After ranking slightly better than Charter Communications on the list of worst in customer service, United Airlines (UAUA) is taking steps to ensure that customers experiencing delays feel a bit better.
The airline is rolling out a program that will give ‘passengers of note’ that have experienced a ground taxi delay of more than 4 hours, taxi-in delays longer than 90 minutes or on-ground diversion delays longer than four hours an apology, a 20 percent discount on a future flight, and a $10 meal voucher.
David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association said, "This is giving compensation where they historically have not. We as passengers have to recognize there is no free lunch. We pay for these things at the end of the day, so if an airline is very forthcoming with money, it's going to affect fares at the other end.”
And at an airline that is struggling yet again to turn a profit, the issue could be where is this new money going to come from?
This recent change in policy for United is an attempt to enact some sort of passenger bill or rights without having Congress in the mix. But something has to be done, especially at United. After emerging from bankruptcy protection United Airline’s customer service has taken a nose dive. I personally liked the company better when they were in bankruptcy. This policy is a step in the right direction but United has a very long way to come before they drag themselves out of the poor rankings on customer service.
The Denver Post
» Express Lane for 5/30/2007 from noturnonred.org - thoughts on the retail industry, visual merchandising, customer service, and good design
Another day, another collection of stories on the web that I’ve come across today. The New York Times has a great look at how Wal-Mart’s own policies and methods have hurt the retailer. Wake Up Wal-Mart asks, Is Wal-Mart too cheap for thei... [Read More]
Tracked on: May 30, 2007 10:06 PM | Permalink to Trackback