There have been many headlines in the news lately about the airlines industry. The Delta-Northwest merger has caused instability for many customer service reps while Delta customers see drawbacks instead of high hopes for this deal. Now we have American Airlines pilots on strike over poor customer service.
Amidst all this madness I came across a statement by Robert Roach, Jr., the General Vice President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM):
"The recent grounding of aircraft and stranding tens of thousands of passengers due to maintenance compliance issues are just symptoms of a much larger industry problem.
Airlines are increasingly outsourcing critical aspects of their maintenance programs, replacing customer service representatives with computers and failing to provide passengers with the service they pay for.
The airline industry is providing the worst customer service in its history after slashing jobs and cutting employee wages. Consumer complaints were up 60 percent last year, and more than a quarter of all flights experienced delays. This is all occurring while executives at major airlines are considering mergers to create even larger, more unmanageable carriers, producing bigger headaches for passengers." (via Aero-News.net)
This is a statement that should be spread far and wide. It should be printed out and put into the mailboxes of every CEO in the airline industry!Let's just hope that it doesn't get so bad that we have to pay $75.63 for oxygen! Check out this hilarious video...
Maria,
Excellent post. Airlines have been in trouble for more than three decades. All of those things you mention are true. Still, airlines cannot turn a profit. Without profits, the carriers will continue to outsource. And with the rising price of oil, there is no relief in site. What are the solutions? Technology for one. But as long as every seat is filled, no incentives for better customer service exist.
Posted by: Lewis Green | April 17, 2008 7:25 AM | Permalink to Comment