In your opinion, do you think this holiday travel season has been, shall we say, exceptionally challenging? Delayed flights, wrap around long lines, cranky customers, overbookings, multiple reservations/computer issues, short staffing, mandatory overtime (you are expected to work) without notice.....sound familiar?? Do the seasoned "experienced" agents feel like you're taking on triple the work load lately due to the influx of new hires into the system?
QUESTION for the AIRPORT CUSTOMER SERVICE people..
- Thread starter PBI2FLL
- Start date
Funny you should mention that. Got this tonight from a friend at work.
Horrible day at work. Lots of delays. PHX 1 hr late. Ramp on a slowdown causing lots of delays. Lots of sickcalls-half the ramp and lots of agents. Very short-handed. People are getting burned out. XXXXXXX almost quit tonite, XXX has had it. We're so short its ridiculous. XXXXXX is losing control of the station and his superoirs know it. He has to rectify it soon or hes gone
I personally have 110 hours for the last two weeks and am burned out as well. Many days there is me and 1 (2 if we're lucky) people for 12 kiosks, and 2 at ticketing. Now, on a normal day this would be ok, but at 85-100% load factors, holiday travelers, etc. it doesnt work. We have been lucky a couple of times when the supervisor convinced someone to stay a while, but its been few and far between this holiday season.
1) Delayed equipment instalation means training in Nov-Jan. Thats doable, even though not the best timing, but COVER THE AGENTS IN TRAINING! Not being done.
2) You know you have baggage problems during the holidays, plan for it with a little help. Nope, 2 agents in baggage, cant get out of the office since they decided to switch to a new system thats vastly superior :down: to the one everyone KNEW HOW TO USE. Bags everywhere with no one to sort since the baggage agents are busy taking more claims. Maybe ask someone to come in at night in skivvies to help out. Nope, excuse is cant get anyone to take overtime. Maybe because they dont want to be the 2nd person in the office! Hello, rocket science here. The other carriers have extra help right now, why not us?
3)Managers solution to the baggage issue the other night when both baggage agents were sick and didnt feel like staying until the morning shift came in.... put them on carts and put them in the back for the AM agent to handle. AM agent came in and went ballistic. 7 carts of bags sitting there waiting for someone to do something with them.
4) How about temp upgrades for a couple months? We are currently 3 part timers short to begin with and we all know that even if they hired someone off the street today, it would be Feb-Mar before they could do much of anything on their own. Supposedly the temp upgrades were ok with the next guy up the ladder. Nope, no temp upgrades even though we know we have people in training and are full and always have trouble covering shifts over the holidays with everyone having plans. Nope, schedule people their 5 hours and then say they wont work overtime so its their fault we're short staffed. (Hope theres a nice bonus involved at least)
5) Had 2 kiosks out the week before Christmas and then 2 more decide to stop Christmas Eve day. Finally got 2 of them working day after Christmas and the other 2 working this week. Push everyone through the kiosks and then cant get the equipment to fix them (we're going to new kiosks so you're lucky if they have the parts for the current ones).
6) Major kiosk issues with 401 tickets not coming thru the system so it cant find them to check in. Also something wrong with many UA 016 tickets. It appears schedule change or booking code issues and it kicks them out. I had about 10 tickets the other day in two hours that the kiosk couldnt check in. With 2 agents on 12 kiosks, that take a lot of time out of being able to handle the rest of the people checking in and being able to help them. Grandma and Hans refuse to even attempt to use the computer so the line just continues to grow while they stand there waiting for help. Of course with no one available to queue the line, by the time you actually look up from what you're doing its out the door again and you get to start all over with trying to get it cleared.
7) Major stress, major issues not being addressed, major burn out.
I could go on, but I just worked myself up again and today was my day off. Must go take some more pills now to chill.
