Inflight Focus Groups Update

[beachboy]

View attachment 6764Oh, I just love Chuck Wagon Fare! Theme table skirts? 4th of July, Christmas, Valentines Day..... Travel God knows don't give them ideas! I did hear everything will be served off the old carts. They better wrap it in something! Heck toilet paper as they are filthy. Even the bran new ones are getting nasty.

 

[etops1]

And THIS is why they should NOW retire the name ENVOY. It is NOT envoy. It's barely business class. To think that using a beverage cart in Envoy was even suggested from anyone in the group or marketing (WHOEVER) doesn't matter, is a prime example of the WRONG people doing the WRONG job. All I can say is WOW! ! !

i can assure you that NO ONE in the focus group suggested this tacky idea. this was pure marketings decision. like kevin jackson's decision. i am gonna have to drop him an e-mail on this one. :down:

 

[Travelpro72]

Even when they get the 1500 new carts they will eventually make it from HNL through PHX with a few trips trough SEA before heading to the east coast and flying up and down before they are off to Europe. Send the cart to Europe a few time and you'll soon see what that "pretty" cart will look like out in the Envoy aisle. Just because other airlines may use carts in their business section doesn't mean that US will succeed at it. We have NOTHING clean. Enough said.

 

[etops1]

we are the industry leaders of followers .

 

[phlus2]

It is rather mind blowing that US is actually spending time and money on trying to design a new drink cart. I mean afrterall, there are plenty of airlines around the world who are using many variations of drink carts - what makes US think they can even hope to improve on something that is already out there?

I guess they can't fix the really important things like clean planes, on time flights, and baggage that arrives with the passenger, so they spend time on things that have been done thousands of time before by others -go figure!

 

[US1YFARE]

it is so refreshing that Sherri is concerned about which picture I selected as my avatar. She may think she looks good in the photo, but what she has done to US inflight service is a disgrace. She has no clue and if someone from US would fly another carrier other than WN they would figure it out. I just deplaned a DFW-MIA flt which is 2 hours and the service was far better than a US transcon. Warm nuts, hot towel, several selections of red and white wine, and a choice between short ribs and pasta. Don't forget a real bread basket thay has about 3 or 4 pieces of bread per pax. The mints on landing are a nice touch. Everyone talks about changes coming, but what are they doing to inflight service for the pax and why is it taking so long? She has no clue and should be more concerned about what US has become and what their competitors are doing rather than worrying about how good she looks in a corporate portrait. When they decided to strip the East airbii of closets and add uninhabitable coach seats on the A330 it took them no time at all. But, as soon as they talk about improving service it takes them longer than a flight crew trying to timeout on their way from B1 in PHL to C15.American should sue US for defaming their name by referring to their imaginary new Experience as American...if past performance is any indication of the future, I think everyone will be disappointed, unimpressed, yet unsurprised,about the "new and improved" service that she promises.

 

[N965VJ]

<SNIP> And THIS is why they should NOW retire the name ENVOY. It is NOT envoy. It's barely business class.

OK, how about;

 

[AstroLounge]

these Focus Groups are nothing more than Corporate Window Dressing of getting the employees INVOLVED and looking for a way to PASS THE BLAME of their mismangement and bad decisions. There isn't one GD reason they can give to explain the TWO VERY DIFFERENT levels of service offered when flying East or West. And WHERE IN THE HELL is the GLASSWARE? I personally would like to drive a forkliff of glassware right through the Executive Offices and plow over some of that USELESS Manpower. Stop making EXCUSES for them.........they have had over TWO years to get their act together! And Shambles...........pleeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

 

[zethya]

I just got this email fwd to me about the last Focus Group Meeting in PHX... Humm. Make sure you read the last Paragraph


Here's an update from the Focus Group session I attended today ...

My overall impression is that after months and months of talking, we are going to see some changes real soon..................
Ed Bular, Director of Flight and Inflight, spoke to us a bit. In our session he confirmed the rumor that we are looking to acquire the leases of two A330-200s currently operated by Swiss. Although he said these planes are not necessarily "growth" airplanes and that one would be could be used as a "spare," he did not say that they would be replacing any in the current fleet...........

