Code Red Alert: Humans Are Missing
Customer service is fast becoming a lost and extinct art form; gas stations, supermarkets, post office, but especially in the airline business. Humans are being replaced by do-it-yourself check-in station counters. If you dare to check-in with the curbside porter, you will be charged $2 per bag in addition to the usual generous tip given. (I have yet to figure out the reasoning.)
Only after you check in does the ticket agent (basically a baggage tagger) put your pre-printed baggage tag on your baggage and tell you where to take your baggage for security check; therefore rendering the conveyor belts behind them useless. Once past security and the gates, most major airlines have a customer service desk for rebooking. It has become common practice for airlines to replace their “human staff” with a host of red telephones placed at the counter with a toll-free number posted on the wall above, aided by more “do-it-yourself” check-in stations. .
Also, when a customer asks airline staff where to file a complaint, they are referred to a website, another “non-human” contact. Boy, this sure makes me feel appreciated and gives me a warm feeling! And you?
In-flight food and beverage service appears to be an optional option for flight attendants. If you have a bunch of lazy flight attendants, like I had on a recent flight, they won’t even come when the service light is on! They seem to disappear upon takeoff and magically reappear barking orders just before landing. If a serving cart arrives, expect to pay high prices for bland, prepackaged food and $2 for bottled water.
Since customers are now required to check in and handle their own luggage, I ask, “What’s next? Will I also be required to fly the plane?” Also, to save TSA employees time and effort, why don’t travelers show up naked and put their clothes back on after they’re thrown into the security checkpoint?
With airlines clamoring for business, many claiming substantial losses, even bankruptcy, why haven’t the top executives of the overpaying airlines figured things out? The airfare price may attract customers the first time, but it is customer service excellence that keeps them coming back and in business.