America West

[Two-9-9-TwoSet]

Will they last??

 

[Typhoon1244]

We don't know!

 

[hyper]

Not if their customer service doesn't improve. My wife and I flew them for the first time 2 months ago. In short, they cancelled our flights and rescheduled without notification and had our connecting flights departing BEFORE our initials even arrived - both ways. Every single employee we came in contact with from the reservation agent to the gate agent to the flight attendants were rude beyond belief.

I will pay double before ever using them again and I make sure that I tell everyone that I know.

 

[Boeingman]

I have to agree with Hyper. I also bought full fare tickets on them for some business meetings in Las Vegas. I could not risk NR travel (besides, technically it is against company policy to NR for personal business) due to the importance of the meetings.
2 CX'd flights, little if any information, rude staff from CSA's to FA's.

As a taxpayer, I think the bailout money was sent straight down the toilet. As a fellow airline pilot, I wish them the the best, but I sure didn't get a good feeling about their operation.

My company will spend around 75K a year for travel, and this should increase to approx 100K next year. Not much, but AWA will not get 1 red cent of my money again.

 

[5w5flyer]

I flew on them to go out west a month ago. My experience was the exact opposite. Very friendly service. Although they're hurting
I've heard that they aren't losing as much as others. Of course I don't think that they have the credit and cash reserves of the other larger airlines. Who really knows?

 

[Wiskey Driver]

Well folks,

The reality is you could get this type of treatment from any carrier in the nation. America West is not the exception, remember that as humans we all feel that we are owed something and after hours of this attitude people get fed up. Customer service & flight attendants are always dealing with these mentalities. Think about for a moment, if it were you just how long would you be able to deal with this attitude from customers day after day after day??? If you feel that it's only AWA then you should have your company switch to AA, UAL, NWA or many of the others and lets check your experiences after some time with them. The bottom line is you are going to get rude people in every aspect of life, the airline industry is no exception...

WD.

 

[hyper]

True W.D., but I've flown a butt load of miles and have NEVER been treated with such disregard. I don't walk around thinking I'm owed anything, thanks anyway. My wife is a 5'2" little polite soft spoken young lady and the reservation "clerk" about bit her head off when she had the nerve to ask her why the connecting flight was leaving before she arrived in PHK. Had my wife not noticed this as we were walking away, we would have been stuck there for lord only knows how long. That was only the beginning.

HeII, my 13 hr flight on Air France was refreshing compared to AWA and we all know how much the French hate Americans!

I know what you're saying, and airline travel is full of attitudes and s_cks period. But AWA went above and beyond anything that my wife and I had ever experienced.

 

[hyper]

And BTW, that was after we arrived at the airport to find out our flight had been cancelled and we would now be leaving 5 hours later. WE should have had the attitude.

Maybe I do expect something after all. How about a little courteousness? In this economy of high unemployment, if you can't do it right, haul a$$. The next person will.

 

[Wiskey Driver]

Maybe,

I won't even begin to tell you of the stories I have encountered along the way. I will say this though I have been on the recieving end of that type of attitude(NOT WITH AWA) and I was in full dress uniform. I did everything that I could to retain my composure and keep from having the young lady at the counter in tears. I know how to give it back 10 fold, but what would I accomplish by doing that? I just move on and do what I have to do. We will meet again someday and the attitude will be much different. Keep in mind that all types of things happen behind the scenes and they are the last to know and the first to be hit with comments from the public. I found that killing them with kindness really works I have said to many CSA's "do I do something to personally attack you"? "have I offended you in some way if so I am truely sorry" It's really hard for people to be nasty when confronted with kindness.

WD.

 

[FlyinBrian]

Think about for a moment, if it were you just how long would you be able to deal with this attitude from customers day after day after day???

I worked as a CSA for Mesa (America West express) I dealt with that attitude every day. But I did it with a smile and always provided the best service possible. This was definitely not the norm among my cohorts. If you treat people like people, they often change their attitude. Southwest's CSA's faced us in the concourse on the opposite side. Their level of customer service put us to shame.

