US Airways Exec: ‘We’re Not Easy to do Business With’

[crusher]

Something most passengers fail to understand is that a ticket is a de facto contract between the airline and the passenger to transport you from point A to point B at a certain date and time . If a passenger wants to change flights that is essentially a breaking of the contract . If you had a contract with a company and just decided to change it , you would be considered to be breaking the contract and liable for damages etc. Changing your flight is basically contract renegotiation for a fee. The airline is changing your contract for a $50.00 or 150.00 fee depending on conditions. What would something like that cost in the legal field? Read the terms of transportation carefully. It spells it all out.

 

[ClueByFour]

If you had a contract with a company and just decided to change it , you would be considered to be breaking the contract and liable for damages etc.

Negative. In real contract law, my successor party can assume my contract. I might even be able to sell my position to a third party. Can't do that with an airline ticket.

 

[US Oringinal]

I see this article as a positive sign.

FINALLY they may be starting to realize that US treats its customers like cr@@p--something the frontline employees have been saying for more than 3 years!! Maybe they are realizing that providing only the "bare minimum" and aiming for mediocrity isn't a great business plan.

Could this signal the beginning of a fundamental change??????......one can only hope!

 

[rvolkcpa]

I see this article as a positive sign.

FINALLY they may be starting to realize that US treats its customers like cr@@p--something the frontline employees have been saying for more than 3 years!! Maybe they are realizing that providing only the "bare minimum" and aiming for mediocrity isn't a great business plan.

Could this signal the beginning of a fundamental change??????......one can only hope!

The surveys that were emailed in December could be a sign that Tempe is trying to see what irks customers who have switched some/all of their flying to other carriers.

While this may be OT for this thread, it occurred to me on my most recent flights that if I were an advertiser who paid money to have my ad on tray tables, I would be upset that US no longer offers free beverages because it means that fewer people will actually use the tray tables and read the ad I've paid for.

 

[SS255]

The surveys that were emailed in December could be a sign that Tempe is trying to see what irks customers who have switched some/all of their flying to other carriers.

I have a laundry list of items that drove me from US to CO. But I can sum it up in one sentence: You have to spend money to make money.

If Tempe is serious about winning back customers, they must invest in their product, instead of thinking of "innovative" ways to cut costs and "unbundle" (or do entirely do away with) services.

And the website needs to be nuked. It is completely useless, and what first came to mind when I read the quote "We're not easy to do business with." The old (US East) website was lightyears ahead of this now-three-year-old website, which is pretty pathetic if you think about it.

 

[NCFL]

Regarding the comments about "revenue protection" and the notion that customers are "cheating" the company, as much as it pains me to say it, a lot of this mentality goes back to the old USAir (as in AL) way of doing business - "If you don't like it, take the PA Turnpike."

In my old job, I got to clean up the mess of dissatisfied customers from all over the system, and you could guess (and be right a lot of the time) which airline (PI or AL) the employee came from who was being a Nazi about fare rules, fees, check-in times, etc. when there were circumstances that warranted a little bending of the rules. And I think I have the right to make that assessment since I was AL myself. Everyone "processed" customers. Although it took a while, the PI philosophy began to take root after a while and things got better. Maybe that's the spark Tempe's getting now, although since they've booted most of the people who had that spark, it's going to be tough.

Part of this, however, rests with the customer. Mr. Customer wants to pay $199 for his ticket. Having done so, he expects the airline to bend to his will when his meeting gets out early and let him change, standby, etc. without consequence. Never mind that the airline gave him a major price break for the 5pm flight when he bought the ticket two months ago and AGREED at that point with all of the stipulations of the fare. The airline never had another chance to sell the ticket, and now it will likely be unable to get revenue it might have had it been for sale beyond the point at which Mr. Customer bought it. Yet Mr. Customer just wants the airline to eat that cost? That's unrealistic on Mr. Customer's part. This isn't a charity.

Piney, your copier customer example is a great one - for your line of work. But I'd wager that you don't have 300k or so customers spread out all over the globe handled by tens of thousands of employees in a given day. There is practically NO opportunity to establish the level of intimacy you described, and the two examples are like comparing apples to oranges. It's very difficult to train a group that size how to make exceptions.

And your favorite Consumer Affairs director was a big proponent of something in the East called the "Waiver Consistency Program." Through that, every single waiver was tracked and analyzed, questioned and scrutinized in an attempt to be sure none was being done inappropriately. The philosophy was that if the rules were applied consistently across the board - EXACTLY as they were written - customers would be happier since they wouldn't have the false expectation of a waiver since they knew the answer would be "no." Period. So don't bother asking.

