We're at BAT again , time for the triple play

[InternationalShannon]

And before you start chanting "I bring my 'A Game' to work every day," think about it long and hard. I could rattle off a list of names on this board that I suspect are direct contributors to this last place ranking problem, based on their attitude alone.

I always bring my C game. It keeps me under the radar, because if I brought my A game, I would be dangerous.
h34r:

 

[jerseyfinn]

A very interesting thread to follow as the ball is bouncing back and forth as everyone debates cause and effect. From my own pax perspective, I remain slightly undecided about US, and mostly confused regarding DOT. Both US and the Federal govt have a long track record of getting thngs wrong or making them worse than need be. I suspect that a portion of the complaints flowing to DOT arise from a strata of folks whose attitude/expectation towards US has never been good to begin with. Then again, to use a phrase chosen by someone in Tempe managemen, pax need to be "trained". In this instance US is bearing the fruits of their (lack of) effort and character in the past.

I fly out of PHL and find:

• every domestic flight flown this year pushes back on time, arrives on-time, early, or within 15 minutes of schedule ( delay was ATC induced ).
• bags make it every trip & hit the belt in good measure ( by my standards, good bag service = bags on the belt 20 minutes or less after gate arrival, acceptable = 20 to 30 minutes ).
• Three TA flights equally on-time & trouble-free.
• Most recent flight last night PHX-PHL. Baggage claim is crowded & chaotic, but my bag rolls out 23 minutes after touching the gate. I look at the boards and belts around me basically flowing in that 30 minute window I refer to as I match arrivals to the belts.

Admittedly, my own flying perspective is narrow, but I keeps my eyes wide open each time I fly as I'm scrutinizing US closely. Once I get checked in, I peruse the boards and the gates & observe what's going on. I consistently watch boarding calls occuring at least 30 min prior to listed departure & I do not perceive what I'd call bad vibes. From my view, US is finally paying much closer attention to ops, and this allows things to go smoother for most pax. Of course I'm an active leisure traveler who is not placed on the firing line as often as a road warrior who is definitely gonna get spanked on occassion.

But this raises the question of who complains to DOT & about what?

• Is it mostly FFers, or do complaints pour in from infrequent flyers who are clueless about flying to begin with & they decide to send in a complaint more out of anger or misunderstanding?
• I'm in complete agreement with the decision to charge non-elites for each checked bag as this puts the cost directly upon the pax creating it.
• Less checked bags should create less bags for the baggage handlers and lower rates of lost/misconnected bags. I'd be curious to see if this assumption is true.

I also agree with Gaucho who suggests learning how to work with your customer.

• You frontliners can not hide behind policy excuses or bemoan your management which runs from you.
• Simply listen to the person, find a way to show concern and consideration, perhaps explain things in terms they can understand, & try to remain positive. This is all most of your pax want.
• As to the bitchers and moaners? Hey . . . they're gonna complain no matter what and you're only human. Find a subtle but effective way to brush them aside so you can help real people -- send 'em to WN. ( I'm an anesthetist so my solution is always more pentothal, but that won't work for you guys ).

Ultimately, I think that perceptions have a great deal to do with US at the moment.

• There always existed a love-hate relationship with US pax . . . who also remained loyal no matter what.
• Tempe wades in with their own arrogant ethos & turn your east flyers off.
• You're still paying for a pie-in-the-sky hybrid carrier formula badly implemented & poorly explained by Tempe.
• So now Tempe tries to join the "adult" airlines and focus upon ops while playing catch up with international routes with a hybrid lcc product model . . . all at a time when aviation is in upheaval. good luck.
• Fail to execute, and the complaints pile up.
• Merger is the last thing on my Christmas list.

I can fly US so long as they do the job correctly, with the proper attitude, and at decent price/value. If I were you guys, I'd focus more upon customer service and value as with falling oil prices, there comes a point where one begins to ponder those fuel surcharges rated upon $130/ bbl oil and those rip off award redemption fees ( implemented for "survival" at the time ). Tempe already has a bad reputation for being cheap and deceptive. Your elites especially are watching this and are perched to make a change if they feel cheated, ripped off, or that the product lacks value for their loyalty.

Do DOT stats reflect any of these thoughts? I doubt it.

Barry

 

[NCFL]

But this raises the question of who complains to DOT & about what?

Enjoyed your post. Thanks.

I don't have, obviously, today's info on who and what, but I can say, historically, why complaints were generated was because the customers considered the airline unresponsive or unwilling to help.

We studied the "why" more than the "who" in my old job, and every month we found that practically everyone who contacted DOT did so because they felt rebuffed or rejected by the airline during their first or second attempt at resolution and that they wouldn't get help unless they went elsewhere. Not all of those "reject points" were front-line. Some of them were Consumer Affairs, where I worked, and I suspect that mix is similar today.

And, I need to add, when I say "reject point," I don't just mean that someone simply said "no." There's a difference between "no" and putting up a wall.

That's where WN does so much better than US. It's not that WN operates a perfect airline with no complaints. WN just knows how to hold onto the problem better without it spilling over to the DOT.