Tag Archives for customer service.
Southwest Airlines once staffed social care around the clock, answered thousands of Twitter mentions, and even built custom GIFs to make customer replies feel fun and on-brand. Now the airline appears to have stopped publicly replying to customers on Twitter since mid-June, another sign that the old customer-friendly Southwest is fading as the carrier cuts costs and changes its business model.
United’s “Agent on Demand” is supposed to replace the airport customer service desk when travel goes sideways. But after a canceled flight in Atlanta, one passenger says the remote agent offered “nothing,” sent her to the 800 number, and could be heard talking about her while the call was still live.
American Airlines can spend money on seats, lounges, food, and drinks, but it cannot buy a premium experience if the people delivering it do not act like hospitality matters. The failure to consistently greet passengers is small — until you understand what it says about culture, incentives, and management.
Kicking off Labor Day weekend didn’t go well for passengers booked on American Airlines 1831, the morning flight from Chicago O’Hare to West Palm Beach.
You need to be very careful Googling airline phone numbers because scam travel agencies have corrupted the results. But even knowing this, here’s a truly strange case.
Hyatt has reportedly laid off nearly all remaining U.S. phone customer service agents. Last week it appears that roughly 300 U.S. agents were terminated, and there seem to be just 35 left. The hotel chain is also said to have dismissed 18 managers and the bulk of the U.S. chat team, leaving about 36 U.S. chat agents left.
The Chicago O’Hare Customer Service Center is currently open 6 a.m. – 11 p.m. On the upcoming employee summer shift bid, service center shifts prior to 2 p.m. have been eliminated. Usually airlines staff up for peak summer! I’ve reached out to American Airlines to learn what scheduling cuts are being made at other hubs.
One 91 year old reader – who is still a working actor – shared a story about United that shows initiative, customer service, and just what United employees can and sometimes will do to take care of a customer.
While American will now reimburse hotel nights under specific circumstances, their conditions for doing so are totally unreasonable. Here’s a message to an Executive Platinum customer.
American Airlines rolled out a new automated phone system this summer. There was an AI-sounding voice that forced you to listen to a minute-long greeting about how, for instance, you can add a pet to your reservation online before you’re allowed to do anything else. The system no longer recognized “agent” or similar requests until it had finished burning a minute of your life you’d never get back.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
