IMPRESSIONS OF INCOMPETENCE

[dexter]

Hearing many passengers complain the water provided in bottles tastes like chemicals. Do you think the water served to our passengers is also well beyond expiration and the chemicals from the plastic are leaking into the H2O?

 

[signals]

Ok you are right. I was just trying to find good in something, but I guess you're right, there isn't much. Honestly, this airline has alienated me over the past two or so years, and I've had so many bad experiences that I don't want to fly US anymore. BUT I've also had many good ones. There are some wonderful, friendly people who work for US. I've never been treated poorly by anyone on the inflight crew. I own a company, and I know that my revenue helps to employ people. I really thought that most of the problems were really just PHL related. This board has helped me see that there is A LOT more wrong than just understaffing and incompetant staffing...

I run a small company, and I can first off, say that I am convinced that this recession we are now in is going to be really bad. Not only can I see it in the markets, I can also see in in our sales, and our receivables. People are paying us a lot slower, and some can't pay at all... What we are seeing right now is just the beginning, mark my words. AND, the only companies that are going to make it between now and the next five or so years have to be stable, and really have their crap together, especially the airlines.

I mean, if you were an entrepreneur and you wanted to start a new business, there could be nothing worse than an airline. Your cost of good sold is variable by the minute (fuel) - your maintenance costs are through the roof, the equipment you need depreciates really fast, and the cost of labor only increases over time, etc. And to make it worse, many of your customers actually purchase the product months before the service is delivered... All businesses have their struggles, but most businesses have a profit margin that can be controlled... I know how difficult it is to restructure a company like this, that is broken, while the costs are increasing on a daily basis - and the answer is really having the right direction from the top, a pricing model that works, and a SOLID team of managers and management, that have perfected communications and has the respect of the team. I am convinced that US has none of these key pieces, and you're right, now they are losing their frequent flyers.

I know you're losing elites. I for one only flew US, but for the past few months, I've been shopping around. I've met others already on Delta and Continental (a lot on CO)... I really started looking around not because of price, but for me, it is cleanliness and interiors in need of repair. I associate that with poor maintenance, and poor management. I know that I'm probably wrong about the maintenance, but in the real world, dirty generally equals disorganization.

If this economy begins to fail, there will be very little time to restructure before huge losses start to occur.

Sorry for rambling...

Congratulations! Now you have the right feather suit on and you can hang-out with the other birds.

Thanks again for flying Misery & Co. Airways!

 

[signals]

I was working FC a little while back, getting my potato chips outta the bag, (yes, potato chips... no sunchips to be found) getting ready to "neatly arrange" them in the sad excuse of a basket, which is rare that I got that even, only to notice BEFORE I got to the pax that they had expired in October. This was Januay, my friends. We are getting left overs from God knows who. I wonder how many times this happens.

Speaking from my area...A LOT! I see it especially on sodas and juices that sometimes are expired over a year!

Sad part is that these come from ALL airlines at my location not just US. Apparently they FINALLY get thrown out after a year.

 

[signals]

Any idea of who a concerned customer might report this little tidbit to??

Customers should have a reasonable expectation that the beverage or snack they consume in the aircraft is both safe and conforms to the same standards of their local supermarket.

First, I'd say always check all expiration dates, on airlines and everywhere else for that matter, just to make sure this may be an isolated incident. Ask the fa for another one and see if it is like that with all of the same products. Then I'd say write to a consumer group or call or write the product company themselves. The latter might get better results because they are in it for the sales and can't make sales on over-expired products. That is just my opinion, btw.

 

[vantheman63]

Writing the manufacturer is an idea I'd not considered. It would put pressure on from a different direction. The only thing with that is you'd most likely have to have not only the expiration date but the lot number of the case so the manafacturer could track it. It is a good idea and if I get an expired beverage next time I travel I'll do as you suggest and report back with the results.

What do you think of contacting the Health department in the departing city? That might work??????

