Game: Welcome to Real Life

[ToniaB]

Today I, along with thousands upon thousands of other airline customers, received an e-mail from United Airlines signed by the CEOs of essentially all of the major and some of the smaller airline carriers.

This e-mail asked for support in helping to stop oil speculation. Although I agree that oil speculation is out of control and should be stopped, I am reticent to do anything to help the major airlines.

There are precious few industries that are run as poorly as the airline industry. The rules of effective business management that apply to most members of the business community simply do not apply to the major airlines—the government is there to bail them out. Or, maybe a more accurate statement is that we, American taxpayers, are there to bail them out.

Of course the same rules of government bailouts do not to apply to the smaller airlines.

I have traveled extensively for my entire career. I have always greatly enjoyed travel. For me business travel has historically been, on good days very enjoyable and at worst tolerable.

Today, traveling is unbearable. Yes, some inconvenience was created by 9/11. This is what it is. However, most of the unpleasantness has been created by major airline carries that simply do not care and are not dedicated to managing well-run companies. Front-line employees are working under horrible conditions created by the poor management of senior-level airline executives. Working under unpleasant conditions has created indifference for most front-line employees—they simply do not care.

I only have one feasible idea for fixing the industry. It is a game called “welcome to real life†and the players are the C-level airline executives. The following are the rules of the game:

1.All C-level airline executive must take 30 air travel trips in 30 days on commercial aircraft.

2.They must travel in disguise—they cannot be recognized by counter, gate or in-flight employees

3.They must travel in economy class

4.At least 15 of their 30 trips must involve connections

5.They are required to check at least one bag for 15 of the 30 trips

6.Their salaries must be reduced to a “modest†$200,000 per year until the problems of their companies (many of which will become glaringly apparent during their 30 days of travel) are fixed. When the problems are fixed, then go back to multi-million dollar comp. packages.

The inefficiencies and poor management of the major airlines are out of control. The only way for the problems to be fixed are for the executives running the major airlines to actually experience their own products—ground the private jets and figure out how to fix the problems of their companies.

I guarantee that if airline industry executives agreed to participate in the above outlined game, the airline industry will look a whole lot different in two years.

The final comment that I will make is that if the airlines cannot figure out how to reduce the enormous inefficiencies that exist within their operations—raise the rates add value. Raise the rates so that acceptable service can be delivered to business travelers (and any other travelers that can afford the increased rates). Raise the rates, stop nickel and diming passengers and

 

[Seatacus]

2.They must travel in disguise—they cannot be recognized by counter, gate or in-flight employees

With their name on the ticket, how is this going to happen?

 

[cooper43]

Today I, along with thousands upon thousands of other airline customers, received an e-mail from United Airlines signed by the CEOs of essentially all of the major and some of the smaller airline carriers.

This e-mail asked for support in helping to stop oil speculation. Although I agree that oil speculation is out of control and should be stopped, I am reticent to do anything to help the major airlines.

There are precious few industries that are run as poorly as the airline industry. The rules of effective business management that apply to most members of the business community simply do not apply to the major airlines—the government is there to bail them out. Or, maybe a more accurate statement is that we, American taxpayers, are there to bail them out.

Of course the same rules of government bailouts do not to apply to the smaller airlines.

I have traveled extensively for my entire career. I have always greatly enjoyed travel. For me business travel has historically been, on good days very enjoyable and at worst tolerable.

Today, traveling is unbearable. Yes, some inconvenience was created by 9/11. This is what it is. However, most of the unpleasantness has been created by major airline carries that simply do not care and are not dedicated to managing well-run companies. Front-line employees are working under horrible conditions created by the poor management of senior-level airline executives. Working under unpleasant conditions has created indifference for most front-line employees—they simply do not care.

I only have one feasible idea for fixing the industry. It is a game called “welcome to real life†and the players are the C-level airline executives. The following are the rules of the game:

1.All C-level airline executive must take 30 air travel trips in 30 days on commercial aircraft.

2.They must travel in disguise—they cannot be recognized by counter, gate or in-flight employees

3.They must travel in economy class

4.At least 15 of their 30 trips must involve connections

5.They are required to check at least one bag for 15 of the 30 trips

6.Their salaries must be reduced to a “modest†$200,000 per year until the problems of their companies (many of which will become glaringly apparent during their 30 days of travel) are fixed. When the problems are fixed, then go back to multi-million dollar comp. packages.

The inefficiencies and poor management of the major airlines are out of control. The only way for the problems to be fixed are for the executives running the major airlines to actually experience their own products—ground the private jets and figure out how to fix the problems of their companies.

I guarantee that if airline industry executives agreed to participate in the above outlined game, the airline industry will look a whole lot different in two years.

The final comment that I will make is that if the airlines cannot figure out how to reduce the enormous inefficiencies that exist within their operations—raise the rates add value. Raise the rates so that acceptable service can be delivered to business travelers (and any other travelers that can afford the increased rates). Raise the rates, stop nickel and diming passengers and

In full disclosure I am an airline employee. I agree with you that the airlines need to improve and that CEO's bare a lot of the blame for stupid decisions. However, the airline industry is a very complicated business that can't be compared to any other industry. There are just so many moving parts all moving in different directions, and all at high priority. Also they operate under a microscope today with everyone waiting to complain. Just the logistics of working around weather is an enormous challenge. When bad weather arises you have equipment, crews and passengers strung all over the world, all of whom are effected thru the domino effect. In addition to weather, the airline industry also is one of the most highly regulated industries there are when it comes to safety. Everything from maintenence to crew working limits and emergency preparedness. Then you have labor unions. The airline industry is a highly unionized industry. It is very hard for management to negotiate a 5 year contract with its employees and then the economy goes down the toilet and they need conssesions back before the employees ever get thier first checks. Now I know you could say just hire people at a lower wage. But if you think you have a bad customer experience now, just wait until you are on a 5hr flight with a crew who are paid minimum wage. The airlines spend a lot of money on training employees. You get what you pay for. In the past few years there has been a lot of pressure on airline employees and they have had to take a lot of misplaced hostility. Many have had thier wages slashed, thier benefits cut and at the same time they bare the brunt of all the unhappiness of the flying public. It is very difficult to have a mob of people who are delayed converg on a handfull of employees and expect that those employees can instantly fix all of thier problems. I think that part of the problem is that the flying public does not have a realistic expectation of what airline travel involves. Now having said that, I am not saying that the airlines are not blameless. It is obvious that there needs to be improvement with baggage issues, also I believe customer service call centers need to be back in the states with people who know the geography of our nation. There is room for lots of improvement but also I believe the workers in the airline industry are working hard everyday to make sure their airlines operate safely and to take care of their customers. this is just my 2 cents.