Airline insiders tell all
What they really think about their rules
What if an airline manager materialized at the gate after your next flight? And not just any supervisor, but the one in charge of customer service? What would you say?
Stop imagining. I had that opportunity when I spoke at a recent meeting of the Worldwide Airline Customer Relations Association.
But instead of delivering a conventional speech praising the airlines that offer excellent service and scolding the ones that don’t, I handed the mike to you, dear readers. I solicited questions from actual passengers and then presented them to my audience ... live.
Here’s what they said, with my comments, as well:
Are your front-line agents really empowered to resolve a customer service problem?
Yes, and that’s what this meeting was all about. But it’s a balancing act. The delegates, for the most part, seemed to be on the customer’s side, but they have to weigh each request against their own set of internal rules. In other words, they can’t hand out first-class tickets whenever they lose your luggage. But I had the feeling that some of the folks in the room would hand out first-class tickets if they could.
If we’re extra polite when we have a request from an airline, are we more likely to get a “yes”?
No. The airline managers insisted all of their employees are highly trained professionals and evaluate your request based on the merits. Even if the rule is, “No waivers, no favors.” They’re quick to add that they appreciate your politeness, though.
Why are ticket-change fees so high?
They’re not, according to these airline reps. The ticket-change fees represent the cost of a missed revenue opportunity, not the actual price of changing the ticket. Airlines want to be compensated for the money they would have made, had you not changed your travel plans. Interestingly, this led to a discussion about “basic economy” fares, which are completely non-changeable and non-refundable. But when I suggested passengers might be willing to live with these restrictive tickets, as long as airlines agreed to offer full refunds when they resold a seat, I heard crickets.
Do we have enough room in economy class?
No, of course not! The seats are way too small. But they’re legal and customers “asked” for them by demanding, and purchasing, lower fares. Airline representatives said if you want some of that legroom back, you can always pay extra for a premium economy-class seat. But the bottom line is: You wanted this, passengers. The trade-off for cheap seats is less legroom.
Why can’t parents reserve a seat next to their young children?
Airlines already do their best to seat parents next to their offspring, with or without a seat reservation. And besides, Con- gress passed the Families Flying Together Act, which mandates that airlines keep families together. Unfortunately the Department of Transportation has yet to create the required regulation and implement it. If it did, the problem would be solved, and we wouldn’t get any more of these questions about how airlines may try to profit by separating families.
Why not just board the plane from back to front?
The airline managers could offer no good reason for the boarding circus, in which the VIPs are allowed on the plane first, followed by the less elite, followed by active duty military, followed by the even less elite, followed by people like me. Apparently, that’s handled by a different department than customer service. But some privately agreed that it doesn’t make much sense and that it slows down the boarding process.
Why do airlines lie about the reasons for a delay?
They don’t. Front-line airline personnel don’t always know the precise reason for a delay. But gate agents are never instructed to lie to passengers about the reason or expected length of a delay. I believe that’s an honest answer, but you have to read between the lines. There’s a difference between an outright lie and not telling the whole truth about a delay. Christopher Elliott is a consumer advocate.