Delta to Spend $1B on Customer Service Upgrades

CRJDriver

CRJDriver

Well-Known Member
Delta to Spend $1B on Customer Service Upgrades
Press Release Source: Delta Air Lines On Monday January 25, 2010, 11:24 am

ATLANTA,Jan. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will invest $1 billion, or about $300 million per year, through mid-2013 to improve the customer experience in the air and on the ground. The capital investment will improve the consistency and level of service provided to Delta's BusinessElite, First Class and elite-level flyers, as well as increasing the efficiency of the airline's fleet. Planned enhancements include:

•Installing full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite on 90 trans-oceanic aircraft, including 14 Boeing 767-400ERs, 52 Boeing 767-300ERs, 16 Boeing 747-400s and eight Boeing 777-200ERs. Upon completion, each of these fleets will have full flat bed seats on all aircraft.

•Adding in-seat audio and video on demand throughout Economy Class on 16 Boeing 747-400 and 52 Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. With these additions, Delta will offer personal, in-seat entertainment for both BusinessElite and Economy class customers on all wide-body aircraft.

•Adding First Class cabins to 66 CRJ-700 aircraft operated by Delta Connection carriers ASA, Comair and SkyWest, bringing to 219 the number of regional aircraft with First Class seating.

•Completing the modification of 269 pre-merger Northwest aircraft to feature Delta's signature blue leather seats, updated lighting and enhanced cabin amenities such as increased overhead bin space on pre-merger Northwest 757-200s.

•Installing winglets on more than 170 Boeing 767-300ER, 757-200 and 737-800 aircraft to extend aircraft range and improve fuel efficiency by as much as five percent.

•Renovating and expanding Delta's Los Angeles Sky Club lounge, and introducing new Sky Club locations in Seattle, Philadelphia and Indianapolis.

"Delta's planned fleet and product investments mark the most significant investment we have made in our customers in more than a decade," said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. "Our premium travelers tell us that the comfort of a flat bed seat with direct aisle access, a first class experience on regional jets and in-flight entertainment are important factors in their choice of carrier."

"This investment will be made while staying well within the level of our historical capital expenditures," said Ed Bastian, Delta's president. "Rather than invest in new aircraft, Delta will be spending its capital to improve the quality and consistency of the on-board product and efficiency of the aircraft we already own."
 
All points are good moves. The competition is already ahead in some categories but when all of those things are complete I think DAL will be ahead as far as most in-flight amenities go.
 
Are you kidding me, Delta doesn't care about it's customers....




Oh, I forgot, they don't care about their employees.
 
They care about money! That's the whole point. But who would admit that to those who provide such a thing?
 
CRJDriver said:
•Installing full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite on 90 trans-oceanic aircraft, including 14 Boeing 767-400ERs, 52 Boeing 767-300ERs, 16 Boeing 747-400s and eight Boeing 777-200ERs. Upon completion, each of these fleets will have full flat bed seats on all aircraft.

•Adding in-seat audio and video on demand throughout Economy Class on 16 Boeing 747-400 and 52 Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. With these additions, Delta will offer personal, in-seat entertainment for both BusinessElite and Economy class customers on all wide-body aircraft.

•Installing winglets on more than 170 Boeing 767-300ER, 757-200 and 737-800 aircraft to extend aircraft range and improve fuel efficiency by as much as five percent.
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Oh snap Dough, dey pimpin' yo ride. Can I roll wit' chu dog?
 
That money would be much better spent hiring customer service agents who have social skills and care about their jobs or more rampers so planes don't have to wait to park.
 
Screaming_Emu said:
That money would be much better spent hiring customer service agents who have social skills and care about their jobs or more rampers so planes don't have to wait to park.
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You'd have to hire outside the MEM and ATL metro areas for that. That's pretty much consistent across the board in this town, at least. I had a Taco Bell drive-thru attendant almost throw my incorrect order through my car window at me the other night. I have yet to find a Taco Bell within 20 minutes of my house that doesn't have ghetto fab employees that act like they're just standing there collecting money rather than actually WORKING for their pay. I keep trying, though. So far, I've crossed at least 4 Taco Bells off my little map, meaning I'll never go there again.
 
Blay's YUUUR heart! ;)

(I'm not too big on 'Southern Hospitality' either.)
 
"Ma'am, saying "Bless his/her heart" is not a pre-apology for an impending rude comment about someone behind their back!"
 
kellwolf said:
that doesn't have ghetto fab employees that act like they're just standing there collecting money rather than actually WORKING for their pay. I keep trying, though. So far, I've crossed at least 4 Taco Bells off my little map, meaning I'll never go there again.
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I do a decent amount of work with their parent company, Yum Brands. And I know for a FACT that they want to know about stuff like this.

