Timeliness over customer service?

[Hot Nuts]

Worked a flight into CLT from DFW. Storms at Dallas kept us at the gate for an hour and we were loaded with 90 Caribbean connections. In the recent past for “customer serviceâ€￾, we have held connecting flights that customers had NO other options to get them to the destination that day for International and Caribbean. Now this new management is so concerned with getting the flights out on time they screwed those folks and let the flights go. A few of the connecting flight would have only been held about 15 minutes.

Do you think customer service is more important than being on time? And, Do you think the flights should have been held for the connecting passengers?

 

[BuffaloJoe]

Worked a flight into CLT from DFW. Storms at Dallas kept us at the gate for an hour and we were loaded with 90 Caribbean connections. In the recent past for “customer serviceâ€￾, we have held connecting flights that customers had NO other options to get them to the destination that day for International and Caribbean. Now this new management is so concerned with getting the flights out on time they screwed those folks and let the flights go. A few of the connecting flight would have only been held about 15 minutes.

Do you think customer service is more important than being on time? And, Do you think the flights should have been held for the connecting passengers?

Next time they'll fly AA, where they will have more choices as in more flights. For some of the people this is a trip of a lifetime. And LCC all of a sudden worries about being On Time? I know there are alot of Honeymooners that go out on a Monday, what a way to get that started. Then when they get to CLT, they most likely will have to wait till tomorrow to go out, and US won't put them up a a hotel due to it being weather related. LCC never ceases to amaze me.

 

[tadjr]

Do you think customer service is more important than being on time?

Right now we have neither.
If the flight can be held without busting all the conx on the way back also, then they should do everything possible to hold. If the conx back from island X will all bust waiting for 5-10 people, then no. Send the plane to the island on time so those leaving can make it home tonight as well and deal with the misconx.

 

[hp_fa]

Do you think customer service is more important than being on time? And, Do you think the flights should have been held for the connecting passengers?

I suspect there are some additional factors in play because of things the company has done to lower costs. For example:

1. Is it a fresh crew or one that has already been flying and either getting close to timing out or not having enough contractual and/or mandatory rest?

2. Is the plane on a short turnaround and holding for departing passengers will have a ripple effect on the following day's operation?

3. Are there contractual cleaning and/or maintenance supposed to be done on the aircraft's arrival at the destination and the company doesn't want to pay for additional time for cleaning, maintenance or ground personnel?

Don't flame me for saying all of this. I am simply pointing out some of the bad things that happen when you try running an airline too close to 100% efficiency in the name of making money. It was honestly my perspective while I worked for the airline that if it daily ran at 80-85% of peak efficiency that was great for the long term and left the ability to sprint to 100% when necessary. To run at numbers approaching 100% of peak efficiency on a daily basis is simply asking for trouble.

 

[rjh]

I suspect there are some additional factors in play because of things the company has done to lower costs.

Exactly--the decisions on whether or not to hold a flight are made by the fantastic people in OCC/SOC. There are MANY factors that come into play--crew duty, crew rest in the morning, misconnects on the next delayed flight, etc, etc.

 

[tadjr]

Geez I couldn't help notice that NOWHERE is the Customer factored into the equation.

Actually they are. Just not the customers you're dealing with on THIS misconx. If the flight back has limited ground time, then they will say no hold so as to not bust the conx of all the CUSTOMERS coming back from the island. If the crew is close on time, which could mean a canx flight if the flight is held inconveniencing more CUSTOMERS, then there is no hold. If the hold means the flight tonight gets in late which would mean starting tomorrow with a late flight and inconvenienced CUSTOMERS the next day, then no hold. If there is room to hold with all of these factors considered, then they would probably hold. Any one of them being a nogo, meaning MORE incovenienced customers than the misconx on their way, they wont hold.

 

[hp_fa]

Geez I couldn't help notice that NOWHERE is the Customer factored into the equation.

I would have answered you Bob, but Tad did a very nice job of it.

 

[LCC_#1]

I am happy to see that the company has later departure times for the last pm push. Some flights starting in June will leave at 10:40 and 11:00 pm actually giving more time for customs. Now I just hope PHX/LAS does the same for East Coast connections. Sorry guys, but thunderstorms in the summer are VERY common in the evening and most west coast connections leave a very small window for delays.

 

[BuffaloJoe]

I am happy to see that the company has later departure times for the last pm push. Some flights starting in June will leave at 10:40 and 11:00 pm actually giving more time for customs. Now I just hope PHX/LAS does the same for East Coast connections. Sorry guys, but thunderstorms in the summer are VERY common in the evening and most west coast connections leave a very small window for delays.

Last night PHL must have been a mess, I seen that US 702 PHL-FRA departed near 2 am. Even Southwest had flights departing around 2am. There were 4 different bands of Severe T-Storms that rolled thru. 7p-10p-midnite-3am. By the third wave my roof started to leak. It sees that storms are alot stronger the past few years compared to years ago.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

It sees that storms are alot stronger the past few years compared to years ago.

You sound almost like David Caselvetter (sp) back in the day.
"Unusually severe NE thunderstorm season."

Anyone know whatever happened to him and his deputy, Amy Kudwa? Both were nice people who had an unpleasant job.

 

[hp_fa]

Here he is...

 

[rjh]

Geez I couldn't help notice that NOWHERE is the Customer factored into the equation.

Ummm .yes it was under "misconnects".

 

[as the prop turns]

Just do what I do: Run down to the captain, tell him the scoop, ask him to find "something" broken and call the mechanics. 99% will do it. By the time the mechanics are on board, the connex have made it and all are happy!

 

[jerseyfinn]

tadjr and hp_fa, I can see your well-made points about the multiple causes of mis cx and the options a carrier has to deal with them.

You're saying that US is now less able to adopt a more flexible approach because it operates at a much higher operational capacity. Yet with the summer weather, one would like to hope that US or any carrier operating in the east has some capacity to adjust along the way when operations snarl due to T storms as misconnects do impact operations as well. Then again, summer is not the peak season ( or priority ? ) in the Carribean. So, does US have any capacity in the east to deal with those problems that will most assurredly occur in the east during the summer and if so, which kinds of routes?

What about the competition in the east DL, AA and others? Are they too working at the same operational capacity or do they have more leeway. Just trying to get an idea of how far up its ass Tempe has its head regarding operations.

thanks,

Barry

 

[AstroLounge]

Exactly--the decisions on whether or not to hold a flight are made by the fantastic people in OCC/SOC. There are MANY factors that come into play--crew duty, crew rest in the morning, misconnects on the next delayed flight, etc, etc.

NOT NECESSARILY! Just had a Roundtrip CANCELLED (Two 737-400s holding 288 pax, not to mention multiple connex.) Crew JUST came on duty, no explanation given (Who the hell are WE, let alone the pax) yet we were required to sit 5 hours to do one leg and be RON'd 33 hours....we didn't lose any pay time but patience in this sorry a**ed operation encourages me to tell pax LOOK ELSEWHERE.....this place has become America's Aeroflot.