Inflight Promotions OUT OF CONTROL
- Thread starter beachboy
- Start date
Excellent point!
LCC_#1
Veteran
- Nov 16, 2005
- 1,771
- 0
I hate to break the bad news to my fellow easties, but the same has been the rule for as long as I'v been here. Most of us just feel there are bigger fish to fry.
Mrs. Doubtflier
Member
- Mar 24, 2006
- 59
- 0
I wish I could tell our Pax we were doing this instead....
http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/14/technology...ource=aol_quote
http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/14/technology...ource=aol_quote
LCC_#1
Veteran
- Nov 16, 2005
- 1,771
- 0
Ok, I have read thru most of the nine pages and I would like to address a few things.
Like all work groups, we have a variety of men and women who make up the flight attendant group. There are those that will not pick up a cup if it killed them. There are also those that never sit down because they make themselves available. And then there is the middle man/woman who does exactly what procedure dictates. Most fall in the latter as we f/a's recognize the importance of some means of consistancy. I think that one thing the FF needs to understand is that we do far less, but that is because of decisions made by management. I remember in 1990 how you barely sat down on transcon flights because of the amount of service we did. I liked that because the flight went by faster. Now, the service is over in an hour. That leaves 2.5 hours of downtime. Yes, I think we haven't gotten use to having alot more time and yes, it is easy to find yourself with an away from home project to pass the time away. We need to remember to walk thru every 20 minutes to check up on everyone and yes, we need to remember that although we HAVE all that free time, the customer and their needs come first. But please do not begrudge the entire grooup because we have less to do.
I don't mind more work, however lets not equate additional work "responsibilities" with service. Hawking products is NOT my job. I am a safety and service professional that offers HOPEFULLY great PR for US Airways, however Inflight is NOT a branch of Marketing. The point is not about hawking as much as it is about the company giving the marketing dept free labor from its 7000 f/a's. If it means NEVER taking another paycut, the company can plaster ads on anything they want, but not on my professional time.
Having said that, yes, I hawk the visa card and as long as BOA rewards me with $50 an approval, I will do so. At least I am getting PAID for hawking. Notice few hawk the Skymall because it's returns are so small.
BUT, what I would like to see? Advertise on anything visible on the a/c, including the plane itself, but STOP ALL INFLIGHT and TERMINAL SALES/PROMOTIONS ASAP!!! Bring back the QUIET airport/airplane experience. It's not about time, work ethics, or revenue. It is about the CUSTOMER!!!! And most HATE all the noise. The customer HAS SPOKEN!! The F/A's have SPOKEN. Management just doesn't listen. I will gladly sacrifice cash cow for a better inflight experience. The ONLY videos played over the PA should be the boarding music, safety announcement, the level off (safety related ONLY) and the movie trailor.
I admire the company for wanting to increase revenue, however they are going about it the wrong way. I lived in NYC for 12 years. I always hated when I couldn't move about the city without someone hawking you for something. Our terminals and ac have become a loud, unfriendly, creating a hostile environment. I WARNED Sherri of this in CLT back when the uniform road show was there. She said she would speak with marketing. Marketing? Does marketing ever step on an airplane to see hoe POORLY they have "marketed" the airline by providing what feels like nonstop hawking? Has it occurred to anyone in "marketing" that even the least ff has learned to tune out the videos, putting all in jeopardy if an announcement were to be made of real importance?
If companies want to market their products, then give me something to SERVE the people or to sell them as a part of the inflight Buy On Board SERVICE. Each month, promo a snack item to sell during the SERVICE. I don't mind selling items inflight as a part of a duty free- type shopping experience. It would be our shopping SERVICE. Maybe it is just me, but there IS a difference.
With all the money saved on the advertising of everything on the a/c, there should be enough money to upgrade f/c and perhaps provide a signature "nibble" distinctively for US Airways. Many other carriers have then instead of the boring tasteless pretzels that may or may not have pretzels actually in them.