-b
 
CRJDriver said:
Delta to Spend $1B on Customer Service Upgrades
Press Release Source: Delta Air Lines On Monday January 25, 2010, 11:24 am

ATLANTA,Jan. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will invest $1 billion, or about $300 million per year, through mid-2013 to improve the customer experience in the air and on the ground. The capital investment will improve the consistency and level of service provided to Delta's BusinessElite, First Class and elite-level flyers, as well as increasing the efficiency of the airline's fleet. Planned enhancements include:

•Installing full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite on 90 trans-oceanic aircraft, including 14 Boeing 767-400ERs, 52 Boeing 767-300ERs, 16 Boeing 747-400s and eight Boeing 777-200ERs. Upon completion, each of these fleets will have full flat bed seats on all aircraft.

•Adding in-seat audio and video on demand throughout Economy Class on 16 Boeing 747-400 and 52 Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. With these additions, Delta will offer personal, in-seat entertainment for both BusinessElite and Economy class customers on all wide-body aircraft.

•Adding First Class cabins to 66 CRJ-700 aircraft operated by Delta Connection carriers ASA, Comair and SkyWest, bringing to 219 the number of regional aircraft with First Class seating.

•Completing the modification of 269 pre-merger Northwest aircraft to feature Delta's signature blue leather seats, updated lighting and enhanced cabin amenities such as increased overhead bin space on pre-merger Northwest 757-200s.

•Installing winglets on more than 170 Boeing 767-300ER, 757-200 and 737-800 aircraft to extend aircraft range and improve fuel efficiency by as much as five percent.

•Renovating and expanding Delta's Los Angeles Sky Club lounge, and introducing new Sky Club locations in Seattle, Philadelphia and Indianapolis.

"Delta's planned fleet and product investments mark the most significant investment we have made in our customers in more than a decade," said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. "Our premium travelers tell us that the comfort of a flat bed seat with direct aisle access, a first class experience on regional jets and in-flight entertainment are important factors in their choice of carrier."

"This investment will be made while staying well within the level of our historical capital expenditures," said Ed Bastian, Delta's president. "Rather than invest in new aircraft, Delta will be spending its capital to improve the quality and consistency of the on-board product and efficiency of the aircraft we already own."
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Nice to see customer service going in the opposite direction it has been for a while in the airline industry.
 
Wow, investing in customer service! That's great. Although it's too bad gate agents aren't getting a raise then maybe they'd treat costumers better at the gate.
 
mxflyer said:
Wow, investing in customer service! That's great. Although it's too bad gate agents aren't getting a raise then maybe they'd treat costumers better at the gate.
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They'd treat their customers the same if they paid them higher too. It's the demographics they have to choose from that is the issue at hand.
 
PeanuckleCRJ said:
It's the demographics they have to choose from that is the issue at hand.
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Dude, you know I love ya but, what do you mean? Please tell me you are saying something other than what I think you mean.

BTW, I have had wonderful experiences with our agents in ATL, NYC, LAX, etc. Almost never do I run into someone that is just a bad person.
 
I think "demographics" was a poor word choice. Pretty much ANYONE from the Memphis area, be they white, black, green or polka dot seems to suck at customer service, no matter what they're pay rate. I'd wager Atlanta is somewhat similar. The problem is, no one gets fired because they'll just be replaced by a duplicate. Back in the day (circa 1997-2004) when I was in Orlando, if you didn't past muster on the customer service front, you got kicked to the curb because a) the customer would go elsewhere BECAUSE they had good customer service and b) there was someone waiting in the wings that hated Disney bad enough to jump ship that would provide better service. May have just been a product of the geographic area and not being able to swing a dead cat without hitting someone that had customer service beaten into them by the time they turned 18 thanks to the high school job of either scooping ice cream or sweeping streets.
 
Capt. Caucasian said:
BTW, I have had wonderful experiences with our agents in ATL, NYC, LAX, etc. Almost never do I run into someone that is just a bad person.
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There are definately good ones around, LAS has some awesome agents. But I seldom have good experiences (neither has my wife) in ATL or in SLC. I hope they are better to the revenue peeps. I just think that if you keep your front line employees happy, they will in return keep the costumer happy. Not just in aviation but in any business.
 
I just don't see what yall are talking about. I am from Atlanta. My family has been here since the 1840's (textile mill workers). I see everyone around me as family and I treat them as such. I almost always get the same respect back.

I went to high school with many of the agents in ATL. They were good folks back then and they are still today. I think that if someone consistently has problems with other people they might need to look in a mirror.
 
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