 

[hp_fa]

Part of this, however, rests with the customer. Mr. Customer wants to pay $199 for his ticket. Having done so, he expects the airline to bend to his will when his meeting gets out early and let him change, standby, etc. without consequence. Never mind that the airline gave him a major price break for the 5pm flight when he bought the ticket two months ago and AGREED at that point with all of the stipulations of the fare. The airline never had another chance to sell the ticket, and now it will likely be unable to get revenue it might have had it been for sale beyond the point at which Mr. Customer bought it. Yet Mr. Customer just wants the airline to eat that cost? That's unrealistic on Mr. Customer's part. This isn't a charity.

It's been nine years since I worked Customer Service, but I have to admit that I was pretty lenient about letting people travel early the same day, especially if there was room on the early flight and the late flight was full or oversold. Rather then have to bump someone later, it was easier and cheaper to let the early bird travel while I had inventory available and otherwise going to waste.

 

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

More importantly, I can actually take a drink on the plane or bus. I cannot take more than 3.8oz onto an airliner.

???

 

[Furloughd4now]

???

Me thinks someone is a tad confused. You can take any Non-alcoholic bvg on-board for consumption. You can bring it on by the gallon, should you choose to do so. However, You just can't get through TSA at the screening lane. You must purchase it past the checkpoints.

Talk about people getting rich .... those concessions past screening!

 

[john john]

Slightly off topic.


We do the same thing at the Bluegrass festival I work for.

Bill Monroe would not approve

 

[Itestwell]

I have a laundry list of items that drove me from US to CO. But I can sum it up in one sentence: You have to spend money to make money.

And CO is spending that money with lavish amenities, but certainly not making it. Sign o' the times, I guess. Crazy.

If Tempe is serious about winning back customers, they must invest in their product, instead of thinking of "innovative" ways to cut costs and "unbundle" (or do entirely do away with) services.

Turns out that US' 'lower bag fee online' concept was indeed innovative: DL and CO liked it so much, they followed. Note the following excerpt from CO.com (07/21/09):

-- Increasing domestic checked baggage fees by $5 for customers who do
not prepay those fees online. This change is effective immediately
for travel Aug. 19, 2009, and beyond.
-- Increasing the telephone reservation booking service fee by $5
effective immediately.

-- Other revenue initiatives to be announced when implemented

Anyone care to speculate on the above?

and Delta (source: Delta.com):

For tickets purchased on or after July 16, 2009 for travel on or after August 4, 2009 there will be a $5 surcharge on each of the first two checked bags when checking in via ticket counter, kiosk, or curbside. There is no surcharge for bags prepaid during online check-in at delta.com.

And, here's Deltas chance to be innovative: A fee US has yet to match, but may on July 23rd.., Should we take bets? (source: Delta.com)

For customers traveling between the U.S. and Europe for tickets purchased on or after May 23, 2009 for travel beginning July 1, 2009 customers in economy class will be charged $50 US (or the local equivalent currency) for the second checked bag.


Sorry to dredge up an old thread, just shocked that CO and DL went down this path. Didn't Kellner make some statement awhile back about "nickel and diming" not being the route to profitability?

 

[freedom]

i think customer service will improve at us airways because customer expecations will decline ... i'm a pragmatic person .... the heydays of 2007 ect are over ... times are tough , people will become less demanding of "services" and more demanding on price point .... if we can mantain where we are at now , we should be fine ..(service wise , revenue is a different story )

 

[Singleflyer]

And CO is spending that money with lavish amenities, but certainly not making it. Sign o' the times, I guess. Crazy.



Turns out that US' 'lower bag fee online' concept was indeed innovative: DL and CO liked it so much, they followed. Note the following excerpt from CO.com (07/21/09):

It as not innovative, US copied the entire concept from Air Canada>

 

[Itestwell]

It as not innovative, US copied the entire concept from Air Canada>

I was under the impression that Air Canada utilizes a "tier system" with a la carte pricing within its Y cabins. Different levels of fares receive different benefits. US has not done this. (The "innovative" part of my post was in jest, BTW... )

 

[tadjr]

I wish US would just go ahead and do the tier a la carte pricing. Let people decide if they want to pay all at once or in pieces. Cheap seat, nothing more, a seat and a bag or the whole nine yards.