cattle. It makes me sad when our Flight Attendants or Gate agents are very short with Grandma, or Mother an Child because they asked what to us may be a simple concept, but to them foreign, remember we do this for a living we know what an "update" means, or "gate checked" bag means. The demographics of large airports also leads to the "not so brightest/educated" personal working the ticket counters etc.......

I walk around Newark and some of these people have such a terrible attitude, it makes me embarrassed to work "with them", or how about when Gate agents see a person standing right in front of them and continue to just type type away on their computers, there job is customer service, its the job they chose. I heard a Gate agent tell a passenger once,"..................... I aint yo damn momma and aint gonna go chasin you when day board da plane", it was embarrassing......., I apologized to the passenger and told her if she could stay by the gate it would be beneficial to her in case we get an earlier dep time etc...

I am done talking, sorry for the grammar I am in a rush but just wanted to give my opinion.


I agree with JetCAP, Customer service needs to be improved, however not on the end of the Pilots, its the gate agents and Flight Attendants...... I am so tired of Flight Attendants complaining that they have to make coffee...........

Passengers do have to realize, "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR", if people didnt get on the airplane dressed like a bum, and act like they DESERVE to be waited on like royalty, maybe they wouldn't get treated better

You never said what you actually do.

please allow me to give my opinion as a former csa and take it for what it is. there are alot of factors that determine why a passenger may decide to fly with xxx airline. as we all know, the main factor being $$$ however passengers also look at other things like non-stop flights/how many layovers, what airport they are laying over at(jfk and atl are generally the most hated from my experience working with pax), who had the latest accident/incident(you'll believe the amount of $h!t i've heard from pax), and customer service. there is a particular airline that i won't mention as it is my experience dealing with passengers that i used to get the most complains about and for that passengers chose to make that connection rather than the non stop flights. that is where the idea of giving amenities for the amount of miles flown with said airline comes into play. you get that passenger to fly for xxx amount of miles a year and he/she/it gets free upgrades, acknowledged as a member, a shiny card to put in there wallet and bag tag for their bag, and the right to b!tch and complain at their convenience(most members fly long enough to know the system therefore won't give csa/fa a hard time but then there are the few). so where i don't think csa has as much weight as the op may suggest, i do agree that it does have more credibility than most may think. and remember customer service is more than just the job of csa, it is for everyone.

Lots of things used to be better back in the day. Since you refuse to tell us what you do, I assume it has gone downhill as well.

How about some details? Lousy/no food? Rude gate agent/FA? Bad landing?

I admire you for choosing your airline on more than price, but unfortunately you are in the minority. Since deregulation, every time an airline has tried to offer a little something extra, for a price, the public voted with their wallet.

You didn't hurt anybody's feelings. However, the employees are stung because their 50% paycuts, loss of pensions, etc., were done so that passengers could continue to fly at low fares. Would you be happy knowing that your company gave 50% sale prices to their customers than took it out of your paycheck, retirement, etc.? I do provide great customer service when I fly. There are many people who you can't please. I have seen unbelievable rudeness shown to CSAs, FA's, etc., when events beyond their control negatively impact passengers. I have seen passengers who were bumped by other airlines, issued a travel voucher on Delta, become irate because Delta couldn't accomodate them. "I will never fly on your horrible airline again!" "I will tell all my friends!". News-flash, they were not even Delta passengers to begin with yet they are ticked at us because their original airline inconvenienced them.

The point is, cheap fares have caused people that would never have flown, have no social skills, etc., to take to the skies "with rights". Free upgrades done to reward loyalty have now turned into rights among passengers. I had a passenger tell me the other day how mad he was that we wouldn't upgrade him because 1st class was full of revenue passengers.

Foreign carriers are often subsidized by the governments. Their citizens still place a premium on manners and customer service. The U.S. lost that a long time ago. An airplane can cost $200 million, a new terminal - several billion, a jetway - 1 million, tugs - $500k.......there is a tremendous cost of capital to run an airline. At some point, you must realize you need to pay the true cost of the product. Until then, you get what you wanted.

