Travelers say airlines' customer service failed

[marmar]

By DAVID KOENIG, AP Airlines Writer – Wed Dec 29, 6:03 pm ET


Travelers are lashing out at airlines for poor customer service after this week's storm on the East Coast left thousands stranded and unable to get through to reservation agents.

Travelers are incensed over what they say is the airlines' effort to blame everything on the weather and take themselves off the hook.

"We don't blame the airlines or airports for bad weather, but it's their responsibility to be prepared," said Brandon Macsata of the Association for Airline Passenger Rights. "The airlines just seem to be saying, `Suck it up.' People are tired of sucking it up."

Travelers calling to rebook flights earlier this week in huge numbers were put on hold for hours or told to call back later because the major airlines have fewer reservations agents to take their calls.

For example, Continental cut 600 call-center jobs — nearly one-fourth of its 2,600 reservations workers — in February. A few months before that, it closed a center in Florida and cut 500 jobs. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101229/ap_on_bi_ge/us_holiday_travel_airlines

[FLPanhandle]

1. Even on the best days, Airline customer service is at the edge of breaking.

Executives have cut service costs to the point that it only barely works on good days. Even a big storm over a hub city will cause the customer service system to have major delays. This event is so outside the capabilities of their service, it totally broke down.

The Airlines should have a customer service standard that should be regulated or incur fines to make sure they choose to do it themselves.

[Javaman]

2. Fail? that's being polite...

it's an outright disaster.

Prices for flights keep going up, yet I have less and less leg room (I'm 6'2"), I have to pay for a ham sandwich that runs me 6 freakin' bucks? delays, stranded on run ways, canceled flights, etc.

Yeah, I'm middle aged and grumpy, but in my day (queue old man music), we got free meals, a blanket, pillow, a movie and one free cocktail.

Now it's like (to quote my Aunt who was at first a flight nurse during WWII) flying in a barn. (she left the Army Air Force to become a field hospital nurse).

We have fallen so far down the shoot, that even if we now get an extra packet of those crappy heartburn inducing honey roasted mystery nuts, we feel thankful.

we are a sad sad nation.

I fly no more! I take the train now.