US Airways lands lowest satisfaction ratings in flier survey

[SS255]

Exactly...

You would think for what you have to pay in fare and fees that you could at least be comfortable on your flight. I sat in the back of an A330 recently. I don't know why fights don't break out. I've never seen a seat so uncomfortable and we keep people jammed in them for 8 hours at a time. Team Tempe has done the same thing with the rest of the fleet, jamming more seats into them than should be allowed. I asked a senior manager once how, in good conscience, they could do this to people...he said no one complains. Go figure.

Driver B)

I have posted numerous times on this board that I would never fly US in Y overseas. If I cannot confirm a mileage upgrade at the time of booking, or find a good Envoy sale, I'll fly another carrier.

I don't want the cheapest ticket. I want a reasonably-priced ticket which enables me to fly in relative comfort (read: legroom). If US had an E+ or premium economy product, I would pay extra for the extra comfort. Imagine how much ancillary revenue US could bring in if they had E+? Now that's a fee that at least makes sense.

 

[Art at ISP]

Yep, it isn't any wonder why the Usairways board is so busy. Note though that over time it's more employees? You don't see as many customers posting here as in the past. Hmmmm now why would that be? This management team is out of their minds and has no idea how to please people. They are here to "condition" the customer. This management team is here to "train" you to learn their way of thinking, which in their mind is BRILLIANT. They have taken the "human element" out of this job and force upon the customer and employee their way of doing business. They basically told the high end customer to hit the road a few years back. Guess what, THEY DID and in droves. Now you see this "spruce up" of service in Envoy and a few simple items like a GLASS on domestic meal flights. A GLASS PEOPLE! ! ! Until we are swallowed by a larger carrier or turn the lights off this will continue. ENJOY!

Travelpro, as always, you hit the nail on the head...

While we appreciate the company's efforts (regardless of how long it took for them to realize they were needed) to "spruce" up the service a little, I think it may be too little too late. Your comments in bold above are so accurate, I could have said them myself. The majority of the higher value customers who still fly US are captive to the hubs and or focus cities. Some of the newer business travelers think US is okay because they really have nothing to compare them to....but when they try another airline, more often than not a light goes on in their heads..

To illustrate your point, the breaking point for me was when the then-managing director of customer relations, when presented with an opportunity to save the business of over 300 high value customers (AVERAGE spend $18K per year on US), asked me for contact information for the top 10 and assured me that they would be personally contacted within a week. I provided 64 names along with phone numbers and email addresses (with EACH member's permission I might add), and upon following up 30 days later, found that NOT ONE of the folks I referred was contacted. In fact, 5 of them had had poor customer service issues which had been unresolved for 60 days or more (unresolved in this case meaning NO response whatsoever). From that time forward, in 2007, I have flown 1 trip on US, and credited my miles to UA/CO. I will also add that since that lie, over 100 of our members asked to be status matched to other carriers, with the vast majority to CO, and after facilitating such arrangements for our members, most have never looked back. We estimated that the first year loss in revenue from customers we helped to "defect" were between $8 and $10M. This was not a big number unto itself, but if you realize that this is just between 100 and 150 people, who chose to speak up, when extrapolated over the general passenger population it is most likely considerably higher.

The key to providing good customer service is to invest in the product AND the employees. Invest in the employees and give them the tools to do their job well. Stop offering early outs to senior employees--they are more productive and knowledgeable, and the money they save in unnecessary mistakes due to inexperience more than makes up for their salaries.

We have said this ad nauseum, but ANY other WELL RUN airline is proof of this:

It takes HAPPY employees to have HAPPY customers.

It takes HAPPY customers to have HAPPY investors.

Regardless of what the spreadsheets tell the brain trust at Tempe, it DOES NOT work the other way around. Until they realize that employees and customers are ASSETS rather than liabilities, the long term future of US, standalone or otherwise is questionable. As long as they continue to step over dollars to pick up pennies, it won't get any better.

It is very frustrating to see long time friends who still work for US try to help customers solve legitimate issues when they KNOW how to do it, but are blocked by the company from doing so. I guess it's not worth an extra few $$ to keep a customer and guarantee further revenue....

My BEST to you all....

 

[autofixer]

The key to providing good customer service is to invest in the product AND the employees. Invest in the employees and give them the tools to do their job well. Stop offering early outs to senior employees--they are more productive and knowledgeable, and the money they save in unnecessary mistakes due to inexperience more than makes up for their salaries.

We have said this ad nauseum, but ANY other WELL RUN airline is proof of this:

It takes HAPPY employees to have HAPPY customers.

It takes HAPPY customers to have HAPPY investors.

Regardless of what the spreadsheets tell the brain trust at Tempe, it DOES NOT work the other way around. Until they realize that employees and customers are ASSETS rather than liabilities, the long term future of US, standalone or otherwise is questionable. As long as they continue to step over dollars to pick up pennies, it won't get any better.

It is very frustrating to see long time friends who still work for US try to help customers solve legitimate issues when they KNOW how to do it, but are blocked by the company from doing so. I guess it's not worth an extra few $$ to keep a customer and guarantee further revenue[

b][You guys make the errror in assuming management cares. Doug just upped his pay by $2.8 million for last year. They could care-a-less if LCC closes, they have theirs.

 

[SS255]

Travelpro, as always, you hit the nail on the head...

While we appreciate the company's efforts (regardless of how long it took for them to realize they were needed) to "spruce" up the service a little, I think it may be too little too late. Your comments in bold above are so accurate, I could have said them myself. The majority of the higher value customers who still fly US are captive to the hubs and or focus cities. Some of the newer business travelers think US is okay because they really have nothing to compare them to....but when they try another airline, more often than not a light goes on in their heads..

