We Dont Smile

[SKY HIGH]

Article:Succeeding Today - bizjournals.com

website:http://www.bizjournals.com/extraedge/consultants/succeeding_today/2005/07/25/column421.html

The other day I was talking to my friend Larry Brudnicki and he shared about his experience flying to his home in New Hampshire on US Airways. His plane made it from Atlanta to Philadelphia and stopped. I say stopped because he was supposed to make an everyday, simple change to fly back to New Hampshire and should have been home by 4:30 that afternoon.

Instead, Larry didn't get home till 1:30 the next morning. Why? The plane stopped at the gate and waited 45 minutes for their gate to become free. This made him and several other passengers miss connecting flights and add to US Airways' list of aggravated customers. This would be understandable except that there were five other gates open! And this information came from the pilot who was arguing with the manager to let them use one of the open gates. The pilot asked passengers to write down the information and send comments complaining about the situation. Management "rules and procedures" got in the way of keeping customers happy. Those same "rules and procedures" drive customers to the competition.

US Airways wonders why they are losing market share and passengers. Maybe they should try smiling---and going out of their way to help passengers---instead of complaining about the competition.

 

[SKY HIGH]

website:http://www.bizjournals.com/extraedge/consultants/succeeding_today/2005/07/25/column421.html

sorry for the address posting, I havent figured out how to post a link on this board, LOL!

 

[Schatzee]

Anyone caught smiling and meaning it is automatically elevated to a Level II discipline level currently.

Just kidding but it does fit the current mood at US......

 

[luvn737s]

Article:Succeeding Today - bizjournals.com

website:http://www.bizjournals.com/extraedge/consultants/succeeding_today/2005/07/25/column421.html

The other day I was talking to my friend Larry Brudnicki and he shared about his experience flying to his home in New Hampshire on US Airways. His plane made it from Atlanta to Philadelphia and stopped. I say stopped because he was supposed to make an everyday, simple change to fly back to New Hampshire and should have been home by 4:30 that afternoon.

Instead, Larry didn't get home till 1:30 the next morning. Why? The plane stopped at the gate and waited 45 minutes for their gate to become free. This made him and several other passengers miss connecting flights and add to US Airways' list of aggravated customers. This would be understandable except that there were five other gates open! And this information came from the pilot who was arguing with the manager to let them use one of the open gates. The pilot asked passengers to write down the information and send comments complaining about the situation. Management "rules and procedures" got in the way of keeping customers happy. Those same "rules and procedures" drive customers to the competition.

US Airways wonders why they are losing market share and passengers. Maybe they should try smiling---and going out of their way to help passengers---instead of complaining about the competition.

[post="284191"][/post]​

I agree that 45 minutes waiting on a gate is indefensible. However, about those 5 open gates...

What about the hundreds of passengers who would be waiting both on the inbound flight headed for your potential new gate and those waiting for the departing flight who would have to relocate and perhaps miss their flight altogether? What about the potential to misconnect bags by changing gates? Whay did they have to wait 45 minutes for that gate? Was the aircraft on that gate broken? Was the flight he was on significantly early?

Many passenger and flight crews underestimate the complexity of choreographing a gate complex. It's not like driving around looking for a meter with money left on it.

A good ramp controller anticipates problems and resolves the conflicts before anyone knows and makes everyone look good doing it.

 

[tadjr]

It might also depend on the type of plane they were in and what the gates could handle. We have had planes sitting out waiting for a gate before asking about gate so and so. Well, that gate isnt Airbus qualified or your 757 can only fit on 2 gates so all those open are not capable of handling your plane. If there is a 321 on this gate, you can not put a 734 on this gate, etc. It isnt as always as easy as it seems.

 

[supercruiser]

What about the hundreds of passengers who would be waiting both on the inbound flight headed for your potential new gate and those waiting for the departing flight who would have to relocate and perhaps miss their flight altogether? What about the potential to misconnect bags by changing gates? Whay did they have to wait 45 minutes for that gate? Was the aircraft on that gate broken? Was the flight he was on significantly early?

A good ramp controller anticipates problems and resolves the conflicts before anyone knows and makes everyone look good doing it.

