Oct 31st, 2012 at 7:00AM: The other day, a friend spent 40 minutes on the phone trying to rebook a trip from Orange County to New York City, only to have his request denied. But when we tried reaching out to the airline on Twitter, it took only 10 minutes for a response. After a few 140-character direct messages back and forth, we successfully switched flights within the hour.
Twitter can be a fast, easy and efficient ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
customerservice posts
Trouble Booking Post-Sandy Air Travel? Try Using Twitter
Oct 31st, 2012 at 7:00AM: The other day, a friend spent 40 minutes on the phone trying to rebook a trip from Orange County to New York City, only to have his request denied. But when we tried reaching out to the airline on Twitter, it took only 10 minutes for a response. After a few 140-character direct messages back and forth, we successfully switched flights within the hour.
Twitter can be a fast, easy and efficient ...Ritz-Carlton Demonstrates Customer Service Excellence With Missing Stuffed Animal
May 23rd, 2012 at 5:00PM:
I think I must be hormonal, because this story just made me tear up. The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Amelia Island, Florida, is getting some social buzz this week because of the video posted above, which details their quest to go above and beyond for exceptional customer service.
The story is simple: a family went on vacation and left behind their son's beloved stuffed animal, Joshie. Riley, the ...
Hurricane rebooking madness: US Airways wins, American loses
Aug 30th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Stella Service just captured an interesting slice of airline customer service data during hurricane Irene. The weather catastrophe, which stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers throughout the weekend, left many trying to rebook their tickets at the airport and on the phone -- only to be met with hours of on-hold-music and frustration.
Not all airlines handled the disaster equally, ...Five reasons the airlines don't need to care about you
Jun 24th, 2011 at 8:00AM: I'm getting on a plane next week, and I'm not looking forward to it. This will be yet another long, painful flight this year – and I've already had more than I have in a while. Though I'm getting used to this sort of business travel again, I can't say that I like it. All the time spent in transit, quite frankly, blows.
It isn't unusual at this point to lament the state of customer service ...Spirit Airlines goes public ... with dirty laundry
Jun 1st, 2011 at 11:00AM: Remember when Spirit Airlines talked about going public? The company felt the need to disclose customer service as a critical risk in its initial public offering documents. One would expect nothing less from the carrier that used flight attendant-turned nutjob-turned spokesman Steven Slater to sell seats. Well, Spirit hopped into the arena of public finance, raising $187.2 million in its initial ...Poll: Cruise vs Air: who has the best customer service?
May 1st, 2011 at 9:00AM:
Not long ago we talked about what airlines could learn from cruise lines and started a bit of a firestorm in comments from readers. I also got a bunch of emails both in support and against cruise lines and airlines. It seems some readers have a horror story to tell, others think one or the other does a good job and a few have inspiring tales of customer service people who really went above and ...Not knowing wife's name gets her stuck in China
Feb 10th, 2011 at 3:30PM: When you take the SAT, you get 200 points for spelling your name right. Ever wonder why? Well, you should ask Wen Ling Lian and her husband, Robert Schlund. Lian left Wayne, Michigan for China, on a trip to visit her family. While in flight, she saw that her name had an "e" stuck on the end of it. Though not a problem in the United States, she knew it would be when she tried to leave China later. ...The slow demise of Amtrak customer service
Feb 5th, 2011 at 3:00PM:
It is a breathing, filthy mass of humanity in here. Groups of youth are sprawled across the floor, some on computers or smart phones, some eating fast food and others staring forlornly off in the distance, slowly rocking back and forth. A group of ten-odd Amish mill about in quiet companionship, belongings folded solemnly into hard luggage from a generation past. Feverishly, a woman swipes her ...Delta Air Lines sends frontline staff back to charm school
Feb 3rd, 2011 at 11:00AM: We've all been there - standing face to face with an airline employee that has the customer service skills of a can of beans, completely unwilling to provide any form of assistance in a time of need.
According to the Vice President of Delta, his airline completely fit that description when they so badly failed at customer support last summer.
To fix things, he's sending 11,000 of his staff ...Are you an impotent traveler?
