[shemeda]

I have been a one pass member since 1987 and flew Continental airlines for most of business or vacation, I have noticed recently that the quality of thier "customer Care" agent does not realy refelct the level of service that they are advertising. They hire these agents, very controversial and borderline rude.. Maybe they were hired from a wallmart or something.

Also, continental as well as other airlines are over-using the weather related delays , last transtlantic trip from Germany in Feb 08 was delayed 6 hours due to connection in Newark, my last return from S.F 10 AM was canceled and we had to take the red-eye shuttle from Oakland, basically 14 hours delay and arrive the following day .. Continental refused us a dime in compensation.

For those of ConAir Employees, we are not going feel sorry when this airline sinks into bankrupcy or taken over by another carrier, since your customers are not being treated they should be. Also tax payer is not going to step up and bail you our as we did post 9/11

[ChrisH]

It is ashame that you would wish for the loss of jobs of people, especially since there are plenty of agents that do care, and go out of their way for passengers - like myself, and I work for Continental. I am about to lose my job, with Continental, along with the rest of my fellow co-workers, because Continental is contracting out the station that I work at. ANOTHER AIRLINE will now being doing the customer service for Continental at this airport, and several others within the system; with more to follow.

In case you didn't know, and I wish more passengers did; airlines pay their customer service agents crap wages. One can truly make as much, or more, working at Wal-Mart. Agents do not make anywhere near what some people have this idea of. So, in fact, the type of people who are attracted to these agent jobs, are the rude, uncaring people, who work at Wal-Mart, and fast food joints - literally. That is what it has come to, and this is why airline customer service is so bad.

If you think Continental is bad, Continental as won most admired airline, and been ranked #1 in customer service for many years in a row, and is the airline that continues to make a lot of money, year, after year. It amazes me that this is true, but it is. I can't wait to leave the airline industry. My last day is May 31st. You wouldn't believe the stress of working 10+ hour days, dealing with what we have to deal with, for $8.00/hr, and some airlines I've seen, advertise less starting pay.

[Channo]

I was on my way to Germany from Newark, the agents are so rude! they treat me like if I was a some kind of enemy. Customer Services? Im pretty sure they have no idea what these words means. They are forgeting something important, they have that job because of us using their airlines, if they dont give or can serve better to the people, they will go down and another better airline will replace them. I dont wish them to loose their job but if they cant do their jobs, PLEASE let somebody else do it!

I hate Continental Airlines!

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Chris:

Thanks for confirming what I had long suspected--that airline wages today (at least for those with low seniority) ARE comparable to Wal-Mart or McDonalds.
This is probably the source of a lot of the compaints US-based airlines get. If you pay a higher wage, you can afford to pick and choose who applies. Otherwise, you have to take whatever crawls through the door.

Lufthansa German Airlines posted a multi-million Euro profit this year--even with high fuel costs! And I seriously doubt that profit was achieved through $8.00 an hour help. In fact, if you look at Lufthansa fares, discounts are handed-out sparingly. Although, I guess that is why they have their discount unit--Condor Air.

I don't mean to rub salt into your wounds, but there is a family ranch down the road from me. And they're paying $9.00 an hour for someone to clean-out their stalls. That kind of **** is probably better than the stuff your dealing with now.

[Leatherboy2006]

Butch Cassidy,
Remember though Lufthansa is a government supported airline and not private held.
Also you could not pay me enought to get on Amtrak while working out of Washington DC I had to take them a lot to NYC. I was some of the worse nightmares I have ever had, you want to talk about rude. Even with a sleeper car from DC to Chicago and back(Broadway Limited) it was smelly, always late and the staff was rude and uncaring (except the dining cars they were always great).

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Leatherboy:

When it come to being rude, Amtrak gives even the worst domestic carriers (ie: US Airways) a run for their money. However, as you know, unlike a plane, a train is laid-out is a way where it's possible to escape an obnoxious crew member. For example, on long-distance runs, if you have a sleeper, you need only close the door to your compartment. On short runs, you can, most of the time, get relief by moving a few cars forward, or back. If you're traveling during a holiday period, on a short run, you're screwed! As to smelly long-distance trains: If I have a compartment, I always bring a can of Lysol spray with me!

And, yes, 1 to 3 hours (and much longer for the run from Chicago to NY, via Buffalo) IS the norm for long-distance trains being late. That's probably why some connections in Chicago run upwards of 8 hours.

