Comments on: Unconventional wisdom: when good airlines go bad

By: anaffockDopen

anaffockDopen — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:35:22 +0000

Good Day:
Awdsome information you have here. Thanks for sharing.

By: Matthew B

Matthew B — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:25:27 +0000

Chris, when you wrote the article you should have named the airline, the flight number, the FA and disclosed how much you paid for your ticket. After all what is the point in having a well read travel blog if you’re not going to take advantage. I am sick of airlines and their employees thinking that the paying passengers don’t count.

By: Rick Damiani

Rick Damiani — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 04:25:43 +0000

“I get some flak for that sometimes, but my sense is that most of the people who “luv” SW don’t get out all that much.”

I dunno ’bout that. I like Southwest. I fly a couple times a month. Part of why I like it is that most of the people at Southwest I encounter seem awfuly happy to be working there. Southwest is, as Chris said, pretty employee-oriented. Some employees are bound to take that the wrong way.

By: Laura Townsend

Laura Townsend — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:12:18 +0000

As someone that worked and got married in Bermuda not too long ago, I’d just be pissed I didn’t get to the archipelago (sorry, Chris, my fellow ex-Eastportican, but it’s not considered an island).

Anyway, I would make a STRENUOUS argument that they owed you a RT fare to Bermuda and an overnight stay at the Hamilton Princess!

By: Chris Guillebeau

Chris Guillebeau — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:32:12 +0000

This is good stuff; I just started reading your blog even though I’ve read your magazine columns for a while now. I have believed for a long time that SW is only marginally better, if that, than the major U.S. airlines. I get some flak for that sometimes, but my sense is that most of the people who “luv” SW don’t get out all that much.

By: Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:40:54 +0000

Point taken. I should note that the airline in question has not responded to any of my recent queries on behalf of other customers. I think something is going on at Southwest. The hearings and FAA fines have not been good for company morale. But I think there’s more happening than just that. I don’t know what, but my sense is, it’s not good.

By: Char James-Tanny

Char James-Tanny — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:06:30 +0000

Ah, but you’ve taught us to politely and respectfully stand up for ourselves and write those well-crafted letters. You’re our role model…we want to know that you would do the same thing that you would have told us to do, had we written to you with that story.

Writing the blog entry is all well and good, but there’s no reason for the F/A to change her attitude because of it.

Of course, now we know to be more careful on certain airlines…

By: Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:41:28 +0000

To be honest, I was just exhausted after my trip and I think the blog entry was payback enough.

By: Jesse

Jesse — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:03:22 +0000

Chris,

For someone who advocates about customer rights, why are you not fighting a little harder for yourself?

I know you should pick your battles for the most part, but obviously you were following regulations and still received a lecture from someone…

By: Joe Farrell

Joe Farrell — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:11:00 +0000

ah, but the issue is not one of whether they lost your bag, but the priority with which customer needs are reflected. . . they pull non-rev passengers off to accommodate paying customers. Should the onboard service not also reflect that customer needs have to come first. If you do not tell them, because they didn’t lose the bag, then the next person who needs the space will not get it either. . . service should not default ‘they didn’t lose my bag, I should be happy. . . “

By: R.V.

R.V. — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:54:12 +0000

If I were you I would have told her off right there and then, gotten her name, and *then* I would have written a letter asking for the policy and such. NO CUSTOMER DESERVES TO BE TREATED THE WAY YOU DID.

By: Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:06:04 +0000

Yes, good advice. Thank you. I think if the airline had lost my bags, I would have done that.

By: Joe Farrell

Joe Farrell — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:03:27 +0000

Chris – one thing I’d do – is did you get the NAME of the FA? Isn’t that what you tell us to do?

Anyway, assuming you did, send a letter to the VP for Customers and put it simply:

“On 4/6/08 I was a pax on flight XXX from MSY-MCO. Due to a misconnection on another carrier, I was a last minute traveler on your flight.

I was the last pax on board. I had a standard roll-on bag with me that I wanted to put in the overhead. I discovered that there was room, if a small pouch was either relocated or shifted around. I discovered the small bag belonged to your flight attendant, insert name here, who refused to make an effort to accommodate my needs, refusing to move her personal property to allow a paying passenger room to put their carry-on in the overhead. I was forced to check my bag even though, with a small amount of effort, I could have been accommodated.

Regardless of what the F/A could have done to be helpful, I believe that customer needs should come ahead of employee needs. I understand that WN has a deep employee culture, but, without my needs being met, there are no employees whose needs require space on board. She also made a snide comment about ‘checking in earlier,’ and that ‘if you have a C boarding pass do not even THINK of bringing luggage on board.” None of those comments were helpful in resolving the situation.

I am not seeking compensation, an apology, or anything other than an explanation of what is WN’s policy on employee use of carry on space when a customer requires it? Is there not space in the cockpit and in the closets in the front of the aircraft designed for employee personal item storage?

Thank you for your prompt attention.