So I finally turned my miserable air-travel interlude into a column. A reader writes in response:
I am a retired Delta Air Lines pilot and I read your article "Stranded on Delta" in the Dallas morning News yesterday with a combination of empathy and sadness. Empathy because I'm sure all of us can relate tales of being victims of exceptionally poor service and sadness because I remember when Delta prided itself on taking that "extra step" to ensure every customer walked away knowing their business was appreciated and they were valued because of the way they were treated. This was because Delta hired the best people available, paid them the highest wages in the industry, trained them in the art of customer service and made it clear that anything less than the best was unacceptable. This resulted in a dedicated workforce committed to excellence and to their company (name another airline where the employees bought an airplane with their own money and then gave it to the company!). Customer complaints were rare, investigated promptly, and corrective action taken promptly.The company I just described obviously only shares a name with the one you recently encountered - What happened? I believe the answer can be found with the last three Delta CEO's. Each of these three individuals were more concerned with "bottom-line management" than customer service. Previous leaders at Delta preached, "take care of the employees, they will take care of the customer, and the bottom line will take care of itself." The modern executives viewed employees as a financial liability that must be limited to improve the profit picture of the company. Experienced, "high cost" employees were ushered out and replaced with low-cost part time employees. Minimum staffing became the norm and customer service gave way to "competitive cost advantage." The result, your recent experience.
You correctly pointed out this lack of service is not limited to Delta. Indeed, I fear you have just had a view of the future of air travel in our country. Sad, very sad. However, don't take it personal - they are not just picking on you. Instead, also look at what has happened to retired airline employees in our country. Retirement plans have been abandoned, access to medical insurance made cost prohibitive and legal contracts discarded. It appears the airline industry does not care about it's customers, employees, or retirees. Makes you wonder who they do care about, doesn't it.
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My father's only employer was Pan American World Airways, the late and by some lamented Pan Am. His position for his last 20 years there was "ground supervisor", his job was to greet foreign VIPs in their native languages, and as a supervisor he was authorized to obtain additional resources at a moment's notice if the VIPs showed a need.
Granted, there's more than a bit of snobbery implicit in it, but I ask you: is there an airline that comes within miles of that standard any more?
I don't think so.
I like Delta.
They got me to and from Scotland back when Heathrow was shut down because of the we-mix-liquids-you-die crowd. Atlanta ROCKS as an airport. Especially if you've ever been through (gack) Heathrow.
Franklin,
If Airlines still charged (in real dollars) today what they did back then there would probably be that level of service, remember it wasn't that long ago that flying was something only the really wealthy did.
Eric,
That's an excellent point, but you should be aware that family travel started in the late 60s and steadily increased; that demand got coach class created. I remember a time when fully one-third of the seats on any plane were first class. The shift is there, over a long period to be sure, but it was still pretty dramatic.
I found this interesting:
"Previous leaders at Delta preached, "take care of the employees, they will take care of the customer, and the bottom line will take care of itself." The modern executives viewed employees as a financial liability that must be limited to improve the profit picture of the company. Experienced, "high cost" employees were ushered out and replaced with low-cost part time employees. Minimum staffing became the norm and customer service gave way to "competitive cost advantage.""
It's not just airlines. I went back to college as an adult, and I just found out today that the company I took a job with two years ago when I graduated, the one I took a sub-entry-level job with because they're the leaders in their field and I really wanted to work for them, is turning the next step up the ladder into a temp-to-hire position. That's right, if I want a chance to move up I have to give up my insurance and retirement plan, become a temporary employee, and hope to God that they like my work enough to hire me back again as a full-timer. How much loyalty do you think I now have to that company? How much extra work am I likely to do for its clients?
Screw 'em all, say I...
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