"Pilots are on here whining and crying about their pay, pension and God forbid they might even have to work for a living. But they have in fact just become bus drivers (same lousy attitude and service)."

You may have a point about customer service but the above quote gives you less credibility. I take exception to all points in this quote. If your concern is customer service, what should you care about what is posted on this board?! If you think spending 18 days a month away from home is not having to work for a living, I suggest you rethink your idea going of work.

It sounds like you have no clue what the qualifications are to be a major airline pilot. If we are just bus drivers now, I guess my airline will start hiring from greyhound if and when they start hiring again. Oh wait, they require a college degree, a special license granted by the FAA, a medical exam every six months, specialized training etc.....I could go on and on......We can all see how this profession has lost its over all respect by the public from this quote. It's kinda sad.:(

It sounds like you are accusing all pilots of being a bunch of lazy, good for nothing whinners. You are painting with an awfully broad brush there (just like I did in the last paragraph) and yes, I do take offense at that characterization.

Sure would like to know what you do for a living so I can take a swipe at your chosen group.

Oh well, guess this flamebait got a rise out of me!! :D

Denny

Flame Bait Garbage
 

C'mon. Does anyone on this forum really give a rat's @ss what Jetcap37 thinks about airline service? Flame bait all the way. I know that my customer service from the flight deck point of view is absolutely stellar. He's more than welcome to fly NYCityCab Airlines on his next trip if he wants. Good luck with that! Let him flame on without reply.

I just finished a 2 day, 6 legs. Nothing but Smiles, Thank you's, Great Flight, and not a single complaint. Looks like US airlines can do it.:rolleyes:

Glad you have it all figured out. You want better service than a bus, pay more than bus fare. Until you tell us what superior job you have and how many times you've safely taken a bus to Europe I'll write this off as flamebait.

So what do you want us as pilots to do besides get you from point A to B safely, give informative PA's, and give you the occasional directions in the terminal. The real aspects of customer service you are concerned with don't have anything to do with what we as pilots do.

Find the Airline Executive/Manager Cental forum and tell them we said, "hi." :)

(And that we want better work rules, a raise, crew meals, and all that other good stuff.)

New K Now

Nobody quite addressed the difference between European and American customer service.... I'll give it a crack, having grown up (and being) European-Mediterranean:

The main difference basically amounts to socialistic vs capitalistic cultures. In Europe, jobs are NEVER taken for granted, because of the huge backlog of applicants in a diminished employment environment, which tends to exist in socialist countries. There is also tremendous pride in providing good service to customers and doing a good job of it. There does not exist this US attitude of, "What's in it for me" and "You don't owe me squat OR own me for that matter." Over there, a job - especially a customer service job - is an issue of pride and quality. Because of that, customer service is usually top notch. And this still exists EVEN at the airlines that have cut perks/salaries just like over here.

Don't forget that in Europe, there is also less liability in their justice system. Because of that, airlines can maintain younger/more attractive work forces and not get sued over it.

Basically, folks, it's a culture difference. Americans are very proud people that will maintain their pride even in situations where pride should be put aside. This is a result of our hard working values that established this country. Europeans are very proud as well but also understand the value of diplomacy and, even more important, value their jobs a lot more than we do. And when people value their jobs, it brings out the best in them.

73

I think it's the passenegers. I get tired of all the whining when I'm saying goodbye. "I felt like I was on a rollercoaster", "How many Gs was that turn?", "How many landings was that?", "You hurt my back". Jeez, what a bunch of pansies these days. My standard customer service response. "Look, you lived didn't you" :)

Ha ha, I know right? Freakin pansies!:D:D

It's really just nice to hear, "Thanks for getting us here safely." I'm happy with just that.

