Latest absurdity (or Jump the Shark part XII)

[Dont call me Shirley]

In an effort to cut costs, US Airways will discontinue the use of ticket jackets effective 7/9/2008. BPs will just be handed out loose! So much for the legalese and disclaimers on the ticket jackets. As for bag claim stubs for those customers who have forked over $15.00 to check a bag, agents are to attach them to the back of the BP stub. Just don’t lose them in case you have file a bag claim! Now I know that most people don’t read the fine print on the jackets – but it can be handy for an agent to be able to point out such fine print from time to time. (Funny thing, some old timer agents can remember being told that they had to offer a ticket jacket to every customer – precisely because of said legal notices). And the phone numbers on the ticket jackets might come in handy for customers once in a while.

Existing supplies of ticket jackets are to discarded, not to used after 7/9 – they contain the old baggage policy. I thought the advertising on the back of the ticket jacket paid – or helped pay – for them. (My favorite were the ones for the National Guard, complete with a postage paid reply card good for a free NG T-shirt…and maybe a free trip to Iraq? J )

The current batch of ticket jackets carry a GEICO ad. Will they get their money back now that the ticket jackets are hitting the trash?

 

[InternationalShannon]

The current batch of ticket jackets carry a GEICO ad. Will they get their money back now that the ticket jackets are hitting the trash?

I don't work at US Airways but if I did, I'd suggest you tape them together and make blankets to sell on the MEX flight because only 4 people will speak English and of those 4 people, about 3 will not bother to read the ticket jacket and the remaining one fell asleep while the goat in the carryon bin grabbed it out of his pocket and ate it for lunch.

 

[aredeeyou22]

In an effort to cut costs, US Airways will discontinue the use of ticket jackets effective 7/9/2008. BPs will just be handed out loose! So much for the legalese and disclaimers on the ticket jackets. As for bag claim stubs for those customers who have forked over $15.00 to check a bag, agents are to attach them to the back of the BP stub. Just don’t lose them in case you have file a bag claim! Now I know that most people don’t read the fine print on the jackets – but it can be handy for an agent to be able to point out such fine print from time to time. (Funny thing, some old timer agents can remember being told that they had to offer a ticket jacket to every customer – precisely because of said legal notices). And the phone numbers on the ticket jackets might come in handy for customers once in a while.

Existing supplies of ticket jackets are to discarded, not to used after 7/9 – they contain the old baggage policy. I thought the advertising on the back of the ticket jacket paid – or helped pay – for them. (My favorite were the ones for the National Guard, complete with a postage paid reply card good for a free NG T-shirt…and maybe a free trip to Iraq? J )

The current batch of ticket jackets carry a GEICO ad. Will they get their money back now that the ticket jackets are hitting the trash?

Oh lord.

Why is this absurd? If anything, we should be happy that the world will be a little bit greener. Ticket jackets were helpful when people had paper tix, with lotsa paper, and had to hold the paper ticket along with their boarding passes.

Those days are gone. You have a simple boarding pass. U need a jacket for that?

Kudos for saving $$ and going green!

 

[Iheartflying]

I fail to see the absurdity. They rarely get used. It can save some trees and save some money. Many airlines don't use ticket jackets and they seem to be doing ok.

 

[tadjr]

You have a simple boarding pass. U need a jacket for that?

Yes people do. You'd be surprised at how many people put it somewhere, but they dont remember where. Also, try giving them to a family of 4 or more with conx. They are everywhere. I've just started stapling them all together.
On a side note- I asked corporate (and havent received an answer) if we are doing this, why dont they do something to at least make it look like the reason is that we're going green. Now it just looks like we're going cheaper than cheap. Another missed opportunity to at least APPEAR that we know what we're doing and have a reason other than $ for doing something. I suggested printing some stickers for where the jackets used to be saying "we're going green". Perceptions guys, sometimes that is all it takes. :down:

 

[GolfNovember]

As far as presenting policies, will we be getting some sort of pamphlet or something stating our policies to be given upon request? I'm sure that the airline has a legal responsibility to present that to any customer who wants to see it (we do online, but in print?).

 

[Aryeh]

Those days are gone. You have a simple boarding pass. U need a jacket for that?

