Suffered through bad customer service on AA? They have the memo on it now..and a rant
Tags :Rant
American Airlines recently sent a memo to
employees outlining a few things about their customer service (thanks Bas
for this article as I fly them constantly). Apparently there is a
small scare the United might take some business away.
American shares service complaints
To help keep customers, airline asks flight attendants to improve
12:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, April 14, 2004
By ERIC TORBENSON / The Dallas Morning News
Poor service from flight attendants may cost American Airlines Inc. crucial
business customers in the Northeast, according to focus groups with some
of the carrier's top customers.
Fort Worth-based American detailed the bad news in a recent letter sent
to thousands of flight attendants ... and asked them to improve their performance.
If it weren't for American's schedule and frequent-flier program, top corporate
fliers said, they'd switch carriers, according to the letter from American
regional manager John Tiliacos. Travel managers at major companies ..are
being pressured by their employees to seek an alternate carrier to do business
with instead of American, the letter said.
Several thousand flight attendants based in Boston, New York and Washington,
D.C., received the letter, which was dated March 30.
I have been quite lucky I think in who I deal with. If you treat
them well they normally treat you just as nice. It is the yelling
snotty people that get a lot of bad service I have watched. Example
in a moment.
Among the complaints from corporate customers, some
of whom recently switched to American from bankrupt United Airlines Inc.:
Flight attendants weren't enthusiastic, friendly or helpful.
Flight attendants complain to customers about pay cuts and work conditions
and blame poor service on cost cutting.
We are afraid of your flight attendants and afraid to ask for anything,
as they seem annoyed when we do ask for something, one client said.
The letter quotes an unnamed managing director of global operations for
one customer telling American: You are making it very difficult for us
to make our people fly AA because of your poor service.
From a recent trip of mine to LA two weeks ago:
Under no circumstances should you get on a full flight that is over 3 hours
long, while everyone is deadly quiet in First Class and proceed to pick
up your cell phone and have a conversation which is entirely how bad, sucky,
rude and terrible the gate agents and flight attendants are. You
have just secured yourself a very lonely service flight as they are walking
the aisles hearing you. If other passengers around you are grimacing
at what you are saying that might be a fine time to not say it. We
do not care if you work for (insert very large plane manufacturer here
that is quite close to Boring) and fly a billion miles every two months.
We do not care if you were unable to secure a seat in First Class
next to your son (who I might add put on his headphones and pretended not
to know you as he was sitting next to me). Had you got your ass on
the plane and asked someone of the 20 people in the section I guarantee
I even would have moved to let you two sit together. I have done
so before even in coach from an aisle to middle because it is nice to sit
with friends/family on a long flight. Lastly we really don't care
if you wonder why they didn't bring you water or orange juice already since
it is a morning flight. Had you not been yelling solo into the telephone
you might have noticed they served everyone but you. Your son had
a fine two glass beverage.
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On Friday, April 30th, 2004 by Chris Miller