The media is always an option as well and there is no law that says I can't take the beverage or snack container off the plane.

Piney - Having worked MANY years in the "consumer packaged goods" business....I can tell you with 100% accuracy, a BUNCH of this stuff is bought and sold in "aftermarket" channels. I would not be AT ALL surprised if US was buying in these channels.

What happens is a legitimate distributor/retailer buys a lot of goods and then, for whatever reason, doesn't sell it. Sometimes the lots are mis-rotated, sometimes they over-buy...but when the goods are expired, there's an entire "gray market" that buys "damages" and then re-sells them in bulk. If someone told me US was buying like this, not only would I believe it, I'd say, "makes a ton of sense."

The crazy thing is, "I never thought to look" and I was trained to look at expiration dates and lot codes.

The ONE product they have almost no chance of doing that with is Bud....A-B are FREAKS (in a good way) about controlling this "gray market" activity. And, you can REALLY taste a beer that is old.

But going to the manufacturer is a good call...they would not want their product(s) represented like that.

I think the media is a dead end...they MIGHT care ('cause there would be a story to sell) if expired pharma products were involved....but old chips and water? They have MUCH larger stories to report.....err, sell.

 

[signals]

Writing the manufacturer is an idea I'd not considered. It would put pressure on from a different direction. The only thing with that is you'd most likely have to have not only the expiration date but the lot number of the case so the manafacturer could track it. It is a good idea and if I get an expired beverage next time I travel I'll do as you suggest and report back with the results.

What do you think of contacting the Health department in the departing city? That might work??????

The media is always an option as well and there is no law that says I can't take the beverage or snack container off the plane.

The health department thing might not be a good idea. There's too much red tape and headaches.

The product could have been put on board in any city the plane flew in the past days or more. The best thing is to take the product with you and call it in with the lot number. This will help them locate the supplier or seller.

You could try the media, but here's my take on the whole thing...
There will be a lot of finger-pointing and red tape. I'll say right off that it isn't the crews fault, nor their jobs to check all expiration dates! But that's where it'll start. Then the airline...then the airport...then the supplier...then the infinity!

Like I said, though, expiration dates should always be checked everywhere food and beverages are sold like in supermarkets or any other food and beverage store.

 

[SS255]

"...I am proud to say that we won 11th best company to work for in PA in 2007, and we were 22nd in 2006 We would be nothing without our employees. They keep our ship afloat. I believe that if we don't provide a great work environment, our product will suck, and if our product sucks, we will lose our customers. It's not always about the price of the goods. People will pay for good service, but the company must live up to those expectations.

Hmmm......Maybe you should be CEO of US Airways!

 

[SS255]

I run a small company, and I can first off, say that I am convinced that this recession we are now in is going to be really bad. Not only can I see it in the markets, I can also see in in our sales, and our receivables. People are paying us a lot slower, and some can't pay at all... What we are seeing right now is just the beginning, mark my words. AND, the only companies that are going to make it between now and the next five or so years have to be stable, and really have their crap together, especially the airlines...

If this economy begins to fail, there will be very little time to restructure before huge losses start to occur.

I think that this is just the tip of the iceberg, recession-wise. I think this country is fast headed into a depression. And to make matters worse, in addition to the fact that the American dollar is fast becoming worthless, personal savings rates are lower now than they have ever been. People are so heavily into debt that even the slightest increase in expenses will have a dramatic effect on their discretionary spending.

I believe that discretionary leisure AND business travel will drop off heavily in the next couple of years, and all of the airlines will feel the impact. I think that US is probably in the worst position of all of the domestic airlines, due to their high costs, poor labor relations, horrible IT infrastructure, overall image problem, and propensity for making ALL customers feel like they are liabilities instead of assets. US must invest in their infrastructure if they have any hope at all of riding out the current and future wave of economic downslide.