Anyway, America West has certainly not developed a reputation for outstanding service. They have been struggling to improve that reputation with a renewed commitment to service, and a fairly aggressive local marketing campaign. Their customer satisfaction and performance numbers have indeed showed marked improvement. It will probably take a bit more effort to win back the customers they have lost to SWA though.

 

[enigma]

In the discussions about scope, some people have opined that resrictive scope clauses are bad for their parent company. It is also my understanding from those discussions, that Cactus has no scope. If scope, or the lack thereof, is a real advantage, Cactus will survive. Now, if they could just find some routes where they can compete against carriers who are on the way down, instead of against SWA, they've got a good chance.

regards,
8N

 

[altimaklr]

I'm platinum on HP and have found their service consistently good. Everyone knows you can get bad service on any airline, and I've dealt with basket-case CSA's from AA, DL, and Southwest.

HP CASM is below 9 cents per mile, so if they can just steady their RASM, and snatch travelers paying more than $150 RT (This means no more $38RT LAX-LAS flights...) they should do ok. America West has never been a wealthy airline, but they also have a lot of things going for them.

-Sean

 

[hyper]

Wiskey Driver,

I agree with you 100%. The general public is the worst to deal with, that I won't argue. But it's unfortunate that those in the customer service business would be so bad at providing customer service. If Southwest or jetBlue agents etc. can suck it up, so should the next. I'll never go back, and I'll tell 20 friends, they'll tell a few and so on. Not to mention the power of the internet.

I find myself these days paying more for a ticket on jetBlue (or another with at least smiling faces) when I can as opposed to just looking for the cheapest fare. I'm fed up.
I don't think that I'm the exception any longer.

 

[350DRIVER]

As a former DAL agent I can say that most employees used to "strive" on the attitude factor.... Getting paid less than $9.00/hr as RR the "attitude" , etc, etc, etc...was definately present among most of the RR staff. I also saw this with the FA's and many other DAL employees. Is it "good" customer service (or going above and beyond).???- Most definately not B U T their is very little motivation present after dealing with angry pax at the gates all day long. America West Airlines is no different than any other airline in my opinion. I have never had a problem with them since I could care less about how I am "treated" due to the fact that I realize what these agents go through day in and day out and the very little compensation that they receive. My main and only concern when I fly on them is that the "service" that I paid for (full fare ticket) is honored, I am able to use it, and I get from point A to point B without getting harmed. America West is not Air France or BA when it comes to customer satisfaction & service however I never met an America West employee that was unable to accomplish their job(s) due to a lack of CS and "social" skills. I do realize that the general public expects "great" treatment however it is my opinion that as long as I get to my destination safely then they have done well in my mind-

AWA flya out of PHX many times-
good luck to you guys-

3 5 0

 

[everyonedoa360]

And why shoudn't they get great service? I know I try and make the best landings possible, so why not be nice when they check in? I also don't understand why a lot CS agents are rude to flight crews, I know I try and be nice, and we all should.

 

[hyper]

Here's another thought......it was 7:30am when I encountered most of the attitudes. Hardly time enough to even get pi$$ed from the day.

You may not require courteous service, but I do. A simple hello is enough for me. I don't think it's too much to ask. Like I said, don't like the job, get out.

 

[Caveman]

I think some of you are missing the point.

CSAs are paid to provide customer SERVICE. It's their whole reason for existing. If they can't or don't want to provide quality SERVICE then can their asses. I don't care that their dog died. I don't care that they aren't paid enough. It isn't my problem that their boss is a jerk. When I pony up in excess of $200 bucks for SERVICE I expect SERVICE with a smile, even if I'm being annoying. As long as I don't abuse them and I'm not rude to them I expect answers to my questions. If they think their jobs suck, then quit and work someplace else. I don't see a gun to anybody's head and none of them are wearing prison work crew uniforms. The company said to them we'll give you $X.XX to be nice to our customers and take care of them. The CSA agreed. Do your freaking job or leave!