US kicked me to the curb in 2008, and they were on my "do not fly list" for almost two years. Once they started making improvements, I decided to remove them from my "do not fly list," and instead of going out of my way to avoid them, I began to fly them again when it made sense. I'm happy where I am now (CO/UA), so I do not ever see myself switching back to US as my primary carrier, but I do like to throw them my business now and again because I still have friends who work there, and I want to show support to my friends.

There was a time when I wouldn't even look at another carrier if US could get me there. They had a virtual lock on my business, and I only used US's partners if I could not get there on US metal........and that is staying a lot for someone who lives in Los Angeles, where US barely has any presence. I cannot tell you how many lies I told to people to justify why I was taking a connection when DL, AA or UA could get me there nonstop.

It's really a shame that mistakes made a few years ago will continue to haunt them, but I fear that there are many more like me who were once fiercely loyal to US, and now only fly them on occasion, if even that.

I remember Art telling me that he begged and pleaded with Tempe not to make some of the changes they were planning to make. It's a darn shame that they did not listen. But that is in the past. US needs to look to its future, and making the company a place where each and every employee is proud to work, and enabled and empowered to help customers, should really be the first priority.

 

[767one]

Yep, it isn't any wonder why the Usairways board is so busy. Note though that over time it's more employees? You don't see as many customers posting here as in the past. Hmmmm now why would that be? This management team is out of their minds and has no idea how to please people. They are here to "condition" the customer. This management team is here to "train" you to learn their way of thinking, which in their mind is BRILLIANT. They have taken the "human element" out of this job and force upon the customer and employee their way of doing business. They basically told the high end customer to hit the road a few years back. Guess what, THEY DID and in droves. Now you see this "spruce up" of service in Envoy and a few simple items like a GLASS on domestic meal flights. A GLASS PEOPLE! ! ! Until we are swallowed by a larger carrier or turn the lights off this will continue. ENJOY!

The only people our management? wants to please is themselves.

Regards,

Bob

 

[OldGuyinPA]

Just remember ....

We're not happy....till your unhappy.

Thank you Doug.

 

[Art at ISP]

My wife had to fly US yesterday to DC on the shuttle (used some of my miles). This is the first time in years she flew without me. Of course the weather was bad yesterday, and while she got down ok, the return was a challenge, with delays and cancellations. She called me at one point, and just said "get me out of here"..I coached her along-noted cancellations and told her to stay put get something to eat and listen for her flight.

Finally, she got in around midnight, and made the comment that the US employees in DC were somewhat slovenly, sloppily attired, indifferent to customers, and some using the PA had a very poor command of the English language. I told her there are (or used to be) some very good employees still at US despite the company's efforts to get them to leave, but what do you expect from a company that doesn't want to pay more than $10 an hour?

Her reply? "Where did they get these employees from? DMV?"

Just an observation from an outsider.

 

[signals]

1 Southwest
2 jetBlue
3 Alaska Airlines
4 Frontier
5 AirTran...now Southwest...still ahead of
6 Continental...now United
7 American
8 Delta
9 United
10 US Airways

As you can see, there is one WNer and one LUSer!

 

[FlyUs]

1 Southwest
2 jetBlue
3 Alaska Airlines
4 Frontier
5 AirTran...now Southwest...still ahead of
6 Continental...now United
7 American
8 Delta
9 United
10 US Airways

As you can see, there is one WNer and one LUSer!

LOL.. so true

 

[nycbusdriver]

My wife had to fly US yesterday to DC on the shuttle (used some of my miles). This is the first time in years she flew without me. Of course the weather was bad yesterday, and while she got down ok, the return was a challenge, with delays and cancellations. She called me at one point, and just said "get me out of here"..I coached her along-noted cancellations and told her to stay put get something to eat and listen for her flight.

Finally, she got in around midnight, and made the comment that the US employees in DC were somewhat slovenly, sloppily attired, indifferent to customers, and some using the PA had a very poor command of the English language. I told her there are (or used to be) some very good employees still at US despite the company's efforts to get them to leave, but what do you expect from a company that doesn't want to pay more than $10 an hour?

Her reply? "Where did they get these employees from? DMV?"

Just an observation from an outsider.

You could have solved your wife's frustrations with a one word answer: Acela

(Bet they didn't have weather issues.)

 

[Art at ISP]

You could have solved your wife's frustrations with a one word answer: Acela

(Bet they didn't have weather issues.)

Agreed, but the logistics didn't allow enough time for Acela this time. I burned some miles anyway. My wife had meetings on Capitol Hill and had to go for a radiation treatment in the morning first....

I am likely taking Acela down to DC next week to help bring my daughter's big old Buick home....

 

[skinvalve]

US should strive for #11. Nobody keeps a list of 11 places, therefore no more bad press.

 

[crazystnic]

You could have solved your wife's frustrations with a one word answer: Acela

(Bet they didn't have weather issues.)

again you read my mind... if the weather was crappy why fly.. and then complain about it!

 

[BoeingBoy]

again you read my mind... if the weather was crappy why fly.. and then complain about it!

If you read the post carefully, take note of two things. First, Art wasn't complaining about the effects of weather - he flies enough to definitely roll with the punches when wx, atc, or maintenance issues foul up shcedules. His lovely wife, however, doesn't fly as much as Art so some long distance hand holding and coaching was necessary. Second, Art's better half flew because the time between two scheduled events didn't allow time to use Acela.

Jim

 

[Art at ISP]

Thanks Jim--at least you can read a post and see what's really posted......