CrippleHawk
Well-Known Member
I wish the Comair folks the best of luck. THey are not going to be the only ones who are going to be in the hurt
More Furloughs to come @ Comair...
- Thread starter CRJDriver
- Start date
Soul Brotha'
Off to go do Black guy stuff
Well the Soul is out. I saw this coming. After 3 years of this I've had enough. I'm not coming back. Never bitter about the situation. I knew what I was getting into when I started this adventure. I learned a lot, laughed a lot and do not regret anything. To anyone starting out and/or trying to get in the airlines follow your passion. This is a great job that just has some downfalls. Since having my son my goals have changed. Being away from my family really sucks. With that thank you CMR for the opportunity to live my dream but you can keep my furlough recall because I ain't coming back.
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
If you're still living in Orlando, next time I'm down there, I'll buy the first round.
Goonie
Never say die
Why? Would you rather they just take their money, and give it to somebody else?
It's their fault Lloyd!
What? Are you one of those adults that makes decisions for himself and actually thinks ahead when making life changing choices?
The customers have ZERO blame on them. If you treat them like crap because you are in a bad situation then, like Loyd said, they will go somewhere else. Dont blame them for the decisions YOU made. Not trying to bust your balls jynxyjoe, but that is a very annoying argument, and its getting old.
If I go into Taco Bell for a cheap lunch then I expect a decent level of customer service. If I dont get it then I will not go there again.
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
Ryan, you have a realistic expectation, though. You don't go into Taco Bell expecting customer service of Disney proportions. Some passengers expect first class service on a third class ticket price.....and they won't pay a penny more.
Now, I'm the first person that will say that customer service at my airline is absolute crap. It needs to improve to at least the level we treat our passengers as human beings and respect them. Most of the time, I don't even see that, and I'm left scrambling to recover or undo something a gate agent or flight attendant did. That being said, I have seen my fair share of irrational passengers, too. Most of it comes from fights over the overhead bin and seat space. Honestly, those aren't things I have any control over. I can't call Delta and tell them to put a 757 on MEM-TLH, and I can't tell you "Sure, you can block the aisle with your bag" when the guy in 12A was told to gate check his bag and did so without a fight. Things I DO have control over (like departure times, commissary and (to some degree) crew member attitudes) I put the customer first when I think about them. Can't help it since it was beaten into me by that Mouse Employer for 5 years. If I've done as much as I can, and the passenger still isn't happy, well the only thing I have left to do is thank them for their time, hand them a comment card and suggest they fill it out so someone in management can take their concerns into account. On days when we're waiting for 10-20 minutes short of the gate for someone to park us, I normally have the FA standing there with cards. It's not gonna get changed If *I* complain about it. Lord knows I've filled out my share of communication reports, and we still wait for eons to get parked.
surreal1221
Well-Known Member
This coming from someone, who to my knowledge, has yet to deal (and perhaps never will) with some of the ridiculous comments coming from the airline traveling public.
Realistically, as has been said numerous times over, not only by airline pilots but by our own yield managers - they (the majority of the flying public who are not out chasing frequent flier miles or business elite or first class upgrades) go after the cheapest ticket - the end.
So sure, they'll go somewhere else. Or so some of our utopian brothers would like to think so. But when only one mainline partner provides service between XYZ to ABC, who are they going to go to? The same company. Moan and groan all they want, but if they need to fly, then they'll just have to deal with it.
Goonie
Never say die
I heart you Steve, but I have to disagree.... Southwest also disagrees. I avoid traveling with SWA because KDAL sucks as a passenger, but I have always felt like a customer with them.
I am not saying you have to accomadate all the passengers needs, but if you have the mindset that "You paid nothing for this ride, so sit down, shut up!" attitude then you will loose CUSTOMERS who pay your bills.
Not relevant Josh, and I know you are smarter than that.
I deal with a lot of corporate traveling public and I will take the Pepsi challenge against your "ridiculous" customer request. There are ways to handle these situations and being a bitter smartass isn't one of them.
My whole beef is blaming the customer for buying low fare tickets when everyone on the website would do the exact same. Hate the game, not the player.
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying there are passengers that don't have realistic expectations. I don't think SWA gives food away on their flights (past the standard soda and pretzels), but I've seen passengers upset that we don't since the tickets weren't bought on a "low cost carrier." And if you're using SWA as an example of a carrier that charges less and offers more, they actually cost MORE on a lot of their routes than other airlines. They also have a MUCH better corporate culture and treat their employees like business partners. That's something a LOT of carriers can learn from. That FA that's stretched to the point of smacking the next person that goes off on her might never reach that point if he or she felt their employer actually cared about them. But, now we're getting WAY off topic.
surreal1221
Well-Known Member
I find it is relevant.
Walk a day in the shoes and then perhaps you'd see some of the ridiculous behavior customers display, that's all.
The easiest way of dealing with customers acting like a fool is to simply take yourself out of the equation. I, when I was employed, would do everything in my power to make sure they had a great experience, but I'm not going to bend over backwards for an ungrateful old man or ghetto sister with an attitude. I'll direct them to the nearest customer service desk and let them rip into someone else.