 

[hyper]

aaaaaammmeeennnn

 

[Wiskey Driver]

AAHHHH, spoken like a true marine. It's my way or die! People shoud get service and good service at that I don't argue that point but there is a gun to their heads just not the type you are thinking about. This gun is the mortage note and the car payment and all of the other essentials of sustaining life that costs. I don't want to seem like I support poor attitude or unfriendly persona but as humans we must understand stress and as a marine I am sure that you understand that.

WD.

 

[DoinTime]

The company said to them we'll give you $X.XX to be nice to our customers and take care of them.

I think your assuming to much here. Airlines do not want CSAs that accept any demand that the customer makes. Airlines want CSAs that take control of the situation and resolve the problems to the airlines best economical and performance interests. If they can do this with a smile all the better. CSAs have some pretty nasty situations to deal with sometimes and the airlines need people that will get high stress jobs done in a timely mannor not someone who sits and smiles. How polite and friendly are you in stressfull situations such as an engine failure at V1 in the real world?

I worked in front line customer service for many years before flying became my job and I have noticed that the people who are intolerant of poor customer service are typically the people who never served a day of it in their lives. Try walking a mile in another mans shoes someday.

 

[350DRIVER]

DT- absolutely correct. That was pretty much how our station manager would relate. Most pax would "accept", very few would complain about the situation (s) to a supervisor.

Once again I am not for poor customer service by any means but folks give these people a break..

3 5 0

 

[Caveman]

See that's the difference between Marines and other folks. We don't make excuses and we don't settle for less than excellent behavior because someone has other 'issues'. Maybe you oughta try our philosophy for once. So far it's produced over 200 years of EXCELLENCE with no complaints from the people we serve. Semper fi.....

 

[hyper]

How polite and friendly are you in stressfull situations such as an engine failure at V1 in the real world?

What!? That's one of the most ignorant analogies I've ever read.

So wht is SWA or jetBlue's secrets? They must have superhuman employees there. They must really pay them allot as I have NEVER had problems on that side.

Yeah, whatever. You guys are right. We should all just accept pi$$ poor service and $hitty attitudes. Heck, it's the American way, right? Why should we actually have the balls to expect any kind of mutual respect when we are only paying customers?

I think the next time the grocery clerk doesn't even acknowledge my existence after purchasing $200 worth of groceries, I'll just buy her/him a flower and say "it's OK, it'll all be alright".

It's no wonder why these people are a$$es, when you treat the customers like crap. Trash begets trash.

You know, I only mentioned one instence on a long trip. So I guess I should apply your philosophy to all three FAs, the gate agent in MCO and PHX, and the one FA on the connecting flight. I'll give them an A for consistency.

 

[DoinTime]

Hyper.....

Your attitude in that last post you made is 100% of the problem and 0% of the solution. If you brought that attitude to the check in counter on the flights that you have had trouble with it is no wonder why you were treated like the enemy.

Its human nature to exhibit a poor attitude toward people who have a poor attitude towards you. Next time your getting rude treatment take a minute to think of what kind of treatment you are giving to them. Maybe you were the problem?

Of the thousands of CSAs that I have delt with in my life I have yet to find one that has given me poor service. How do you explain that? Not all personalities are as plesant as others but I don't judge ones job performance on their personality.

 

[hyper]

Yea, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone attempted to turn it around. It's a lost argument anyway.

My "attitude" was simply an observation to your attempt at a relevant analogy. How does my persona while attempting to save my life in an emergency situation brought on by a mechanical defect even come close to the relevance of someone's lack of customer service while performing a job that is DESCRIBED as customer service?