I am aware of the problems and losses of the past and the need to not repeat those dark days, however the way I see it, the losses of the past 10 years have created a paranoid and overzealous revenue making stragedy that has been blinded to customer service. We have always had the problem of being called US Scare. Now we are US Scare Them Away. How sad. <_<
Like all work groups, we have a variety of men and women who make up the flight attendant group. There are those that will not pick up a cup if it killed them. There are also those that never sit down because they make themselves available. And then there is the middle man/woman who does exactly what procedure dictates. Most fall in the latter as we f/a's recognize the importance of some means of consistancy. I think that one thing the FF needs to understand is that we do far less, but that is because of decisions made by management. I remember in 1990 how you barely sat down on transcon flights because of the amount of service we did. I liked that because the flight went by faster. Now, the service is over in an hour. That leaves 2.5 hours of downtime. Yes, I think we haven't gotten use to having alot more time and yes, it is easy to find yourself with an away from home project to pass the time away. We need to remember to walk thru every 20 minutes to check up on everyone and yes, we need to remember that although we HAVE all that free time, the customer and their needs come first. But please do not begrudge the entire grooup because we have less to do.
I don't mind more work, however lets not equate additional work "responsibilities" with service. Hawking products is NOT my job. I am a safety and service professional that offers HOPEFULLY great PR for US Airways, however Inflight is NOT a branch of Marketing. The point is not about hawking as much as it is about the company giving the marketing dept free labor from its 7000 f/a's. If it means NEVER taking another paycut, the company can plaster ads on anything they want, but not on my professional time.
Having said that, yes, I hawk the visa card and as long as BOA rewards me with $50 an approval, I will do so. At least I am getting PAID for hawking. Notice few hawk the Skymall because it's returns are so small.
BUT, what I would like to see? Advertise on anything visible on the a/c, including the plane itself, but STOP ALL INFLIGHT and TERMINAL SALES/PROMOTIONS ASAP!!! Bring back the QUIET airport/airplane experience. It's not about time, work ethics, or revenue. It is about the CUSTOMER!!!! And most HATE all the noise. The customer HAS SPOKEN!! The F/A's have SPOKEN. Management just doesn't listen. I will gladly sacrifice cash cow for a better inflight experience. The ONLY videos played over the PA should be the boarding music, safety announcement, the level off (safety related ONLY) and the movie trailor.
I admire the company for wanting to increase revenue, however they are going about it the wrong way. I lived in NYC for 12 years. I always hated when I couldn't move about the city without someone hawking you for something. Our terminals and ac have become a loud, unfriendly, creating a hostile environment. I WARNED Sherri of this in CLT back when the uniform road show was there. She said she would speak with marketing. Marketing? Does marketing ever step on an airplane to see hoe POORLY they have "marketed" the airline by providing what feels like nonstop hawking? Has it occurred to anyone in "marketing" that even the least ff has learned to tune out the videos, putting all in jeopardy if an announcement were to be made of real importance?
If companies want to market their products, then give me something to SERVE the people or to sell them as a part of the inflight Buy On Board SERVICE. Each month, promo a snack item to sell during the SERVICE. I don't mind selling items inflight as a part of a duty free- type shopping experience. It would be our shopping SERVICE. Maybe it is just me, but there IS a difference.
With all the money saved on the advertising of everything on the a/c, there should be enough money to upgrade f/c and perhaps provide a signature "nibble" distinctively for US Airways. Many other carriers have then instead of the boring tasteless pretzels that may or may not have pretzels actually in them.
I am aware of the problems and losses of the past and the need to not repeat those dark days, however the way I see it, the losses of the past 10 years have created a paranoid and overzealous revenue making stragedy that has been blinded to customer service. We have always had the problem of being called US Scare. Now we are US Scare Them Away. How sad. <_<
Mrs. Doubtflier
Member
- Mar 24, 2006
- 59
- 0
LCC you have covered it very well...
Here's a service the advertisers can provide.
Since I can't offer in-flight television or IPod hook up how about letting BOA and Cold Stone Creamery pay for the headsets and let me return to the days when I could give them out for free. In return they get exclusive rights to advertise at the beginning of the movie or even in the middle with some type of short intermission. Today's movie is brought to you by...... You get the gratitude factor with it and many people bring their own headsets so the advertising gets to them too.
LCC_#1
Veteran
- Nov 16, 2005
- 1,771
- 0
GREAT SUGGESTION!!
We can only hope they LURK these boards for suggestions as well as whatever other reasons they have!!