That said, if a customer was polite, calm, and took the time to listen to us I'll walk them to the customer service desk and get them in line ahead of all the pissed off, stressed out, traveling public sheep waiting in line because perhaps they'll (the pissed off, stressed out folk) realize that you can act appropriate without having a temper tantrum in the airport and still get assistance.
But, nevertheless, just because you deal with a lot of corporate traveling public I'm afraid doesn't qualify you to pass judgments on what you think some of us would do in a situation in which you have never been personally involved in.
Cactus_Cutter
Well-Known Member
Many more will be skippity-doo-gone in January 2010...
jynxyjoe
Queso King
Not trying to bust your balls mick, but in the real world pax say stupid things for a free lunch. They'll be back on my airline as long as we're still the cheapest. Happens countless times. You apparently feel your motives are the same for all pax. That "is a very annoying argument". You don't speak for every yahoo I've run across. If you believe you can charecterize and speak for every jerkwad that bashes the employees then you are either narcissistic or ignorant. Also I believe your character comes in question when you defend people who are purposefully abusive to employees.
If a passenger feels they don't need to fly on my airline anymore because; they want to abuse my FA's, or gate agents, and try to brow beat me with debates about where they should be allowed to seat themselves, or that I should be taking off into the middle of a tornado, then God knows I don't want them aboard. I don't care if that annoys you or not. Now if it is obvious the person is acting irrationally because they are scared I have no trouble treating them with kid gloves. It's rare that peoples defense mechanism is that response, but it happens and I do my best.
Furthermore, I don't blame them for my choices. I didn't blame my restaurant patrons over the course of 5 years (highschool/college) working as a server and or a busser. I took my money and paid my bills with them. I do blame passengers and some of my old restaurant customers for the choices they make. They do not have 0 blame. I'm not the guy your looking to beat over the head with customer service 101.
/side rant
I'm the guy that refused to pay for a job back in '03, or go into more debt for my masters, or screw around trying to instruct for 10 bucks an hour. I went off to be an aircraft dispatcher/ops manager, worked instructing on the side for a little extra money and to stay current. Afterwards I was an EMI technician and I socked away a small fortune. I went to Colgan for the quick upgrade, realized how stupid that was, and when they pulled out the left seat for me I bailed for Mesaba, where they pulled out the left seat for me for substaintailly more money. I make all my bills and I'm doing fine. I don't need handouts and I don't need you educating me on my "mistakes", especially when you don't know anything about me.
/end
Furthermore, you don't speak for every customer. The customers you speak so highly of, and these are the 10% who give the 90% a bad name, are in it for themselves. They want it all handed to them, and as long as they make enough noise, they think they'll get it. They paid for a service, they'll get the service, and safety WILL come first. If they don't approve of that, fine, drive.
I'm not a customer service agent. (For now) I am a captain whose final product is one thing: safety. When they want to bitch about getting 2x miles, I tell them to goto the gate agent. I'm not being paid anymore, and it's not like the pilot is the restaurant manager who can get you that free lunch you ate 3/4 of and didn't like. And if I laugh at them for insane requests, then thats just the penalty of them being an idiot.
Quickly, I know this has been too long a reply already but I'd like to re-emphasis that if this "Are you one of those adults that makes decisions for himself and actually thinks ahead when making life changing choices?" line of crap you just espoused is directed at me, I suggest you shut your mouth because you look like an idiot.
If my responses seem curt, try a PM next time, before you try deriding me.
jynxyjoe
Queso King
I think you'll find after reading "nuts and bolts" Southwest disagrees with you.
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
That's actually a good point. There was one story of a lady writing a letter irrationally complaining about things and threatening never to fly SWA again. Herb's response: "Dear Ms. Crabapple. We'll miss you. Love, Herb."
Goonie
Never say die
You have no argument from me here. I think we are talking about two different things here and I blame Monopolowa Vokda for that.
Again, we are arguing about two different things.
My whole problem is with post I have seen here for years on JC like...
"Well, as long as Joe Six Pack can get can get from DFW to IAH for $60"
or
"White trash passengers in the back want to get to Disney World for nothing, that's why we make $20K a year" No its not.
If you have that attitude and say it enough, then people start believing it, and it reflects on to the passengers. I understand that they have ridiculous demands that cant be met, but don't think for a minute that airlines own the market in demanding customers.
It is not the passengers fault AT ALL for wanting a cheap fare. Its the airlines fault for making it available.
surreal1221
Well-Known Member
Well, I'm talking about one thing and you're bringing in an argument about another subject. Not much we can do now is there?
jynxyjoe
Queso King
Sorry man, keep ur chin up.
surreal1221
Well-Known Member
Check the recent job posting for CRJ FO and Captains under contract in central Africa.
Figure even the FOs who have been at Comair for five years have enough time to land one.
Figure even the FOs who have been at Comair for five years have enough time to land one.