As much as you'd like to believe otherwise, my attitude was more than friendly that day up until about the fourth rude encounter. Thanks anyway. Ever given some thought that it may be folks that are willing to accept subpar service and bad attitudes from people that breed this contempt? No, I didn't think so.

Not all personalities are as plesant as others but I don't judge ones job performance on their personality.

No, but you can judge my personality on that day and in general from a post. Pretty insightful.

Nice day.

 

[Wiskey Driver]

Hyper,

I would like to place a picture of my dog in this site, how did you do that?? Oh were you expecting another comment on the subject of AWA? Naaa I'm done with that issue, just want to put up a picture now.

 

[hyper]

Sure. Take a digital picture and shrink it down to 150X150 pixels. Probably need some sort of photo program such as Paint Shop Pro or Camedia to do so. Then go to the user cp for your profile, hit "change avatar" and select the filename from your computer where you stored the picture.

If you can't shrink the picture, let me know. You can send it to me and I'll shrink it for you.

Am I allowed back in the sandbox?

 

[Wiskey Driver]

Hey thanks man, you were never out of the box, it's just that sometimes the arguement turns into attacks and before that happens I just choose to get out and remain one of those who won't resort to insults.

WD.

 

[flydog]

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2001/0611/105.html

America's Worst Airline?
Alan Farnham, Forbes Magazine, 06.11.01

We scoured tons of data on canceled flights, lost luggage, staff rudeness and more to find which carrier is worst at what. And the loser is...

... America West. Even in an industry rife with screwups, crummy service and dissembling, America West stands out as a paragon of badness. It ranks worst in customer complaints, worst in lost luggage, worst in cabin comfort and next-to-worst in on-time performance. It has one thing going for it: In denied boardings (bumping ticketed passengers because a flight is oversold), it is somewhat less bad than the average airline.

The FAA slammed it with a $5 million fine in 1998 for maintenance violations, the largest such fine ever levied. AmWest (nyse: AWA - news - people) later paid a reduced amount ($2.5 million), settling charges that included flying 41,000 flights using 17 planes that were overdue for structural inspection.

The AmWest scrapbook includes some doozies. The carrier has stranded Bruce Babbitt and broken stewardesses' legs (in an onboard mishap). It has belittled a blind woman and engaged in behavior that some passengers deem to be racial profiling. In one incident of air rage the perpetrator was found to be an America West pilot, traveling off-duty.

Yet AmWest is only the worst in a field crowded with incompetence. The major carriers have turned business travel into an inescapable evil--a hair shirt with wings. You call an airline and are told your flight will take off on time, only to arrive at the airport and be kept waiting for hours. The food is awful, when you can get any, and thousands upon thousands of bags are misplaced or lost (see Baggage, p. 108). Airline seats seem designed for stick figures (see Comfort; p. 110). Complain about any of this and you risk arrest (see box, Seething on a Jet Plane, p. 106).

Statistics on poor performance understate reality. What looks bad actually is worse. Carriers have four ways of defining when a jet leaves "on time"; one way logs a flight as punctual even if it sits for hours on the tarmac (see On Time, p. 115). In 1999, under pressure from Congress, the airlines made new "customer service commitments," but most don't go beyond what the law already requires. Prompt refunds? They've been mandated for two decades.

Relief won't come soon. Many problems are intractable: too few runways, too few airports, too many flights, outdated technology for air traffic control. The best a business traveler can do, for now, is to plot defensively. Toward that end we have identified which airlines are worst at what. If lost bags push you over the edge, read on and you'll know which carrier to shun.

By our measure, America West is worst overall (see "Methodology," p. 115), but your own weighting might be different. Go online to www.forbes.com/airlines, and an interactive version of these rankings will let you define your own worst (and best) carrier. Key in your priorities--comfort over complaints, or on-time arrivals ahead of baggage handling. Expanded charts rank all ten carriers in each performance category.
The FAA slammed it with a $5 million fine in 1998 for maintenance violations, the largest such fine ever levied. AmWest (nyse: AWA - news - people) later paid a reduced amount ($2.5 million), settling charges that included flying 41,000 flights using 17 planes that were overdue for structural inspection.

