Some flight attendants worse than drunk passengers says survey

by Tom Johansmeyer on

“Surly demeanor” is what bugs passengers most about flight attendants, confirming any suspicion anyone’s ever had about customer service in the airline industry. More than 5,100 readers weighed in on a USA Today survey, with 38 percent saying that attitude was the worst part of dealing with flight attendants.

What else can’t we stand about flight attendants? According to USA Today, 21 percent of respondents can’t stand flight attendants “gabbing together in the back”, with 20 percent irritated when they won’t deal with “unruly passengers.” Twelve percent of passengers are annoyed by the “schoolmarm attitude” and 9 percent by drink and food service that isn’t fast enough. I suspect the 9 percent result would have been higher if so many amenities hadn’t been cut during the recession … which has effectively eased the workload.

The results were surprising, according to the article, which thought passengers would be irked by flight attendants who won’t deal with problematic passengers, but it seems we don’t like flight attendants more than we don’t like our fellow fliers:

I thought refusing to deal with bothersome passengers would come out higher; that’s what irks me most. I rarely have seen an FA challenge an obnoxious drunk, the person who hogs more than his or her share of space or the loud talker who clearly is making the flight miserable for anyone within earshot.

[photo by alexindigo via Flickr]

EasyJet bans disabled, French government mad

by Tom Johansmeyer on

EasyJet isn’t letting unaccompanied disabled passengers onto its flights, and the French government is furious. It’s threatening the airline with sanctions “with the greatest severity” for leaving these passengers on the ground. The government response was triggered by EasyJet‘s refusing to allow three passengers on flights after they bought tickets, citing safety concerns.

In a statement by the French transport ministry reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, “EasyJet cannot hide behind safety regulations for refusing to board passengers who have difficulty moving around.” It continued, “It must implement solutions adapted to each case, as most companies do. Otherwise it must be sanctioned with the greatest severity.”

EasyJet says it’s in discussion with the French government to work out a solution but noted through a spokeswoman, “European regulations oblige us to evacuate an aircraft in 90 seconds so we are authorised to ask someone to accompany (those needing assistance) to assure the safety of the person and the passengers.”

[photo by twinkleboi via Flickr]

Pricey tickets hold back leisure, but business travelers getting back on planes

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The past two years have been nothing short of severe for the travel business, especially the airlines. Fortunately, it looks like luck is turning. Barney Harford, President and CEO of Orbitz Worldwide, says that the airline sector appears to be on the mend, at least for business travel. Consumers, on the other hand, aren’t buying back in as aggressively, as high fares are battling with continued economic constraints for wallet share.

The average airfare for domestic travel is up 10 percent, according to Hartford, with international fares surging 17 percent. He notes to CNBC:

“We are seeing … a moderation in the increases in air tickets that we were seeing in perhaps May and June, where we saw some really stronger increases in air tickets,” Harford went on to say. “We’re hopeful that we’ll see an increase in capacity in the airline sector, which will drive some moderation in (the price of) airline tickets.”

Nonetheless, you can still find some bargains out there, according to Hartford. Look for the best values in Caribbean destinations.

[photo by emrank via Flickr]

JetBlue flight attendant hiring: police and firefighters preferred

by Tom Johansmeyer on

“Turn off your electronic devices” may soon be followed by “Up against the wall!” on JetBlue flights. The airline is looking for flight attendants who have real backgrounds in safety: it’s targeting former police officers and firefighters for flight attendant jobs. JetBlue has reportedly hired “several hundred” of New York‘s finest over the past decade, and up to 10 percent of the cabin crew has had experience in emergency response work.

The first JetBlue flight attendant class included a former New York City firefighter, which caused the airline to think more about this talent pool. After all, police and firefighters are trained in dealing with emergencies, making them inherently more qualified than the flight attendant candidates airlines pull off the street.

So, I need to know: what’s next? Will American scrap its existing hiring model and look for green berets?

[photo by See ming-Lee via Flickr]

Southwest wins on bet against extra fees

by Tom Johansmeyer on

How did Southwest score its recent record revenue? Well, it could be because it isn’t jacking up fees for all the extras. The decision to do business the old fashion way seems to have been good for a quarterly profit of $112 million and may provide a good reason for other airlines to reconsider these unpopular measures.

In a roundup of coverage on the airline’s quarterly financial results, USA Today, found the answer in reports by Bloomberg and the Las Vegas Sun, attributing the results to “the company’s policy of not charging for bags and excellent customer service offered by employees.”

Rather than take the short returns on charging for blankets and checked luggage, Southwest is apparently making a longer-term bet on customer satisfaction, with a policy that’s more likely to appeal to the average passenger.

Is it sustainable? Well, that remains to be seen. It’s worth keeping in mind, though, that Southwest has built its business on something of a contrarian strategy … and it’s been working.

[photo by Mr. T in DC via Flickr]