😛h34r:
Horrible day at work. Lots of delays. PHX 1 hr late. Ramp on a slowdown causing lots of delays. Lots of sickcalls-half the ramp and lots of agents. Very short-handed. People are getting burned out. XXXXXXX almost quit tonite, XXX has had it. We're so short its ridiculous. XXXXXX is losing control of the station and his superoirs know it. He has to rectify it soon or hes gone
I personally have 110 hours for the last two weeks and am burned out as well. Many days there is me and 1 (2 if we're lucky) people for 12 kiosks, and 2 at ticketing. Now, on a normal day this would be ok, but at 85-100% load factors, holiday travelers, etc. it doesnt work. We have been lucky a couple of times when the supervisor convinced someone to stay a while, but its been few and far between this holiday season.
1) Delayed equipment instalation means training in Nov-Jan. Thats doable, even though not the best timing, but COVER THE AGENTS IN TRAINING! Not being done.
2) You know you have baggage problems during the holidays, plan for it with a little help. Nope, 2 agents in baggage, cant get out of the office since they decided to switch to a new system thats vastly superior :down: to the one everyone KNEW HOW TO USE. Bags everywhere with no one to sort since the baggage agents are busy taking more claims. Maybe ask someone to come in at night in skivvies to help out. Nope, excuse is cant get anyone to take overtime. Maybe because they dont want to be the 2nd person in the office! Hello, rocket science here. The other carriers have extra help right now, why not us?
3)Managers solution to the baggage issue the other night when both baggage agents were sick and didnt feel like staying until the morning shift came in.... put them on carts and put them in the back for the AM agent to handle. AM agent came in and went ballistic. 7 carts of bags sitting there waiting for someone to do something with them.
4) How about temp upgrades for a couple months? We are currently 3 part timers short to begin with and we all know that even if they hired someone off the street today, it would be Feb-Mar before they could do much of anything on their own. Supposedly the temp upgrades were ok with the next guy up the ladder. Nope, no temp upgrades even though we know we have people in training and are full and always have trouble covering shifts over the holidays with everyone having plans. Nope, schedule people their 5 hours and then say they wont work overtime so its their fault we're short staffed. (Hope theres a nice bonus involved at least)
5) Had 2 kiosks out the week before Christmas and then 2 more decide to stop Christmas Eve day. Finally got 2 of them working day after Christmas and the other 2 working this week. Push everyone through the kiosks and then cant get the equipment to fix them (we're going to new kiosks so you're lucky if they have the parts for the current ones).
6) Major kiosk issues with 401 tickets not coming thru the system so it cant find them to check in. Also something wrong with many UA 016 tickets. It appears schedule change or booking code issues and it kicks them out. I had about 10 tickets the other day in two hours that the kiosk couldnt check in. With 2 agents on 12 kiosks, that take a lot of time out of being able to handle the rest of the people checking in and being able to help them. Grandma and Hans refuse to even attempt to use the computer so the line just continues to grow while they stand there waiting for help. Of course with no one available to queue the line, by the time you actually look up from what you're doing its out the door again and you get to start all over with trying to get it cleared.
7) Major stress, major issues not being addressed, major burn out.
I could go on, but I just worked myself up again and today was my day off. Must go take some more pills now to chill.
😛h34r:
Harry Callahan
Veteran
Barbee, what happened in PHX......
TADJR when will these people learn? As long as we keep getting it done some way it will go on.
CLT is burned out for sure.
TADJR when will these people learn? As long as we keep getting it done some way it will go on.
CLT is burned out for sure.
Same thing in CLT!
We had only 1 agent per gate yesterday this is c/s.We were working full planes with no help and to top things off they gave the 2nd shift manager the day off.Just shows how much they don't care{the 3rd floor}.What do you think about some one that took the early out cause they were fed up and found a better job with more money,who just got hired back a c/s shift manager.Guess the grass is always greener.
We had only 1 agent per gate yesterday this is c/s.We were working full planes with no help and to top things off they gave the 2nd shift manager the day off.Just shows how much they don't care{the 3rd floor}.What do you think about some one that took the early out cause they were fed up and found a better job with more money,who just got hired back a c/s shift manager.Guess the grass is always greener.
Jetsetter2Ord
Senior
Hi, sorry to hear that its been a nightmare for those who work gates/tickets, ground.
