Could you handle a gate agent’s job?

by Grant Martin on

Running a travel blog and working with twenty wonderful writers, thousands of media and industry contacts and maintaining a dozen side projects keeps my stress level remarkably high, but I could never handle what an airline gate agent goes through.

Airfarewatchdog‘s Ramsey Qubein spent a day working as a Delta gate agent recently, and his experience was as dramatic as I had expected. In one day, he experienced the full spectrum of travelers, from crazy, angry and delayed passengers to the nicest people in the world. Among the experiences that he collected in one single day were passengers who handed him boarding passes with their teeth, decrypting the archaic booking system and angry flight attendants offloading from Detroit. You can read about them all over at Yahoo news.

Needless to say, I now have further respect for a vocation that I already thought was pretty darn dramatic. I’m amazed that anyone can handle that job every day without developing an ulcer.

Delta sued over alleged false advertising on price guarantees

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Delta is headed to court over its claims of providing the best fare every day. Normally, this sort of advertising bravado wouldn’t lead to litigation, but the person buying the ticket happened to be Robert Izard … the “Izard” in law firm Izard Nobel LLP.

When Izard’s wife, Susan, sought a ticket to Israel on Delta, she was told the best rate for business class was more than $3,000 – if she paid for coach and used miles to upgrade. Her husband spent $300 to transfer enough miles to her SkyMiles account, adding to the tally.

What happened next is a lesson in “loose lips.”

After transferring the miles, Susan pushed a little harder on the phone to find out if she truly got the best deal. According to CTWatchdog.com (on which Izard’s firm advertises), the rep “finally conceded” that buying a business class ticket without any mileage games would have cost only $2,692.69, with all taxes included.
The report continues:

“Defendant’s representation that the economy class ticket at a cost of over $3,000 was “Today’s Best Guaranteed Fare” was false and misleading,” says the suit.

While the suit does not seek class action status, Wayne Boulton, an attorney with the West Hartford firm who actually filed the suit, said it could be changed if the firm discovers that others were also not provided with the best price of the day by Delta.

So, what’s next? A lawsuit signaling a decline in customer service when the price of oil climbs?

[photo by cliff1066 via Flickr]

Box cutter blades found on Delta flight from Tokyo to Oregon

by Tom Johansmeyer on

A plane was searched top to bottom upon landing in Oregon after the crew found box cutter blades on it. Delta, recently named the worst airline in the United States, engaged the help of FBI, TSA and Customs and Border Protection officials when Flight 90 arrived from Tokyo, with 155 passengers and a crew of 10.

According to MSNBC:

The flight crew “opted to contact authorities and request they meet the aircraft upon arrival as a result of some box cutter blades found onboard while the aircraft was enroute,” according to Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott.

The report adds that it wasn’t yet known how the box cutter blades wound up on the plane.

[photo by PatCastaldo via Flickr]

Delta says customer service isn’t dependent upon costs

by Tom Johansmeyer on

It looks like Delta has some strong thoughts on airfare and customer service. The airline identified as the worst in the United States is now saying that customer service shouldn’t be related to operating expenses – well, at least that’s the implication of the new ad the airline is running on New York City subways: “Customer service shouldn’t fluctuate with the price of oil.”

The fact that airlines generally aren’t famous for customer service is well-established, and many excuses reasons are given, ranging from regulatory constraints to a lack of cooperation from passengers. Of course, cost always comes into the equation, too. Despite a strong year for air carriers in 2010, history shows that this is a volatile industry, and it’s always necessary to keep an eye on expenses.

It isn’t unusual to see airline industry employees cite cheap flights as a reason for the decline in customer service: what else do passengers expect, right?
This is what makes Delta’s move so interesting. A direct statement that service shouldn’t be constrained by underlying expenses (and thus profit margins), the ad I saw on the 3 train yesterday morning takes a bold stand. Delta is taking conventional wisdom head-on (well, airline industry conventional wisdom) in a very public way.

It should be interesting to see if this leads to a change in the airline industry employee population’s position on the relationship between cheap tickets and passenger expectations. For Delta employees, leaning on the traditional rationale results in a direct contradiction with the company’s stated message. Though the sentiment may not trickle down to employees of other carriers, their being vocal about the informal “expense-to-service” ratio inherently puts them at a disadvantage relative to Delta’s claim. The subtlety may not reach the average consumer (especially those who don’t come into contact with Delta’s ads), but the implication is clear.

Doubtless, it makes sense to draw distinctions between advertisements and expectations, and any change at Delta based on this messaging will take time to implement (let’s be realistic – big companies do tend to move slowly). Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how this situation unfolds.

So, tell us what you think: do you think customer service expectations in the airline business should be linked to the price you pay for a seat? Leave a comment below!

Photo of the Day (11.01.10)

by Mike Barish on

Most of us only interact with a few types of airline and airport employees. We chat with flight attendants, check-in with gate agents and get frisked by TSA officers. It’s often easy to forget that there are scores of people working on the Tarmac to keep planes well maintained and airports running smoothly. Those beverages don’t put themselves on the planes. Someone is driving that fuel truck. That flight delay caused by a maintenance issue? It might annoy you, but it allowed a highly-skilled mechanic to service your aircraft so that you’ll be able travel safely.

I was reminded of all of those hardworking folks when I saw this photo by Flickr user stefantrego. Sure, airports can be annoying (though some people love them) but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take a moment to marvel at the impressive efforts put forth by all those people who keep things moving so that we can keep on moving, as well.

Have a picture of some unsung travel heroes? Or maybe just some great travel photos? Submit your images to Gadling’s Flickr group and we might use one for a future Photo of the Day.