Also, how many times have you ever heard this type of horror story on Amtrak: A customer buys a deep-discount ticket; winds-up paying $1,000+ to get to his destination, and loses the money he spent on the discount ticket.

Despite my preference for Amtrak, I'm, very much, aware that, sometimes, one has to take a deep breath, and take their chances with a US-based airline.

Lufthansa, has a significant number of private investors. You'll see Lufthansa listed, on the Frankfuerter Boerse (Frankfurt Stock Exchange), in the financial pages. I know, for a fact, that Deutsche Bank, AG holds around a 10% interest. I don't know whether the German government holds a controlling interest.

[ChrisH]

People do not stop and think about what we, as agents, have to endure, as airline employees. I would literally rather work at a farm, cleaning stalls, than to put up with the airlines, anymore. I have three weeks left, and I am counting it down, like the last day of school.

I wish more people understood how low airline wages are, and, as a result, the quality (or lack their of) of people that frequently get hired. I do care, and try to help passengers in every way I can, but many do not. But, what incentive is there? There is none. If an airline agent loses their job tomorrow, as I will be, in three weeks, I can get another job making as much, or more, in no time. This is why the threat of, "I'm not ever flying your airline again", and "I hope it goes out of business", doesn't mean anything to that agent. They could care less. Even senior agents do not make very good money. At the airline I work for, pay tops out at $16/hr, and that is after 10 years with the airline -- even they, making double a new hires pay, don't care, because they are bitter from dealing with this for 10 years, and not much to show for it.

Originally Posted by Butch Cassidy Slept Here

Chris:

Thanks for confirming what I had long suspected--that airline wages today (at least for those with low seniority) ARE comparable to Wal-Mart or McDonalds.
This is probably the source of a lot of the compaints US-based airlines get. If you pay a higher wage, you can afford to pick and choose who applies. Otherwise, you have to take whatever crawls through the door.

Lufthansa German Airlines posted a multi-million Euro profit this year--even with high fuel costs! And I seriously doubt that profit was achieved through $8.00 an hour help. In fact, if you look at Lufthansa fares, discounts are handed-out sparingly. Although, I guess that is why they have their discount unit--Condor Air.

I don't mean to rub salt into your wounds, but there is a family ranch down the road from me. And they're paying $9.00 an hour for someone to clean-out their stalls. That kind of **** is probably better than the stuff your dealing with now.

[e2664f]

I just spent the last two days on the phone trying to use my Onepas Miles. I spoke with International, Onepass, and Customer Dis-service.

What a waste of time! No one knows the rules (even within the same department they don't agree!) and you can't get anyone to help. One of the Customer Dis-Service "managers" was so rude and would not tell me who his boss was to lodge a complaint. All I could do was "call back and talk with one of his peers".

In this day and economic climate; you have no clue what you have done. I will NEVER fly on Continental and will tell all my frequent flying friends and business partners what a disaster you are. I cut up my Onepass and will use one of my other frequent flyer clubs whan flying.

When I hear this airline lays off MORE employees or goes under I will understand why. Good bye and good luck! You reap what you sew.

[jimworcs]

Leatherboy,
I am still waiting for a pic!! Lufthansa is not government owned any longer and it is theoretically against EU rules to subsidise any airline (although Alitalia and Olympic seem to be able to get away with it!!). In fact, European airlines are more often less subsidised than US ones. For example, Swiss and Sabena were both allowed to go to the wall and they were national carriers. In the US, airlines are protected from going bankrupt by using Chapter 11, sheltered from their liabilities and often have "hidden" subsidies including government travel contracts for example, specifying federal employees must travel on US airlines, although European airlines have no such support.

[ChrisH]

Continental is laying off employees not because they have to, but because they want to. I work for Continental Express, and basically, Continental's CEO doesn't have a good relationship with the CEO of ExpressJet. Continental made more money than any of the other airlines, last year, and is frequently rated #1 in customer service. Continental is not going anywhere. In fact, amid the merger of Delta/NorthWest, and talks of other mergers, by other airlines, Continental has decided to not merge, because they can stand alone, and be strong. They have a fleet of fuel effecient aircraft, and will always be around. It doesn't matter if you fly Continental, or your friends do, they will not miss you. Trust me. If they thought they would miss you, they would have helped you. Threatening to never fly an airline again, is never a threat that actually threatens the airline, because they do not care. For example; the CEO of SouthWest airlines once wrote a letter replying to a customer who wrote in a letter of complaint. The SouthWest CEO told this customer that her business is no longer wanted at SouthWest, and to please fly another airline. This is proof, as it the case with ALL airlines, that they ultimately do not care, and saying you will not fly them again, means nothing to them, as it makes them happy; one less angry passenger to have out of their face.