Jet,

For you to attatch poor customer service at the airlines to pilot performance is sort of like blaming the waiter for a poor meal you get. Unless you are at Mel's Diner-- Flo & Alice are off for the day-- and the guy serving you your food has your plate in one hand and a spatula in the other, he didn't make your food. Furthermore, even if you don't like your food, it sure as hell doesn't mean that the waiter doesn't deserve a raise. Because if the owner/cook prepares crappy meals for the customers, how do you think he treats his employees? :cool:

I had some deadhead legs last month, two one hour legs in Europe and one 2 hour in the States. Europe was a couple of RJs and here it was a 170 or 190. In Europe it was hot towels, drinks, snacks, more drinks and another round of hot towels. Stateside it was one round of "do you want to buy a snack or drink" and then the cabin crew camped in back. I also saw the bill for both flights. In Europe, $1200, here $195. You get what you pay for.

I am a pilot, have been for 17 years. Love my job.

The vagueness is strong with this one.

Not that vague, but I keep forgetting I have to spell everything out.
Not this time though. Just read my other posts and I am sure that most of you can figure out what I do for a living. I am just happy that I made the right decision 14 years ago:D

Nope, probably not, just like you and most others don't give a rat's @ss about all the other paying customers either. And that right there is the biggest problem in US aviation.

Our job is to get you to your destination safely. If you're concerned with customer service, might I suggest taking your drivel to the following sites:

airlineflightattendantforums.com
airlinegateagentforums.com
airlinecustomerserviceagentforums.com

It can be done, has been done and still get's done. Just not very often anymore, the exception to the rule, almost...

And reading most reaction here, it (of course) is never the pilot's fault. Either the FA's, gate agents or management. You all work for the same company, act like it.

Southwest can do it;)

And I don't work for Southwest, so they're not the only ones.;)

And SAABarooski said: " Passengers do have to realize, "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR", if people didnt get on the airplane dressed like a bum, and act like they DESERVE to be waited on like royalty, maybe they wouldn't (he meant would)get treated better "

There you have it! Most folks in the US want to fly on the lowest bidder. They want coast to coast in a leather seat with a 3 course meal for $99.

You won't get steak at McDonalds, or a Big Mac at Ruth's Criss. There's a reason for that.

I agree that customer service is extremely important, but like someone said before, you get what you pay for. I used to work for Safeway Grocery when I was 16--Safeway is the same company as Vons, Dominicks, Randall, etc. They pushed customer service on all employees and we were regularly graded by 'secret shoppers" on our individual customer service performance. This was all in an attempt to increase customer retention. I remember talking to the manager of our store once. He said that in this particular store's lifetime--it was about 7 years old at that point--it had never been able to make a profit. Why? Because the Walmart across town was too difficult to compete with. The last time I checked, it is almost impossible to find help in a WalMart and customer service is virtually nonexistant. BUT, people still shop at Walmart everyday for those low prices. It's the same with the airlines.

In my opinion, making customers pay extra for drinks, checked bags, and all the other crap is a great business move. Why? Because with Orbitz, travelocity, and all the other travel sites, they can then have a lower ticket price--and that franky is what most people care about. Sure, they will b$tch and moan when they get to the airport and find out that they have to pay extra for checked bags, but by that time the airline already has their money. AND, I can guarantee that almost all those people who get off an airplane saying, "I'm never flying on them again!" because of something that happenned, ie. a flight attendant looked at them wrong, the flight was delayed 23 minutes, the landing was "horrible", will still buy a ticket from that same airline next time if, surprise surprise, the price is right:D.

Lastly, maybe it's just because Im still young or maybe because I don't fly all too often, but I feel like most airlines' customer service is atleast satisfactory. Pretty much there is always someone there to say, "Welcome aboard" and then there is someone there to say, "Thanks for flying with us." Someone comes by in the middle of the flight and says "Would you like something to drink?"( the fact that the drink might cost money is NOT the flight attendant's fault, so dont blame him/her for just doing their job). Really, what else do I need????

