BUSINESS - Carlini's Comments

UNITED AIRLINES BAGGAGE CHARGES

Filed Friday, February 8. 2008

When was the last time you flew United Airlines and got good service?

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune wrote about United Airlines charging more than one bag as a way to make millions of dollars and prop up its bottom line. Which M.B.A. thought this up as a creative way to expand markets and also establish the gold standard for customer service?

To also announce that they are focusing on first-class passengers is not addressing the vast bulk of their business. United might as well sell its fleet and buy some tricked-out Gulfstreams.

The truth is that United Airlines has become a laggard in innovative ideas and old-fashioned customer service. Some employees are very good at their jobs and should be commended while others should just be let go. Let go of upper management who don't see and correct the everyday failures of their organization.

United's last big innovation was Ted Airlines, which was touted by one of its vice presidents on television as a great new service for passengers. I remember his cheerleader enthusiasm. He said they were going to bring back a very positive experience for the passenger. Rah! Rah! Rah!

The bottom line is Ted might as well been called TARD because it's just more tired, angry, rude and disappointing airline people at the counter and in flight. Last month, we flew Ted (or TARD) to Orlando and had mediocre service and (of course) a late arrival. The only person who was good at his job on the ground was the baggage checker at the curb at O'Hare.

He was actually a United person (not a TARD). Maybe he should be promoted to vice president of customer service. At least he knew the definition of the word. Pilots also did as good a job as they could. Flying the plane safely is always taken for granted. They don't get the recognition they should. As for the rest of the personnel, that's a different story.

Coming back from Orlando was an even greater testament to their TARD label. We had two bags we were checking.

The TARD person at the beginning of the counter check-in line said we had to weigh them. One bag was 52.5 pounds and the other was 36 pounds. She told me she would have to charge me $50 extra unless I got the one bag under 50 pounds. I said they were 88 pounds in total. She said that wasn't good enough and we had to unload a couple pounds into the other bag in order to avoid a $50 charge.

"Fly the friendly skies"? Scratch that motto. It doesn't come close to reflecting the real experience from airport to airport. "Fly the frustrating skies" is much more accurate.

Now I read that the charge for bags in excess of 50 pounds is going to be increased to $100. So much for searching for discounted fares on Expedia, Travelocity and others. That will be a waste of time. United's management thinks it will be able to squeeze out last-minute hidden charges and penalties when you're in line to add to their bottom line.

What a way to build trust, loyalty and customer service. We should make it a two-way street.

Penalties For Airlines

If you fly a lot, you should be demanding that the airlines be penalized for late flights and delays due to crew issues, mechanical difficulties, gate tie-ups and any other issue that could be avoided with better management of the total process. For every 30-minute delay, you should get a voucher for $50. Any delay in excess of two hours should give a $500 voucher to each passenger.

Does that sound too stiff? Talk to people who fly on a regular basis. I don't fly much any more and I'm totally unimpressed when I have flown United. I always opt to fly another airline when available. Frequent flyer miles? I don't even care any more. They have commoditized the service so much that competitors like Spirit and others offer a better experience.

If the penalties should not be paid to the flying public who have to put up with this third-rate service regularly, maybe the $500 per person per flight should be knocked off the bonus structure of the CEO and other upper management. That would be good because then they would pay attention to customer service instead of spending millions on trying to tout bad service as being good.

As for United's renewed focus on its first-class passengers, several years ago I flew first class from Chicago to Richmond. The flight attendant who was assigned to first class was more worried about her makeup and hair for when she landed than serving first-class passengers. As far as I'm concerned, United has lost touch long ago as to what first-class service means.

Putting in a concierge at an airport doesn't equate to having someone focused on their job in the air.

Counter Help? Ask the Guy Next to You

I had problems getting my e-ticket in Orlando and asked a person behind the counter for help. She didn't know how to use the e-ticket machine. I wound up getting advice from another traveler on how to put in my credit card to obtain my ticket.

I don't claim to be an expert on the e-ticket machines because I have only flown about three times using them. Though I would think a TARD employee would know how to use and demonstrate the machine since she works there eight hours a day and five days a week, I suppose I need to lower my expectations. They should have been featured in the movie "Idiocracy".

Some of my readers who I bounce articles off before I go to press offered some early feedback. A University of Chicago M.B.A. now in Colorado said:

Airlines like United have become the Greyhound bus service in the skies. People are treated like cattle and now they want to "fee" you to death to make up for the mismanagement of the companies and industry that has occurred over the last 10 to 15 years.

This is from an IBM employee:

This (new baggage fee) sounds like the banking genius who came up with $3 ATM fees.

My next trip is already booked with American Airlines. We will see if they are better. As for United and TARD, search harder for alternatives. I am.