[post="284271"][/post]​

Planes that haven't landed haven't delayed their customers one minute, vs. planes already on the ground waiting for a gate. It's a simple matter to make an announcement to have people already at a gate go down a couple gates or across the hall to their new one (assuming the plane is capable of using it). As for misconnecting bags, that seems to happen at a record pace anyway, so what's the difference.

My impression has always been that the people that make the decisions didn't want to be bothered with the extra coordination required. In other words they do it the way they do for THEIR convenience, not the customers.

I don't know if a good ramp controller even exists in PHL, and even if there was, how they could really do a good job with the incompetence surrounding them in just about every area.

What always amazed me is evidently, someone in management thinks that the operation as it's existed for some time now is an acceptable way to run an airline. It saddens me that anyone responsible for this operation is going to be working for the new merged airline.

supercruiser

 

[A320 Driver]

It might also depend on the type of plane they were in and what the gates could handle. We have had planes sitting out waiting for a gate before asking about gate so and so. Well, that gate isnt Airbus qualified or your 757 can only fit on 2 gates so all those open are not capable of handling your plane. If there is a 321 on this gate, you can not put a 734 on this gate, etc. It isnt as always as easy as it seems.

[post="284339"][/post]​

There is nothing proactive about waiting until a flight is on the ground to figure out how to get the passengers off of it. I waited on the taxiway in PHL two weekends ago until we busted all of our connections. There were at least a dozen gates open but nobody did anything to get us on one of them. I opened the cockpit door when we finally did get to our gate only to have two gentlemen scream at me about their connections. Where are the managers and supervisors when these things are happening. Are we so far gone that the customers just don't matter anymore (much like the employees)? I'm tired of trying to explain to my passengers why we can't make our operation work.

BTW, I landed at the next stop after 1 AM...didn't have a gate there either. Had to wait for maintenance to push the other aircraft off the gate.

Al, are you listening??????

A320 Driver

 

[US1YFARE]

How about waiting over 20 minutes for strollers to be brought up to the jetway? This is getting worse and worse.

Why is it that the Pilot ALWAYS has to go down and find why they haven't brought them up yet. AND, the Pilot is always the one delivering them to us on the jetway?

 

[Finish or Ignore]

What always amazed me is evidently, someone in management thinks that the operation as it's existed for some time now is an acceptable way to run an airline. It saddens me that anyone responsible for this operation is going to be working for the new merged airline.

supercruiser

[post="284407"][/post]​

Are you talking about Al Crellin?

 

[Harry Callahan]

How about waiting over 20 minutes for strollers to be brought up to the jetway? This is getting worse and worse.

Why is it that the Pilot ALWAYS has to go down and find why they haven't brought them up yet. AND, the Pilot is always the one delivering them to us on the jetway?

[post="284454"][/post]​

In CLT it is short staffing........wake up "Uncle Al"!

 

[RowUnderDCA]

How about waiting over 20 minutes for strollers to be brought up to the jetway?  This is getting worse and worse.

Why is it that the Pilot ALWAYS has to go down and find why they haven't brought them up yet.  AND, the Pilot is always the one delivering them to us on the jetway?

[post="284454"][/post]​

GEEZ Cuz U hired alot of jerks at PHL... for years!

 

[Aryeh]

In regard to smiling, I'm reminded of a woman approaching the ticket counter the other day, at the very moment both I another agent were available. As the other agent said somewhat surly, "next in line," (BTW, the shift had just started and she was the "line"!), the woman said, pointing toward me, "I'll go to him, he's smiling. I like his smile."
It's always nice, no matter how degraded our service becomes, to at least get complimented by customers, which happens frequently.. The company never complements me, except when they get letters sent in by customers. Management hasn't a clue what goes on.

Contrast the above with the following statements our station manager has often made to agents regarding current customer service.
"We need to retrain our customers to expect less and wait longer."
"Passengers need to lower their expectations."
"If they pay only a few bucks for their tickets then this is what they get."

What a schizophrenic company this is. They say we should give 'em good service while providing ever-poorer service, all at the same time!
I can’t wait to get out of here!