[customerxperience4]

Originally Posted by ChrisH

Weather can affect a flight leaving from Newark to Greensboro, because the airplane being used to operate the flight from EWR to GSO, was, at some point, coming from DEN. If you are an ex-airline employee, you should know this.

Airlines do not just have excess airplanes lying around. Again, as an ex-airline employee, you should know this. ALL aircraft are being used, about to be used, or are down for scheduled maintenance. IF there are extra airplanes, that can be used to help a delayed flight, they will get a new airplane in place. I've seen it happen, but it is rare. It isn't the gate agent, however, who makes that call. It is dispatch, as well as crew scheduling. They also have to find a crew for the new airplane, to get it into place. There isn't always another cew available. All of this stuff, as an ex-airline employee, you should know.

Gate agents can only go by what the computer says. We are not privy to any more information than that. If the agent looked in the computer, and saw that the airplane was delayed, that is what they tell you. That doesn't mean, 10 minuts after you walk off, that it will not change, or the Continental will not do what you want, and get a new plane, thus lessening the delay. I've seen delays plenty of times where the computer says there will be a 2 hour delay, but it ends up being much less. It is the passengers responsibility to always be in the gate area, or at least an area where they can hear boarding pages, etc.

Good luck finding another airline that you will never experience any kind of bad experience on. Read through any of these airline forums, and you will see complaint, after complaint from every airline. It is only a matter of time before you have a bad experience on another airline.

I like how you generalize all employees of the airlines. If you are truly an ex-airline employee, you would know that agents only go by what they are told. They don't sit there and make up lies. We go by what the computer says. If it says weather, than that is what I have to go by, whether true or not. It isn't the front line employees who are to blame, it is management.

And, by the way, when gate agents are making $8.00/hr, because they have taken 40-50% paycuts, since 9/11, as have all airline employees, there really isn't much incentive for many to really care. All the airlines can do now is hire people who could care less, and those who stayed, through the cuts, don't care either, because they are bitter. If you really want customer service to improve, start lobbying for the airlines to pay their employees enough, to make them care. You get what you pay for. If you pay fast food wages, you get that kind of service, meanwhile, management, the ones who make the call on why airplanes are delayed, that I, the agent, have to go by, are the ones raking in millions in bonuses.

Despite all of the above, I go OUT OF MY WAY to provide the best service I can. I an assure you had I been the agent, you wouldn't have experienced what you did. I don't have to do the things I do, when I am at work, but I still do, to do what I can for paying customers. I could probably get myself into trouble, doing some of the things I do. We had an agent get fired recently, for upgrading some people to first class, due to an inconvenience. Turns out by upgrading the passenger, she cost the company money, that wasn't necessary. Before you say that airline employees have nothing between their eyes, stop and realize what we are up against.

All I hear from you is excuses why your not providing an extraordinary customer experience. It sounds to me as if your company has alot to look at. I am talking about how they hire people, how they motivate you as a staff to do your jobs, and the leaders they have in place. I agree that alot of airlines have similar problems but the fact of the matter is there are airlines out there that make sure Customer Satisfaction is number 1. We dont have to fly with your ****ty airline and if your gonna make excuses we dont want to hear them as customers. There are three steps to success and they go in only this order. Employee satisfaction>Customer Satisfaction>Shareholder Satisfaction. I realize your business deals alot with uncontrollable circumstances such as weather but maybe its time you start thinking outside the box. The airline industry is in complete and utter shambles and once they start thinking of more creative ways to serve their customers our accomodate them when weather or equipment malfunctions interfere with schedules, things just wont change. I hate this industry, pompous, arrogant, and utter human diregard for there customers