We have an expression in the south. It’s called “putting lipstick on a pigâ€. She may look better from a distance, but when you get up real close she still smells like a pig. Given what I have seen this week on US, I can’t think of a better way to describe the experience.
I am now seriously considering not making the effort to renew my CP status, even though I’m over half way there. As bad as I hate to think about it, a long and enjoyable relationship is about to come to a close. Some random reasons as to why………
I have always felt very strongly about supporting the front line employees, but the very ones I have come to know and care for are taking the early out. Almost a third of my friends are leaving at my home airport. The ones who are left are scared to death of what it is going to be like when the new hires come on board. Let’s just hope they speak English. I feel less and less of a connection with this airline with each passing day. US will no longer enjoy my support unless they can show some results soon from the sacrifices these employees have made over the past three years. Quite simply this team must now show me something that they have done to bring this airline out of the nose dive.
The equipment and facilities are becoming pig sties. Flying through PHL four times this week, I was really stunned how filthy this airport has become. The gate area was nasty with carpet missing, no signs announcing flights out of the gate, the walls just awful with filth and grime, the jet way was unbelievably dirty and a trash can that was so covered in food that it had mold growing on one side. The gate agent was eating at the counter as he was taking the tickets up. (Come on folks, have a little professionalism.) The plane was one of the dirtiest I can remember being on. The arm rest between the seats moved about three inches from side to side. . I would have been was afraid to put a drink on it had the plane been catered. How can this happen at 8:00 AM in the morning. Then this morning the 757 which overnighted in BWI and was on it’s first flight of the morning had not been touched. Crushed potato chips, plastic wrappers and coffee stirrers were on the floor when we first boarded. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS. Then to top it off, this flight had not been completely catered either. What the %^%# is going on? This is not a third world country airline, so quit running it like one.
Then this morning I arrived at 6:00 AM for a 7:30 AM flight in BWI. The counter was a zoo. Half of the kiosks were broken and the few that remained were between 15 and 20 people deep. For a while there was one ticket agent working the preferred line with around 12 folks in it. She leaves to start helping the folks who can not figure out the kiosk. To make a long story short, the kiosk WERE NOT providing the fast and courteous customer serviced levels that the folks in Crystal Palace would like us to believe. As a matter of fact the staffing has been cut back so much at BWI because of these little jewels, the folks behind the counter simply could not keep up. Only after several of us starting becoming rather vocal did an agent come back to check us in. We also found out that four of the kiosk had been worked on everyday for the past week, but were still not functioning. I didn’t even bother calling San Salvador or trying to figure out how much money US saved by having kiosk this morning. I did however wonder if the term future revenue means anything to the management of US. Given the comments I was hearing standing in line, I would say there is a very good chance many of the people this morning will not be repeat customers.
BTW, I’m typing this from PHL gate F34, trying to catch a 9:25 flight to BUF which is still showing on time. It’s not here yet and its 9:15, but I don’t think we are going to be on time. (Wheels up at 10:30 AM )
The management of this airline has been given concessions from the employees three times now, claiming they needed it to turn the place around. Can any of you site for me anything thing positive they have done with the money? Can any one here name one part of the transformation plan that was shared with us almost a year ago that has come to pass? The management team of this airline has wasted a value opportunity to listen to some of its best customers. As long as we agreed with them, they would feed us a line about how important we were to them, how much they valued our input. But when challenged about some of the more obvious operational challenges and being honest and critical about the operational acumen of some in management, they have decided that maybe they should pull back from a discourse with their best customers. Give me a break. All they have done is make one roach very mad. I’ve been quiet for a long time now, trying to give this team a chance. Well those days are over. Just watch………….
I hereby, as a CP and long term customer, call on Al Crellin to resign. Should he not do so, he should be shown the door. It is time for some one in management of this airline to step in and accept responsibility for the sorry state of the current US operations (and the Christmas melt down). If he is not willing to accept said responsibility, then some one needs to grow some gonads and fire him. Are the two Bruce’s (B’AL’S, which has a whole other meaning on the DL thread) listening or are they two hiding behind their desks in CCY. If you’re listening I have a couple of thoughts and questions for you.
If the militant rampers are the problem in PHL, then it is your job to fire them or find a way to work with them. To pull up to the gate as we did yesterday and not see a ramper to the left or to the right, with only one other plane on the B concourse and then have to wait 15 minutes for some one to wave us in is YOUR FAULT. If a plane has to taxi away from the gate and wait 10 to 15 minutes for weight and balance before we can get in the conga line, then it is YOUR FAULT. If we have to wait 40 minutes from push back to take off on a clear and sunny day at 8:00 in the morning, it is your FAULT.
We are tired of hearing the excuses. If you can’t fix it, then move on another airline or back into retirement. All of these and many other issues are Al Crellin’s responsibility. He is not a team player. He needs to go.
And lest you think this baggage thing is a PHL problem only, I spent two hours in the baggage claim area of the CHS airport last Friday night. I watched as four flights came in and then over 30 people walked over to file lost bag claims. I understand that in some small stations the cost to deliver bags for THIS MONTH ALONE is in excess of $25,000 SO FAR. Can some one explain to me how the militant rampers of PHL have infected the morale and work performance of the rampers in CLT and RDU? Like I said, it’s YOUR FAULT. If you can’t fix it, then move on another airline. All of these and many other issues are Al Crellin’s responsibility. He is not a team player. He needs to go.
I can list about 10 other issues that are beginning to become real concerns to me, but I now realize this post is too long as it is. About the best CCY can hope for now is that I go away quietly and not get started up on the other issues. They have made this roach mad and I’m not going to take it any more.
