Not a pretty sight.
Many of the airline JVs are touting their seamless service.
Sadly this is not the case. It is important to consider that as a user the
expressions and impressions you use and leave behind permeate. By now we should
be long past trying to hoodwink your customers. Airlines however have yet to
learn this lesson. Some have – others keep stubbing their toes. Qantas and its
various unsuccessful attempts at Social Media prowess would seem to be a case
in point. Airlines need to step up their game across the board.
And this is where I want to pick on someone who should be my
favorite airlines. I am elite on many airlines. With Delta for the first time I
have reached Diamond status. Delta is currently running lots of ads extolling
the virtues of people. Delta people.
Delta people are good. Sure not everyone can be perfect all
the time. But they try pretty darn hard. But Delta people are the only ones
servicing Delta customers.
Let me describe an issue which illustrates that this is more
of a structural problem. While on a long distance international business trip. I received a phone call to say that my
waitlist on a DL flight had cleared I was told to call my “local” DL res office.
When I called DL Reservations in UK it was answered by a rather obnoxious Air
France representative. (BTW this is the usual way AF deals with DL pax. They
are generally arrogant and rude even when dealing with AF passengers. I really don’t
know where they get them from but AF really does seem to go out of their way to
hire people who can best Ryanair for customer service skills). She insisted
that there was no upgrade authorized in the reservation, therefore I must be
lying. However gritting her teeth she did divulge that I was still listed as
waitlisted. I told her that my DL account showed that the WL had cleared.
The issue is three fold. Firstly DL should see that I am
travelling and should use email as a way to communicate. Then there is no
ambiguity. Secondly AF does not have access to the full system. As there are no
longer any DL full service personnel answering the phones this represents a
huge problem. Particularly for frequent travellers such as myself. Thirdly, the
AF agent (a much nicer person!) at the airport was unable to get to Skymiles to
confirm the information necessary (certificate number). If my flight had
departed before say 0930 that would have meant the agent did not have access to
the information nor could they obtain it. Recommendation is that there should
be an automatic roll over back to Atlanta Skymiles desk when the local desk is
not occupied.
A general observation. The so called seamless service of
DL/AF/KL is flawed in many ways. A process team should be looking carefully at
the whole manner of integration. As I noted above Delta's advertising talks
about "Delta People". I am sure that Delta people would have handled
it. However Air France people attempting to behave like Delta people are
unsatisfactory. So much for the fiction of seamless. And just in case the other
airlines want to have a quiet snigger about this. DL’s experience is not
unique. The other global alliances and the inner JVs are just as bad. In some
cases WAY worse.
C’mon guys. You need to put some meat behind that service.
Otherwise then regulators should be looking hard at penalties for failure to
deliver on your promises to them when these programs – mergers in all but name –
were approved.
Cheers
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