 

[vantheman63]

I think that this is just the tip of the iceberg, recession-wise. I think this country is fast headed into a depression. And to make matters worse, in addition to the fact that the American dollar is fast becoming worthless, personal savings rates are lower now than they have ever been. People are so heavily into debt that even the slightest increase in expenses will have a dramatic effect on their discretionary spending.

Oh dear....

Oh dear....

Oh dear....

Oh dear....

 

[SolidCactus]

I think that this is just the tip of the iceberg, recession-wise. I think this country is fast headed into a depression. And to make matters worse, in addition to the fact that the American dollar is fast becoming worthless, personal savings rates are lower now than they have ever been. People are so heavily into debt that even the slightest increase in expenses will have a dramatic effect on their discretionary spending.

I believe that discretionary leisure AND business travel will drop off heavily in the next couple of years, and all of the airlines will feel the impact. I think that US is probably in the worst position of all of the domestic airlines, due to their high costs, poor labor relations, horrible IT infrastructure, overall image problem, and propensity for making ALL customers feel like they are liabilities instead of assets. US must invest in their infrastructure if they have any hope at all of riding out the current and future wave of economic downslide.

I agree 110% and it scares the hell out of me... Not only for the airline industry, but for every industry.

I agree about a depression too, in the near future... I'd guess recession in 2008 and 2009 - and depression by 2010. I'm just hoping that we've learned from our mistakes as a country, and our economic wizards will have what it takes to prevent this, but I don't have much hope for the near future. The fact is, the housing crisis is not enough to cause this downfall in itself, but combine this with rising oil prices, and the fact that we dont have the ability to control the increase in energy prices, I feel that doom is iminent...

The only corporations that will weather this storm are those with strong balance sheets and good labor relations... In my opinion

 

[SS255]

And our country's pre-eminent crusader against corporate greed is now a disgraced former governer of NY!

 

[SolidCactus]

If I were the CEO of US Airways, this is what I would be trying to achieve...

First and foremost, I would want to give the employees a product that they could be proud of. There is nothing that generates poor morale more than asking someone to represent a product that they don't believe in. You guys all say that management reads these forums. I hope someone reads this.

I would remove routes that are not economically practical, instead of (and I may be wrong here, I dont have the facts)... Instead of, subsidizing less profitable routes at the expense of overcharging on popular routes.

Exceed expectations. This is the one thing that is huge for driving brand loyalty. Honestly, I can't think of one thing that US does that exceeds my expectations. I know that may sound biased, or mean, but it is true. Jet Blue gives me television, Air Tran gives me XM radio and a wide variety of beverage choices... Contintental, Delta and NWA give me a first class experience that I feel exceeds what I've paid for it. NWA served a me a full hot meal in first class on a flight that was only 1.5 hrs. Contintntal first class, and Delta first class have a nice meal, and awesome wines... Contintntal in coach does two beverage runs on a 2 hr flight. Frontier served me warm cookies at 2 am on a redeye. Virgin America served a 4 course meal in First Class on a red eye. Also, the coach experience is phenominal. They have a self service cooler at the back of the plane with water in it, comfortable seats, and mood lighting, along with TV service. Southwest gives you a very decent snack, usually a big bag of Ritz something crackers, or peanuts. Southwest has leather seats and very good leg room. United (which I dislike for the most part mostly because of bad experiences at ORD) has economy plus seating. I could actually go on and on with this, because there are more things about every airline that exceed my expectations...

When Tempe took over, they did begin by exceeding my expectations - they brightened up the company colors, painted the planes, cleaned up the interiors, cleaned up the gates in PHL, etc. But now, two years or so into this - the competition is blowing US away. They are all begining to position themselves better for the upcoming economic doom... When the economy starts to suffer, now more than ever, people want to feel that they are getting their money's worth. There is nothing wrong with being a low cost carrier, but that doesnt mean it is not important to exceed the customer's expectations. Add $.25 cents to my ticket price and give me snack that makes me go OOOH! The bean counters have too much control here at US Airways, and they are not being balanced out by a department that goes to bat for better service. I'm scared for US, because it seems like the accounting mentality is taking, or has completely taken over, and this is very dangerous. They will eventually squeeze any value the product has, out of the product. They will cheapen things until they are disfunctional.

