AA outsourcing of cust svc in late 90's

[Dont call me Shirley]

Please correct me if I'm wrong (I know that is a tall order on these pages 😀 ) but as I recall, AA tried outsourcing of customer service in a number of stations in the late 90's with decidedly "mixed results" with many of the stations winding up back in house. How many stations were brought back in house and how long did the outsourcing last?

 

[eolesen]

Please correct me if I'm wrong (I know that is a tall order on these pages 😀 ) but as I recall, AA tried outsourcing of customer service in a number of stations in the late 90's with decidedly "mixed results" with many of the stations winding up back in house. How many stations were brought back in house and how long did the outsourcing last?

AA outsourced all handling at about 15 stations to companies like Johnson Controls, AMR Services, and a few other ground handling companies. I believe the only mainline station remaining outsourced today from the 1993 outsourcing is OGG. Several wound up losing all jet service (FSD, FAR, EUG) and most of the rest were eventually downgraded to Eagle service (RST, MDT, BHM, HSV, JAX).

The "mixed results" weren't mixed at all, actually. Passenger complaints were lower in the outsourced cities than at AA staffed cities; likewise for bag mishandlings. The only real problems were turnover and training.

The only totally outsourced stations I can think of which wound up being re-staffed with AA employees were HOU, RNO and COS, due to flight activity increasing above the level which permitted outsourcing on the ramp. If you in-source the ramp, you may as well in-source customer service since there will have to be a GM and supervisory staff in place.

There were some other stations which saw the ramp insourced (FLL, OAK, ONT) when flights came back above the contractual limit, but they'd remained staffed by AA agents when the ramp was outsourced.

There was also an experiment to outsource express check-in (BP's only) and baggage service at ORD/DFW/MIA/JFK/LAX. Express check-in failed miserably and eventually died when skycaps started issuing boarding passes, but baggage service is still outsourced in all those locations as far as I recall.

 

[s80dude]

There were some other stations which saw the ramp insourced (FLL, OAK, ONT) when flights came back above the contractual limit, but they'd remained staffed by AA agents when the ramp was outsourced.

Actually, I remember in 99-00 when I was IMA based that FLL pax. service agents worked for Worldwide Flight Service. I think AA agents came back shortly after that. I was also shocked that a large station like FLL had outsourced agents. I also remember that in the late 90s, MCO had contract maint!

 

[AMFAMAN]

Actually, I remember in 99-00 when I was IMA based that FLL pax. service agents worked for Worldwide Flight Service. I think AA agents came back shortly after that. I was also shocked that a large station like FLL had outsourced agents. I also remember that in the late 90s, MCO had contract maint!

MCO maintenance had been contracted out for as long as I can remember until as a result of the TWA merger and they already having that station for maintenance.

BTW...the language in the M&R contract as it applies to station openings is for "all" twu workers. So if the company exceeds the number of flights that requires manning, they can simply staff the station with fleet service, not maintenance. :down:

 

[eolesen]

Actually, I remember in 99-00 when I was IMA based that FLL pax. service agents worked for Worldwide Flight Service. I think AA agents came back shortly after that. I was also shocked that a large station like FLL had outsourced agents. I also remember that in the late 90s, MCO had contract maint!

You're correct. I'd forgotten about FLL being outsourced to WFS... Prior to 2000, they weren't all that big, with perhaps ten trips a day depending on the season.

By 2004 they'd tripled in size.



I found a partial list of the 1996 outsourced cities:

AMA, BFL, BHM, BUR, FAT, GSO, HRL, HSV, JAX, MDT, OGG, ORF, PBI, FLL, PSP, RIC, RST, SDF, SWF, RSW, OAK

 

[Boomer]

You're correct. I'd forgotten about FLL being outsourced to WFS... Prior to 2000, they weren't all that big, with perhaps ten trips a day depending on the season.

By 2004 they'd tripled in size.
I found a partial list of the 1996 outsourced cities:

AMA, BFL, BHM, BUR, FAT, GSO, HRL, HSV, JAX, MDT, OGG, ORF, PBI, FLL, PSP, RIC, RST, SDF, SWF, RSW, OAK

You left out CLT

 

[AirwAr]

I had talked to a ticket agent in MCI a few years back and s/he said that AA tried to hire in agents with not benefits, flight or otherwise.

However, as FM stated above, there was a huge turnover.

Does anyone know if these were "outsourced" employees or was AA testing the feasibility of "hiring" employees and giving them no benefits?

 

[jimntx]

and most of the rest were eventually downgraded to Eagle service (RST, MDT, BHM, HSV, JAX).

Don't know about the others, but BHM has 4 mainline S80s/day--no Eagle service. Hasn't had any Eagle service since at least 2000 (when I started with AA). However, the station employees are not AMR employees. They are all contract.

 

[formeraa]

I had talked to a ticket agent in MCI a few years back and s/he said that AA tried to hire in agents with not benefits, flight or otherwise.

However, as FM stated above, there was a huge turnover.

Does anyone know if these were "outsourced" employees or was AA testing the feasibility of "hiring" employees and giving them no benefits?

It would have been an outsourcing experiment.