Lastly, people need to realize that it is probably hard to consistently give what many people consider "great" customer service in the airline industry. There are so many things that are out of the airline's control that can negatively affect a flight: Weather delays, maintenance delays, security delays, etc etc.

Jetcap37=Part135. He is pilot, gate & ticket agent, baggage handler and flight attendant all rolled into one! He must be great at it and expects you to do it too!

That's a pretty broad brush statement. Actually I don't even know why I am typing this, because iyour post is obvious flamebait. Moderators? This gentleman needs to be banished as he has nothing constructive to add to this forum.

Frankly, when we started saying the FA's are here for "your safety" is when I noticed "your service" going to ****.

Bring it on

In all fairness, who on this board is a neutral, objective observer as far as customer service is involved? Certainly not any 121 pilots. Easy now, just hear me out.... As a passenger, you're more than likely singled out (as I would expect you to be) for extra attention and you may not experience what the rest of us coach passengers do.

To me, the front end of my customer service experience involves interaction with the check-in desk agents, the gate agents, and the flight attendants. As a military pilot, I always try to say "hello" to the pilot team on the way in and/or out, but I don't particularly interact or see their behavior or attitude displayed as they go about their job like I do with the other airline employees.

In the last two years, I have flown commercial fairly extensively both CONUS and overseas (Europe, Asia, Africa) as part of my additional duty for the AF. In my experiences, the overall employee attitude has dropped noticeably. It's clearly evident that airline employees across the board are not as happy as they once were and unfortunately this affects customer service. Again, please remember that I'm relating my overall experience. There have been some fantastic employees who went above and beyond the call to help me or other fellow passengers.

In addition, I would have to say that the decline in attitude and customer service is noticeably greater among US based carriers than overseas carriers. It's not huge, but it is noticeable.

Due to the amount of flying I've done, now I pretty much get to fly first class. I hate to admit it, but I dread ever having to go back to coach in these current times.

Don't be ****ed, I'm just offering my opinion based on my experiences. Take it for what it's worth or sh!tcan it if you want. Someday I hope to be sitting in the right or left seat with some of you guys/gals, but I'm really dismayed by what's happening to the whole industry. It's sad to me to see this and I hope for everyone's sake that things get better!

Fully understood. Couple things to consider. You should see how some employees treat OTHER airline employees. Especially when DH'ing.

Also, it seems if just about EVERY industry that deals with the public on such a giant scale has had declining customer service for years. Just like the airlines.

Deleted.............

I think its just a CAL & XJT thing, not the Pilot's but by golly some of the CAL FA's and Gate Agents treat Express employees like trash, unbelievable..........:(

Disclaimer: I have seen many CAL Gate agents & FA go above and beyond for me as well, but man down there in IAH there is this one old miserable little man that is like the SOUP NAZI of Gate Agents......

You ever flown UAX? It's not just a CAL/XJT thing.

You are probably right in many ways, that I do not dispute. I will offer this though. We as US employees not only have to fight our company, we have to fight the government. Example: I was in Italy once (Don't remember which airport.. I think VCE) and there was a huge commotion among the passengers. I heard one of them say "The Alitalia Flight Attendants just called a strike" So all those pax were scrambling for another flight. The interesting thing was that the Italians were not all that ****ed about the event. It is a somewhat accepted occurrance there. We, as US corporations are afforded no such luxury. So... sure the employees are becoming surly. We have no recourse to fight the company on our own because of that damned RLA. If we can get the gubmint out of our business, we can be a little more successful in controlling our own destiny. JMHO

Didn't say I don't care about my customer's service. Like Johnso, I frequently get nice comments from the pax regarding the nice flight, great landing, etc... I just don't give a rat's @ss what a doosh bag flame baiter like you thinks about the industry's customer service.