Make changes, and execute them well. As a customer, I think US is pretty good at this, BUT the recent changes have all been negative. My belief is that all negative changes should be accented by positive ones too. Negative changes do not go over well when nobody is seeing improvements. AND if positive changes occur, don't be afraid to communicate them. BUT if you communicate them, and I dont see them, again, this would disappoint me. An example, I see the improvement in on time for Dec, Jan and Feb... That's positive. I also do see improvements in PHL (although most of the employees in the F terminal leave a lot to be desired). Tell me about it, and ASK me, the customer - what I think you can do better.

Price the product around the expectations. If the bean counters feel that the first class experience should be that of "business class", then don't price it as a premium product. As it stands now, the first class experience has nothing that Air Tran can't deliver. SWF or PHL - PBI, 3 hours, Air Tran has a better first class product than US Air does. It costs me $289-$339 - US was costing me somewhere around $800. I'm not going to pay that, and neither will most others once they do it one time. It can go either way - class it out, and charge the higher price, or downgrade it and charge a lower price, but make it feel like a good value for the customer.

I'm sure I could think of some more things, but these are really the most important in my eyes. I'm not trying to be a downer. It is really important to me to see US Airways succeed. I've lived in PA all my life, and US Airways is a huge employer in PA. I used to be really proud to be a customer of US Airways.

 

[vantheman63]

If I were the CEO of US Airways, this is what I would be trying to achieve...I'm sure I could think of some more things, but these are really the most important in my eyes. I'm not trying to be a downer. It is really important to me to see US Airways succeed. I've lived in PA all my life, and US Airways is a huge employer in PA. I used to be really proud to be a customer of US Airways.

To expand on "pricing".....

One of the secrets of WN is that their pricing strategy is VERY transparent...that allows the customer to feel as though they have an understanding and therefore make a determination on value.

Seems to me that CO is also working somewhat from this model. I say "somewhat," because there are some pretty bizzare prices on some route....like PVD-EWR at $400....or something like that. (I've always thought that type of pricing was designed to KEEP pax of airplanes.

Anyway...the pricing at US is a complete disaster....probably worse then the product itself...for example, I bought a ticket, CHS-ROA on DL...$381....on US, $515. I find that more and more too....

Thank GOD I can avoid US, like the plague, 90% of the time.

 

[sharktooth]

Some of us are fighting back in a different way.

What's worse than losing a high frequency or high yield customer to another carrier?

The answer is a FF'er that actually costs you money to cart around.

Excellent, sir!

It is the old saying about keeping ones hands on the throttles vs carrying a picket sign. Good luck.

 

[mtwphl]

What's the positive? Watching the airline implode due to disgruntled employees who think that things are unfair? After 9/11 many US employees were terminated and never returned. US Airways was hurting and it is tough do-do that AWA bought them at a liquidation sale. If customer satisfaction sucks, it would be the fault of the EMPLOYEES who deal with the public. Not management.

The ones responsible for improving operations, increasing customer satisfaction, and providing a clean work environment are who THE EMPLOYEE sees when they look in the mirror. If the employee is disatisfied perhaps all your points would be achieved if there is someone willing to do their job. Good help is hard to find, but someone who is willing to do the job isn't!

Someone is soooo full of Kool-Aid they are just about to bust. The customer is getting just what the management is paying for and nothing more. And this is a result of all the good help management has brought to the company. Close most of your outside mtnc. stations and farm out the work and viola!!!!! We employees can't make lemonaid from crap sandwiches the company is serving up. Short staffed and overworked employees don't supply a good service. And We don't do the hiring!