Will it never end?

If you've flown for business lately, you have probably been stressed over several different factors that are unfortunately out of your control.
--Flight Delays
--"Mechanical" difficulties
--Crew absences
--Lost baggage (for those of you who opted to pay the $15 fee to check a
bag..congrats on getting your money's worth)
--Despicable customer service

None of these things seem to be getting better as airlines thrash around like fish out of water attempting to salvage their business. Now given, I do feel bad about the state of the industry. The success or failure of airline travel directly effects our nation's economy. What is so disturbing is that once again the airlines try to put a band-aid on something instead of focusing on their core values to lead them through difficult times.

Airline travel is not a retail store...it is a SERVICE. So what happened to the service? The agents and crew who were excited to be a part of the airline, who cared about their passengers, and who felt empowered to go the extra mile have been furloughed, and we are left with the most senior employees who have "seen better days" and "knew what it was like when legacy carriers were king".

In tight times like these, airlines should be spending ALL additional resources to please their customer, because without them, there is no reason to provide any service (good or otherwise).

Ironic

So, as most of you know, I have worked for the American Airlines AAdvantage department for 8 years. I recently left American in search of less stress and more input. You can imagine in a company that employees over 10,000 people, your voice is not often heard. This used to not be the case in the AAdvantage department. We were different. We were sought after. Everyone wanted to join AAdvantage Marketing. Those days are sadly over. No longer did we collaborate with other teams, or come up with innovative promotions. No longer did we set the standard for loyatly programs. We simply went along with flow, responded to other bonus offers, and moved all resources to the airline's bottom line. Expenses...no more! Fees...MORE, MORE, MORE!

Now, I am employeed by AccuConference (a tele/web/video conferencing company). This is the irony:

Where once the message was Fly, Fly, Fly. Now the message is save your money and call into your meetings instead.

Where once the message is "We Know Why You Fly(R)". Now the message is "We know why you don't".

Where once the message was "The fees aren't that bad, it's the wave of the future." Now the message is "We have no fees. This is the wave of the future."

It's quite a different world, for sure. We actually took a vote on something yesterday. The entire office got to have a say. What is THAT about?? That is the future.