Re: Loose Cannon: Your Tax Dollars Subsidize Bad Airline CRM (DIRECT Newsline, Oct. 27, 2002)
Bravo!
My involuntary handouts to the nation’s air carriers, who are at least partly culpable for the total sham of security that tilled the field for the events of 9/11 should come with strings. Satisfaction strings. What a way to go, they abdicate their responsibility (THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR SECURITY PRE 9/11!) and then they get free dough, which I swear they are squiring away in boardrooms…Flights are full, service is worse than ever, and prices are high. How many ways does the customer have to take a hit? In my experience, airlines continue to operate with utter contempt for customers…they’d rather carry mail. So let them. Others who “get it” will emerge.
Amy M. Luz, FAHP
Managing Director, Marketing & Advertising
Childreach/Plan International
Warwick, RI
I like your supposition in this article. There is but one problem: airline customers have voted again and again that only one thing matters to them- getting from Point A to Point B as quickly and cheaply as possible. Let me emphasize cheaply. Customers consistently look for the cheapest prices, and will fly the airline with the cheapest prices. There may be a few exceptions to this, but I would say about 90% of travelers book the cheapest flight possible.
Faced with a consumer base that values only price, airlines must cut costs to remain competitive. This means that customer support people are paid less than support people in other industries. It means also that they can’t be flexible to individual needs – this would create greater costs. It means they cannot offer money or refunds to help appease travelers who may have had a bad experience.
Studies have shown over and over that no matter what loyalty rewards/customer satisfaction programs airlines use, the customer votes for the cheapest flight. What incentive does this offer airlines to provide customer service?
You get what you pay for. If an airline were to try to make a go of it offering superior customer service they would have to charge more per ticket than current carriers. I doubt they would make it! Alas, we might never be able to find out.
Joe G.
Minnesota
You said, “Any carrier wanting federal funds would have to have met a certain threshold– a high one–of customer satisfaction. Hey, if they’re going to be receiving taxpayer money, they should at least be held accountable to the taxpayers.”
I say, ‘Amen’ to that! Welfare reform should also apply to the airline industry!
Frank Gomez
Bronx, NY
AMEN!
James Chapman
Director of Strategies and Research
DMCS/SourceLink
Madison, MS
Network