Read the above posts regarding what these agents make, and you'll see why they don't know the rules, or care about you, and your complaint - because there is no incentive to care. The same problem that you are having with Continental, there is someone else having the same problem with all of the other airlines. Those people will fly Continental, and not that airline, and you will fly the other airlines, and not Continental. Point is; airline NEVER lose customers, they just switch around from one airline to the other. This is another reason that the airlines do not care.

Originally Posted by e2664f

I just spent the last two days on the phone trying to use my Onepas Miles. I spoke with International, Onepass, and Customer Dis-service.

What a waste of time! No one knows the rules (even within the same department they don't agree!) and you can't get anyone to help. One of the Customer Dis-Service "managers" was so rude and would not tell me who his boss was to lodge a complaint. All I could do was "call back and talk with one of his peers".

In this day and economic climate; you have no clue what you have done. I will NEVER fly on Continental and will tell all my frequent flying friends and business partners what a disaster you are. I cut up my Onepass and will use one of my other frequent flyer clubs whan flying.

When I hear this airline lays off MORE employees or goes under I will understand why. Good bye and good luck! You reap what you sew.

[e2664f]

With employees like you I can see why the industry is in the toilet. I will never care again when folks like you hit the unemploymnet line. If you and the other "great" employees can't see the end to US airlines... Walmart is where they belong. I'll take my $200 grand a year salary and fly ANYONE but CON-air.

[pattis]

Jeez with that kind of salary, I would think such an important person as yourself would charter a private jet. If I made that kind of money I sure would. Why would you even consider flying commercially? BTW, no one's job is secure anymore whether one makes $8.00 an hour or $200 grand a year. The only difference is when when your job bites the dust you have a lot farther to fall.

[e2664f]

If you "Airline Employee" flunkies that spend their time on this site defending the employers they hate so bad would put this much effort into their jobs, we might feel sorry and support you and things might improve. Based on your uninvited comment I bet you were you the one I spoke with on the phone that could have cared less? Nice Attitude, like I said no more tears for you and no more Con-Air for me.

Airlines in the toilet, employees underpaid and taking it out on customers...Walmart her you come !

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by e2664f

With employees like you I can see why the industry is in the toilet. I will never care again when folks like you hit the unemploymnet line. If you and the other "great" employees can't see the end to US airlines... Walmart is where they belong. I'll take my $200 grand a year salary and fly ANYONE but CON-air.

First of all, I never said I agreed with the comments I made in my post. I said that is how the airlines feel, NOT ME. I've worked for the airlines for two years, and I'm simply passing along what the airlines think. Not how I, personally, think. The airlines do not care whether you fly them, or not. I could care less if the end of the airlines come, it makes no different to me. But that will not happen. The government will not allow the airlines to fail, because it is too important to our economy.

I am not hitting the unemployment line. I do this job part-time while finishing college. I plan on taking the summer off, and already have other jobs I can get, afterward.

Sorry if you took my original post wrong, but, again, I never said I feel that way, but that is how the airline feel.

BTW -- I am ****** at Continental myself, as well as the airlines, in general, and would be glad if you don't fly them again. My hope is that more people do as yourself, because that is what it will take to make things change.

I go out of my way to help customers, but the airlines treat employees as bad as customers, which is why I cannot wait until my last day of work. I'm counting it down like the last day of school. An example of how the airlines can treat their own employeed --- a fellow agent was recently fired for upgrading passengers to first class, when they were inconvenienced. The airline said that this agent had cost the airline "X" amount of money, by doing this, because it wasn't policy. It is stuff like that, that makes me glad to finally have an end to this job. I've wanted to quit for awhile, but now don't have to. I'll take my severance, take the summer off, relax, and then sit back and hope more people like you take a stand, and maybe the airlines will wake up. But I don't see the airlines waking up anytime soon -- because, as I said, they do not care.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Chris:

Since we're talking about rude airline employees, can you give us any info about that Express Jet (Continental Express) flight attendant who threw a mother (Kate Penland), and her 5-year old boy, off the plane (Houston departure) because the kid wouldn't stop saying "bye, bye plane." Specifically, is that flight attendant still working for Continental Express/Continental?