I know those types of comments can be veiled to support discretion, however I cannot believe the 332s would be used as "spares" for 333s since they have a 1500-2000nm range advantage. Additionally, the 2 class Swiss 332s (all between 7 and 9 years old) are currently configured with 48 full Lie Flat and 182 Economy seats - a substantial upgrade when compared to the existing US 333s or 767s. I suspect these aircraft will be used for PHL-TLV as soon as they are available. Both (2) would likely be required for daily service on this route and that makes my supposition somewhat tenuous because there would be zero spares with the non-stop range, unless they got three. Of course, it would be possible to run the route with 1 aircraft on an alternate day schedule, or daily with a 2 hour turn on each end (really a Bad, if not impossible idea though). These aircraft could fly PHX-FRA, but I don't believe Parker will chance that route unless he abandons PHL. As a side note, most all Trans-Atlantic route airlines (not just US), including BA (excl. NYC) have low or no profit situations during winter. Israel is one exception, however. If the high season Yields (plus cargo) don’t offset the low season losses, the route is obviously a financial failure.

 

[USstew23]

And there you have it folks.....you'll be seeing our DIRTY carts in the aisles of Envoy. Even new carts will get beat up. It will be a traffic jam of carts with the mommas trying to figure it out. Oh well with the skirt around the cart it shall look pretty. Hopefully decorated for all the different holidays. Since "other" airlines serve meals chair side you'll swear it's the resurrection of CONCORDE herself when we put the US touch on it. Sign up for you training now folks....step right up for the greatest show on earth. Just be lucky the beverage didn't make into Envoy. Not a joke it was considered folks.

What the hell is this about table skirts on the carts? Oh mercy jesus are we screwed!! :blink: :unsure:

 

[iwantout]

This entire focus groug is a bunch of BS. Inflight Management and management in general at this company does not give a s--t about the customers nor the employees. This is evident by our dirty airplanes, unreliable service, lack of contract, the list goes on. It is just an easy way to say, oh look we care, we are holding focus groups but not doing anything about the issues that really matter. They can change the beverage cart all they want but everyone is still going to set it up the way they want to.

If Shamles and crew really cared they would get us a contract. They would look at what the affect of the PIT closing has on the lives of the people from both PIT and the bases they are going to. They would offer leaves of abscences to offset the large numbers of reserves that it is going to create. They would drop the SAP minimum to create more secondary blocks. They could say we are going to go with an overage and assure people like myself that they will not be displaced out of my base. They would clean the planes and cater them properly. The list goes on.

So excuse me if I can't get excited over Inflight's smoke and mirros campaign.

 

[hp_fa]

Until the beancounter mentality is flushed out of the executive (cough) offices there will be no overall improvement. Think about it. They can say they have brought in top notch folks all they want, but until they give them a meaningful budget to work with, whatever great ideas they may have will only be unrealized ideas. You can't have aged prime steak on a ground chuck budget.

As for the Director of Inflight, well let's just say I have always thought she was in over her head, and that was pre-merger.

 

[N903AW]

What the hell is this about table skirts on the carts? Oh mercy jesus are we screwed!! :blink: :unsure:

I agree. Let's also not forget the stink that permeates from these carts when they are opened. Right now at least the stink of unwashed service carts is confined, for the most part, to the galley. Can you imagine the pungent smell wafting throught the Envoy cabin when you open up these nasty carts?? Sorry, but a table skirt just won't cut it. :down:

 

[UWCactus]

You are all on the wrong track on this topic with a lot of misinformation on whats going on in Envoy. Get some real information and then post it.

 

[beachboy]

Oh you again? We know exactly what is going on. We also know that your marketing department has scheduled another "test" because they knew the first one was a flop! At least presentation wise. This came from people what sat through it. Why don't you check the facts? Your so predicable and boring.