To be continued.......................?
And BTW, the lipstick tube is now empty and the cockroach lives.
I am now seriously considering not making the effort to renew my CP status, even though I’m over half way there. As bad as I hate to think about it, a long and enjoyable relationship is about to come to a close. Some random reasons as to why………
I have always felt very strongly about supporting the front line employees, but the very ones I have come to know and care for are taking the early out. Almost a third of my friends are leaving at my home airport. The ones who are left are scared to death of what it is going to be like when the new hires come on board. Let’s just hope they speak English. I feel less and less of a connection with this airline with each passing day. US will no longer enjoy my support unless they can show some results soon from the sacrifices these employees have made over the past three years. Quite simply this team must now show me something that they have done to bring this airline out of the nose dive.
The equipment and facilities are becoming pig sties. Flying through PHL four times this week, I was really stunned how filthy this airport has become. The gate area was nasty with carpet missing, no signs announcing flights out of the gate, the walls just awful with filth and grime, the jet way was unbelievably dirty and a trash can that was so covered in food that it had mold growing on one side. The gate agent was eating at the counter as he was taking the tickets up. (Come on folks, have a little professionalism.) The plane was one of the dirtiest I can remember being on. The arm rest between the seats moved about three inches from side to side. . I would have been was afraid to put a drink on it had the plane been catered. How can this happen at 8:00 AM in the morning. Then this morning the 757 which overnighted in BWI and was on it’s first flight of the morning had not been touched. Crushed potato chips, plastic wrappers and coffee stirrers were on the floor when we first boarded. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS. Then to top it off, this flight had not been completely catered either. What the %^%# is going on? This is not a third world country airline, so quit running it like one.
Then this morning I arrived at 6:00 AM for a 7:30 AM flight in BWI. The counter was a zoo. Half of the kiosks were broken and the few that remained were between 15 and 20 people deep. For a while there was one ticket agent working the preferred line with around 12 folks in it. She leaves to start helping the folks who can not figure out the kiosk. To make a long story short, the kiosk WERE NOT providing the fast and courteous customer serviced levels that the folks in Crystal Palace would like us to believe. As a matter of fact the staffing has been cut back so much at BWI because of these little jewels, the folks behind the counter simply could not keep up. Only after several of us starting becoming rather vocal did an agent come back to check us in. We also found out that four of the kiosk had been worked on everyday for the past week, but were still not functioning. I didn’t even bother calling San Salvador or trying to figure out how much money US saved by having kiosk this morning. I did however wonder if the term future revenue means anything to the management of US. Given the comments I was hearing standing in line, I would say there is a very good chance many of the people this morning will not be repeat customers.
BTW, I’m typing this from PHL gate F34, trying to catch a 9:25 flight to BUF which is still showing on time. It’s not here yet and its 9:15, but I don’t think we are going to be on time. (Wheels up at 10:30 AM )
The management of this airline has been given concessions from the employees three times now, claiming they needed it to turn the place around. Can any of you site for me anything thing positive they have done with the money? Can any one here name one part of the transformation plan that was shared with us almost a year ago that has come to pass? The management team of this airline has wasted a value opportunity to listen to some of its best customers. As long as we agreed with them, they would feed us a line about how important we were to them, how much they valued our input. But when challenged about some of the more obvious operational challenges and being honest and critical about the operational acumen of some in management, they have decided that maybe they should pull back from a discourse with their best customers. Give me a break. All they have done is make one roach very mad. I’ve been quiet for a long time now, trying to give this team a chance. Well those days are over. Just watch………….
I hereby, as a CP and long term customer, call on Al Crellin to resign. Should he not do so, he should be shown the door. It is time for some one in management of this airline to step in and accept responsibility for the sorry state of the current US operations (and the Christmas melt down). If he is not willing to accept said responsibility, then some one needs to grow some gonads and fire him. Are the two Bruce’s (B’AL’S, which has a whole other meaning on the DL thread) listening or are they two hiding behind their desks in CCY. If you’re listening I have a couple of thoughts and questions for you.
If the militant rampers are the problem in PHL, then it is your job to fire them or find a way to work with them. To pull up to the gate as we did yesterday and not see a ramper to the left or to the right, with only one other plane on the B concourse and then have to wait 15 minutes for some one to wave us in is YOUR FAULT. If a plane has to taxi away from the gate and wait 10 to 15 minutes for weight and balance before we can get in the conga line, then it is YOUR FAULT. If we have to wait 40 minutes from push back to take off on a clear and sunny day at 8:00 in the morning, it is your FAULT.
We are tired of hearing the excuses. If you can’t fix it, then move on another airline or back into retirement. All of these and many other issues are Al Crellin’s responsibility. He is not a team player. He needs to go.
And lest you think this baggage thing is a PHL problem only, I spent two hours in the baggage claim area of the CHS airport last Friday night. I watched as four flights came in and then over 30 people walked over to file lost bag claims. I understand that in some small stations the cost to deliver bags for THIS MONTH ALONE is in excess of $25,000 SO FAR. Can some one explain to me how the militant rampers of PHL have infected the morale and work performance of the rampers in CLT and RDU? Like I said, it’s YOUR FAULT. If you can’t fix it, then move on another airline. All of these and many other issues are Al Crellin’s responsibility. He is not a team player. He needs to go.
I can list about 10 other issues that are beginning to become real concerns to me, but I now realize this post is too long as it is. About the best CCY can hope for now is that I go away quietly and not get started up on the other issues. They have made this roach mad and I’m not going to take it any more.
To be continued.......................?
And BTW, the lipstick tube is now empty and the cockroach lives.
h34r: 