I don't expect you to kill any reference you may be asking your current employer to provide, for another job.

Finally, I DO believe you when you say you try to give your best to customers. However, with regard to those border-line sociopathic colleagues of your's, I agree with the other posters here that no one will give THEM sympathy when they're out of work.

I agree there are a LOT of customers that can be jerks. Certainly, drunks, and those who are physically assaultive, deserve whatever they get. However, if one looks at media reports, there seem to be a larger number of customers who, when they complain, do not talk to a customer service staff member, but rather to law enforcement. Hence, US-based airlines have "outsourced" their customer service functions to the police!


TO E2664F:


About your problems using frequent flyer miles: I seriously doubt you would be making that 200K salary if you couldn't recognize people who BS, and con-games. It's time you, and others, recognize that, when it comes to free travel, frequent flyer miles are worth less than Confederate money!

If you belong to a "frequent stay" hotel program, I would try to see if you can transfer your miles to one of those programs. One-Pass miles CAN be transfered to some hotel programs. Or, if you travel on Continental a lot, buy a President's Club membership.

[ChrisH]

Honestly, I am not aware of what happened to that flight attendant. The flight attendants are union, and I would imagine, if any action was taken, she grieved it. Ironically, we had one of the pilots, who was operating that flight, come through our station one day. Of course, he stuck up for the flight attendant.

I agree that there are a lot of bad agents out there, and as a result, there isn't a lot of sympathy, even toward ones who do try to help. You are correct about the police. At my station, anytime a delay, or cancellation occurs, or if it is late at night, and there is a long line, there will be 3-4 airport police, who start hovering around the counter.

The sad fact is, many of the airlines are vendoring out the customer service now, so that the people providing the customer service for airlines, do not actually work for that particular airline. For example, American Eagle, will be providing customer service, for Continental, at the airport I work at. Some airlines are vendoring out to companies, to provide their customer service ... and the company is not even an airline.

[Ayebo]

My first fligt on CO this month, and it will be my last flight on this airline because of unexplainable delays, lack of customer service concern, paying of full airfare of $900 and ending up on an $80-four-hour train ride with no compensation for the airline's inconvenience to customers who help keep them in business and pay salaries and other expenses. Overall, the service (reaching my destination) was provided but not without heart palpitations, mass confusion on gate changes, which almost made customers miss their flights, delayed baggage, and several hours lost (which is money!).

They suck! We all have choices on our destiny - if they're not paying look elsewhere-don't take out frustrations on the customers, who are helping make someone rich at the airlines. Five reps sitting on their a**** at Newark were chit-chatting until I ASKED can someone help me. That's just rude.

[ChrisH]

Other airlines aren't better. This is the way of the airlines now. Nobody cares, yet people keep flying.

And, the people who are making all of that money ... the top executives, while the people sitting around chatting, supposed to be helping you, are making $8.00/hr. Not much incentive to help, when that is what you make, while your airline makes hundred of millions, and the CEO, and other top executives are raking in their millions.

This is why the airlines can't hire anybody. Nobody wants to work for an airline, and deal with what an airline agent has to deal with,, for $8.00/hr, while the executives get rich. So what happens, is the airlines work completely understaffed, and the ones who actually keep the job, don't care, so there is poor service.

Example; at the station I work at, we are supposed to have 34 total agents, to be properly staffed .... we have 13!!!! My last day is in 11 days, and counting, however, so I will not have to put up with it much longer, and I cannot wait!!

[victoria stiles]

This is really very informative thread. Thanks for sharing this useful information.

[scada]

Just because there are some people who do go out of their way for passengers doesn't mean they all do and complaining about the wage you receive isn't a reason to treat people badly, a job is a job and if you have one you should be appreciative of it because there are good people with respect and values who can not get a job in our horrible economy. If you can't work as hard getting paid $8 per hour as you would making $20 an hour then you shouldn't work for ****ty pay.....I personally have a great job and started out with a ****ty wage and now am making great money but i have worked very hard to get paid the money i do.