Kudos for saving $$ and going green!
[/quote]
The new policy eliminates using ticket jackets but some passengers still travel with paper tickets; especially those originating outside the US. So those "those days" are not gone.
And going green has nothing to do with this desperate idea. My attempts to have a recycling policy have always been met with disinterest at my station. In fact if going green had anything to do with this new policy, we would be told to recycle the unused ticket jackets instead being told to destroy them.

 

[jerseyfinn]

Aside from your boarding pass, the baggage claim receipt is the next most important thing you receive on a flight. I always found it terribly inconvenient to have the baggage claim stuck on that cumbersome ticket jacket which is itself simply another object to jam into a pocket. I always rip the claim off of the jacket and stick that in my wallet and discard the (useless) jacket.

We noticed a few years ago that the agents at BCN and MAD almost always put the baggage claim receipt on the back of your boarding pass. A excellent idea in my opinion since one should always keep their boarding pass stub in case of missing miles etc. Actually, lacking a baggage claim receipt should not be a problem since one can look that up on the record locater ( assuimg of course that your computer system works ).

It's a good move to get rid of those cumbersome jackets since the boarding pass itself is the most important document one needs and it is adequately sized/configured for easy use. Of course if US wanted to act like a thinking airline, they could conjure up a card similarly sized to the bag claim ticket and affix the baggage claim to this card which could have contact phone numbers on the back while allowing the pax to easily put the claim receipt into their wallet or purse.

Barry

 

[flyJOE]

some passengers still travel with paper tickets; especially those originating outside the US. So those "those days" are not gone.

Actually, they are. IATAN officially eliminated paper tickets at the end of May.
http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/2008-31-05-01.htm


With a majority of tickets on US being issued online instead of through toll free resv., all of the legal stuff on the ticket jackets are available to them online at the time of purchase. Of course, probably 99% of them do not read it.

 

[SegmentKing]

2 things->

the IATA ticket mandate only affects international travel. ARC will continue to process paper tickets for a few years.

Ticket Wallets->

At my old station, we only gave them out when passengers requested them, and this was *2* years ago. And especially if they were only doing a single flight.. we'd just hand their boarding card with the bag tags attached to the BP stub.

Air Canada took it a step further... their paper passes have a "sleeve" on the back, about an inch high, so when you give out connecting boarding passes, they slide into the back of your origination pass... which is a FANTASTIC idea.

Jetblue, Spirit, USA3000, and even Allegiant have never had ticket wallets... they staple the receipt-paper boarding passes to a 1/3rd page heavy paper stock with the legalese on it. I know United has just rolled over to these cheap paper stock, and wouldn't be shocked to see UA do this. I'm wondering if USAirways should also look into it.

I'm not sure cutting them out ENTIRELY is a good idea, but having them "on request" or limiting their use for large families/groups with connections, etc..

 

[doing it on my knees]

We should just start stamping the seat assignments on the passengers foreheads. Everyone will know what seat you belong in and we can save all of the paper. Tell them it's a new TSA policy and trust me, they'll buy it.

 

[jimntx]

Granted the rules are available on-line. Are there provisions for the time (which you know will happen) that the passenger is objecting to something, you say the rules regarding refunds can be found on line at www.getalife.com, and the passenger responds, "I don't have a computer. My religion forbids it"?

 

[jimcfs]

Granted the rules are available on-line. Are there provisions for the time (which you know will happen) that the passenger is objecting to something, you say the rules regarding refunds can be found on line at www.getalife.com, and the passenger responds, "I don't have a computer. My religion forbids it"?

You're not that far off there, jimntx... There are some here in southern WV that believe that computers and the internet are from Satan. I highly doubt you'd see any of these types on an airplane anytime soon... unless it's to get some new snakes for their services.

 

[dexter]

So whats the real story here curbside. Skycaps given pink slips because it is passenger service protected work and now they are told they are not laid off?

Some underlying new plan by the sandcastle?

Should be interesting to see it play out. The company knows it is now not work performed by the skycap as it entails money collection for first and second bag. It will be a cluster for sure!

 

[LCC_#1]

You're not that far off there, jimntx... There are some here in southern WV that believe that computers and the internet are from Satan. I highly doubt you'd see any of these types on an airplane anytime soon... unless it's to get some new snakes for their services.

We found Jesus...no more ticket jackets. Next? Prayers on your boarding pass. JesUS loves you! Maybe that would calm down the masses as we continue to piiss off customers by penny, nickeling, and diming them to death. :huh: