Sunday, November 25, 2007

Airlines Need New Leaders

except for southwest, which manages to do a decent job of getting to and fro without losing too much luggage and the rest of it, airlines are so horrible that the only way they get away with it is because we don't have any choice. if we're traveling a great distance, we have to fly.
here is one CEO's unintended response to a customer who missed a concert because of a flight:
Mr. Baldanza’s response, which seemed to be intended only for a Spirit Airlines employee but subsequently appeared on multiple travel blogs, said: “Please respond, Pasquale, but we owe him nothing as far as I’m concerned. Let him tell the world how bad we are. He’s never flown us before anyway and will be back when we save him a penny.”
read the whole story in the NYT>
what a creep.
but just think if the airlines brought in people who actually cared and who had some management skills. is that an oxymoron? i don't think so. i think companies can be service minded and have the ability to make a profit and cut costs.
it's been five months and i still wait to hear from united airlines, which i wrote to asking for a mere $50 for parking that i had to pay-- the result of nightmare flight that gives me the willies when i think of it.
if they had been kind and didn't botch EVERYTHING i wouldn't have bothered. one thing i'll never do is fly united airlines ever, unless i absolutely have to.
still, it's not as if we have a great choice. all the rest (we might exclude jetblue even though they did a big boo boo) of the airlines are duds too.
i wonder where they get these people who lead the airlines. what is their background? meatpacking?
the industry needs to rethink service and how might create more business for themselves if they didn't treat everyone like hauled garbage.