Dec 23rd, 2010 at 12:00PM: The endless people crowded at gate areas over the next week or so will probably feel what it means to be an impotent traveler. When you're at the mercy of the airlines, there's little you can do to affect change. Sure, they can't control the weather, and legitimate problems do arise from time to time (no business is perfect). But, when you want information, have a legitimate grievance or would ...The 10 easiest ways to improve air travel this holiday season
Dec 16th, 2010 at 3:00PM: It's time for you to drag your screaming kids, annoying spouse and endless amounts of overstuffed bags through the airport, as you find your way over the river and through the woods. Thanksgiving is behind us, and that's the really ugly time to travel, but Christmas is no picnic either. The gate areas and bars will be crowded, and it's going to be awfully hard for you to be happy while darting ...Five ways to deliver a meaningful customer complaint
Dec 13th, 2010 at 3:00PM: Bad customer service bothers the hell out of me. I know I'm not alone on this: nobody likes receiving something less than he pays for. But for me, it's something of an obsession, having worked in businesses where there is nothing quite like a "quality problem" to put the brakes on your career (or derail it entirely). And perhaps unreasonably, I have incredibly high standards – which I do ...Zagat survey: five ways customers say they hate airlines ... in their own words
Nov 30th, 2010 at 8:00AM: It's almost sport for customers to describe how much they hate airlines. Sure, there are a few that do well from time to time, occasionally delivering high levels of service or eschewing ancillary fees. But, the overwhelming trend tends to be one of customer dissatisfaction.
Zagat, which is in the business of measuring and publishing value and taste, has taken a shot defining the highs and lows ...Delta says customer service isn't dependent upon costs
Nov 2nd, 2010 at 1:00PM:
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 ...Airlines not alone in poor customer service studies
Oct 30th, 2010 at 3:00PM:
The Airline Quality Rating report was released last week, exposing the five worst airlines in the United States. It's fun to beat up on the airlines ... as it is to beat up on other companies and industries notorious for poor customer service. So, this made me wonder just how the airlines stack up against everyone else.
Back in August, the American Customer Satisfaction Index rated hundreds of ...North Korea: flight attendants redefine customer service
Oct 22nd, 2010 at 8:00AM:
There's no shortage of gripes among both business and leisure travelers about the level of service we receive from the airlines. We've all had our shares of miserable customer service experiences, from bad experiences with orange juice to getting bumped by the beverage cart. Yet, nothing compares to what you experience on Air Koryo, it seems.
There's only one airline that flies in and out of ...Sex over service? Airlines try vixen pitch with passengers
Oct 13th, 2010 at 12:00PM: It's no secret that airline customer service is generally perceived to be as pleasant as a root canal. I was thinking about this over the weekend, as I walked home from Penn Station, after catching Amtrak's Acela back from Boston. I had a fantastic trip (up and back) and was hung up on the contrasts to air travel.
Later that night, I met a friend for a glass of wine and talked through the ...Customer service supreme, even on a bad day
Sep 28th, 2010 at 8:00AM: Whose bad day matters more? When a customer and an employee are both struggling with foul moods, endless work headaches or even distracting personal problems, the tie always goes to the person paying – not the person being paid. For most businesses, this is a common sense approach to managing customer relationships. I know that when I was frustrated or annoyed with a client, back in my ...Spirit Airlines discloses real consequences of poor customer service
Sep 24th, 2010 at 10:00AM: If you ever want the truth about anything, the smartest thing you can do is follow the money. Cash doesn't lie, regardless of the people who are wielding it. So, if you don't think airlines have any real risk because of poor customer service – that everyone just expects and lives with the worst – it pays to check out the recent Spirit Airlines financial filing.
Spirit is looking to ...American Airlines to deliver free liquor to top customers
Sep 22nd, 2010 at 12:00PM: American Airlines is stepping up to take care of some of its most loyal and committed customers. The carrier is going to start offering up free booze in its U.S. Admirals Club lounges beginning October 1, 2010. Look for the basics – "well-brand liquors, as well as beers and house wines" – the company said in an announcement. Premium alcohol and food will be available, but not free.
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