Here is a concept, why not have management and those at the sandcastle come out and assist during the holiday times?? Many major department stores do this and it helps out greatly. They can at least help with those little things, that turn into bigger things when times get tough.
Hope things getter better for all of you!
Happy New Year
Here is a concept, why not have management and those at the sandcastle come out and assist during the holiday times?? Many major department stores do this and it helps out greatly. They can at least help with those little things, that turn into bigger things when times get tough.
Hope things getter better for all of you!
Happy New Year
Harry Callahan
Veteran
Can't answer for sure on c/s but for fleet against our cba. Management can not do fleet service work. Although at least one has!
Yes it is against the CBA, but there is also that clause that states (dont have the argeement with me so it might not be word for word) That once the Overtime list is exhausted, Management is basicly free to do whatever they feel they need to do for the operation. They could even call in a vendor to work the flights....
Because it is against the collected bargaining agreement that management sign maybe the unions can make a deal were management dose union work and the union can make some of management’s decisions tit for tad
Breath_of_Fresh_USAirways
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I know the drivers at UPS are union -- maybe more workers. Yet, UPS (and FedEx, too, I believe) has all kinds of management helping out over the holidays -- so, why can't USA/AWA have some sort of agreement with the unions and management to lend a hand? If there's hours to be covered and work to be done?
Although, I'm sure there's all kinds of reasons NOT to do this, unless the management helping has a clue as to what they're doing and not just getting in the way and adding to the chaos...
On a daily basis, especially the RJ's, overbooked,overbooked, overbooked.
Nasty not CRANKY, but NASTY Passengers...
YA think hqtrs would get it and at least supply us with 1 mainline jet?
Moron's.
I'm patiently waiting my time to exit-guarantee 3 yrs from today I will be NOT doing this again---ever!
Nasty not CRANKY, but NASTY Passengers...
YA think hqtrs would get it and at least supply us with 1 mainline jet?
Moron's.
I'm patiently waiting my time to exit-guarantee 3 yrs from today I will be NOT doing this again---ever!
WestCoastGuy
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Short staffing has gone on for years at my station, but the truth be, as long as we get the job done, nothing will change. Customers become irate waiting in long lines, agents get sick of their job because of the extra hours that are forced on us, and the company just keeps the status quo. I gave up complaining about it to our local manager. We're a "Low Cost" (meaning cheap) airline and must operate on the cheap. Customers be damned seems to be the opinion of those in charge. I just give them Hdqrs address and tell them to complain there, nothing I can do to change it.
Management that manages passenger service employees should do passengers service employees job so that they know what it is that passenger’s service employees do???????? How did they get the job if they don’t know what impact their decisions have? Permit management to do labors work so there is less labor work force to save money. Management makes more money then a passengers service employee
HIRE MORE PASSENGERS SERVICE EMPLOYEES AND LET THEM DO THEIR JOBS
The managers are free to come stand beside me any time of the day and see what we do. (Of course they usually come during the slow times for some reason). I say no to them doing the work. My manager was helping us out the other day and ended up screwing up more than helping. Customer sent to the gate, upon trying to board a delayed flight found out credit card had been denied and had no ticket. She had been there for 3 hours (and still would have made her conx), but the manager was helping out and didnt pay attention to no etkt. Just check the bags and move the line was all he was interested in. Now I get to explain to the customer why she cant go. Thanks boss!
Also our manager has been given suggestion after suggestion on ways to get things done (re staffing, scheduling, etc) and he usually says great idea, and then when its time to implement, we're back to the same old stuff that he's always done.
Last night 10 carts leftover in baggage. Once again his solution to the problem is put them in the back for the am to handle and I'll be in early to help. He had 2 agents willing to stay IF he would adjust one of their shifts since they had to start today at 11am and his response was no, just put them in the back.
Management KNOWS what needs to be done to get the job done, but for $ome rea$on wont do what need$ to be done to get it corrected. Hey, today is the first. Your bonus for last year is protected already. NOW GET US SOME HELP!!! 😛h34r:
CWA has and would be glad to inform management what impact their decisions have. That is why we have a union to take the membership concerns to management and have them recognize by management to have a collective voice.
