There was an article today on Yahoo titled "America's Meanest Airlines." It listed the five surliest airlines in descending (no pun intended) order.
My question is why wasn't it a five-way tie? Are there any friendly airlines left? Does anyone enjoy flying anymore? Does anyone expect people who work at airlines to be pleasant? Can I fit anymore questions in this paragraph?
You can read the article to find out the criteria they used, but - *SPOILER ALERT* - here are the five worst offenders according to them: US Airways, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines (I thought they would've been a lock for first place), and finally, in the number one position, Delta.
Of those, United is the one I've flown most. I have over 375,000 miles with them I have to use before they expire. Or they raise the number of miles required for a seat. Or, even more likely, they drop the program entirely citing it as too costly.
When I used to freelance at FCB San Francisco (Foote, Cone & Belding for my non-agency readers), I commuted from Santa Monica to San Francisco. I'd fly up Monday morning and fly back Friday night. I did it for nine months and loved it. At LAX and SFO, I could get to the gate ten minutes before the flight. The gatekeepers (see what I did there?) knew me by name, and because I flew so much would often upgrade me without even asking. I know it's only an hour flight, but here's my philosophy: no flight too short for first.
Flying was actually fun back then, plus I liked the idea I could get to San Francisco from Santa Monica faster than I could drive to Irvine at rush hour.
But of course, 9/11 happened and changed the flying experience forever.
Nine years later, it's hard to figure out the astonishing lack of responsibility airlines take for their own situation. Like the stock market, lottery tickets and the Liberace Museum, owning an airline was never a guaranteed way to make money.
However, gouging flyers with fees on everything from carry ons to blankets to bathroom privileges apparently is. The airlines made billions in the last two years off these fees, whining all the way to the bank about how they need to make money somewhere because of high fuel costs, less people flying, etc.
What's the word I'm looking for here? Oh yeah. Bullshit.
The past two years, thanks to those fees, profits have soared. Airlines fly fewer planes that are more full than ever. The price of jet fuel has actually gone down. And seriously, if you can't make money in your chosen business, maybe you've chosen the wrong business.
The other thing is unruly passengers are a given. In the airline industry, you kind of know that going in. And while there's no excuse for passengers being rude, there's even less of one for airline employees to be. Things like opening the emergency door on the runway, giving everyone the finger, then jumping down the slide might make you a folk hero on Facebook, but that 15 minutes is over before you're even off the slide.
Airline employees say they're being pushed to the brink because the airlines are squeezing profits by cutting staff and trying to do more with fewer employees. Really? Name me a business that isn't.
My point, and yes I have one, is that it can be done. There are profitable airlines like Southwest and Jet Blue. There are airlines like Virgin America and Jet Blue (when their attendants aren't bailing out of the plane) that go out of their way to make the customer experience a great one.
For long cross-country and international flights, airlines know they've got us. There's no alternative. No one's going to be driving to Hawaii. But on short hauls, where airlines make a substantial portion of their income, there are plenty of options.
Unless airlines change their attitude, eventually their customers will reach the tipping point.
When that happens, all those nice profits they're enjoying now will be in a permanent holding pattern.
7 comments:
guess you missed it, but recently a euro carrier was trying to get the OK to fly STANDING ROOM ONLY flights! Then followed up with a prototype of a "saddle seat" where any passenger / victim insane enough to play along rode smashed together on a sort of standing booster seat / saddle. legs dangling and about 10" of room between said victims face and forward saddle straddler's saddleback. When are we finally going to burn this all down? I'll bring the matches.
First off, thank you for helping keep me gainfully employed by reading articles on Yahoo!.
Second, I generally like flying. American is my top choice and they're always friendly and accommodating. Give me a free soda and a couple hours to read magazines and I'm good. Maybe we need to just change the way we think about the experience?
Mardel - I did miss that one, but can't say I'm surprised. Saddle seats - those Europeens all want to be buckaroos.
Mel - Yeah, I don't think changing the way we look at the experience solves the problem. I get free coffee and magazines at my car dealer service dept. and in my doctors waiting room, yet somehow looking at it that way doesn't make the reality of those places any cheerier. It comes down to a corporate culture that has to set the example. You can see it in Jet Blue on the positive side, and United on the negative. BTW, American was the first airline to institute luggage fees and "early boarding" fees so you can pay to be among the first to get crammed into coach.
I think airline people have to deal with idiot passengers a lot of the time and they get tired of it. I've seen some freaky passengers that have super high expectations of their airline experience. People forget that the number one job of an airline is safety. Then comes the peanuts and sodas.
PS I don't think you're an idiot passenger. High maintenance? Possibly.
Again, idiot passengers are part of the job description. And I wouldn't call the expectation of courtesy and politeness, combined with a pleasant attitude high maintenance. Naive maybe, wishful thinking, but not high maintenance.
As you know from those long commutes to Irvine, I am a flight attendant with a Canadian carrier. I have been doing it for 12 years and have seen my share of shenanigans, on both sides of the coin.
Safety is our first job. We pride ourselves on being able to get 300 people out of an aircraft in 60 seconds. We also put a lot of bandaids on, apply countless cool cloths on foreheads, give oxygen to very ill people, hold a lot of hands because they are scared of turbulence ( I would hold yours all flight long Jeff), mix up gingerale with no bubbles for upset stomachs, smile assuringly when we have a missed approach in a snow storm, oh and jump on the back of an irrate passenger who is hitting my colleague because he can't go and have a chat with the captain. All in a days work I say.
It makes me sad to hear of the rude stews who snap at people because I actually enjoy making someone's trip a fun experience and I know that I am not alone.
Everyone just wants to feel like they matter. To be looked in the eye, a genuine smile and to hear "Welcome on Board. Have a great flight!"
Jule, if only they were all like you. I can't wait to fly with you, even if it means going to Canada to do it.
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