The AmWest scrapbook includes some doozies. The carrier has stranded Bruce Babbitt and broken stewardesses' legs (in an onboard mishap). It has belittled a blind woman and engaged in behavior that some passengers deem to be racial profiling. In one incident of air rage the perpetrator was found to be an America West pilot, traveling off-duty.

Yet AmWest is only the worst in a field crowded with incompetence. The major carriers have turned business travel into an inescapable evil--a hair shirt with wings. You call an airline and are told your flight will take off on time, only to arrive at the airport and be kept waiting for hours. The food is awful, when you can get any, and thousands upon thousands of bags are misplaced or lost (see Baggage, p. 108). Airline seats seem designed for stick figures (see Comfort; p. 110). Complain about any of this and you risk arrest (see box, Seething on a Jet Plane, p. 106).

Statistics on poor performance understate reality. What looks bad actually is worse. Carriers have four ways of defining when a jet leaves "on time"; one way logs a flight as punctual even if it sits for hours on the tarmac (see On Time, p. 115). In 1999, under pressure from Congress, the airlines made new "customer service commitments," but most don't go beyond what the law already requires. Prompt refunds? They've been mandated for two decades.

Relief won't come soon. Many problems are intractable: too few runways, too few airports, too many flights, outdated technology for air traffic control. The best a business traveler can do, for now, is to plot defensively. Toward that end we have identified which airlines are worst at what. If lost bags push you over the edge, read on and you'll know which carrier to shun.

By our measure, America West is worst overall (see "Methodology," p. 115), but your own weighting might be different. Go online to www.forbes.com/airlines, and an interactive version of these rankings will let you define your own worst (and best) carrier. Key in your priorities--comfort over complaints, or on-time arrivals ahead of baggage handling. Expanded charts rank all ten carriers in each performance category.
The FAA slammed it with a $5 million fine in 1998 for maintenance violations, the largest such fine ever levied. AmWest (nyse: AWA - news - people) later paid a reduced amount ($2.5 million), settling charges that included flying 41,000 flights using 17 planes that were overdue for structural inspection.

The AmWest scrapbook includes some doozies. The carrier has stranded Bruce Babbitt and broken stewardesses' legs (in an onboard mishap). It has belittled a blind woman and engaged in behavior that some passengers deem to be racial profiling. In one incident of air rage the perpetrator was found to be an America West pilot, traveling off-duty.

Yet AmWest is only the worst in a field crowded with incompetence. The major carriers have turned business travel into an inescapable evil--a hair shirt with wings. You call an airline and are told your flight will take off on time, only to arrive at the airport and be kept waiting for hours. The food is awful, when you can get any, and thousands upon thousands of bags are misplaced or lost (see Baggage, p. 108). Airline seats seem designed for stick figures (see Comfort; p. 110). Complain about any of this and you risk arrest (see box, Seething on a Jet Plane, p. 106).

Statistics on poor performance understate reality. What looks bad actually is worse. Carriers have four ways of defining when a jet leaves "on time"; one way logs a flight as punctual even if it sits for hours on the tarmac (see On Time, p. 115). In 1999, under pressure from Congress, the airlines made new "customer service commitments," but most don't go beyond what the law already requires. Prompt refunds? They've been mandated for two decades.

Relief won't come soon. Many problems are intractable: too few runways, too few airports, too many flights, outdated technology for air traffic control. The best a business traveler can do, for now, is to plot defensively. Toward that end we have identified which airlines are worst at what. If lost bags push you over the edge, read on and you'll know which carrier to shun.

By our measure, America West is worst overall (see "Methodology," p. 115), but your own weighting might be different. Go online to www.forbes.com/airlines, and an interactive version of these rankings will let you define your own worst (and best) carrier. Key in your priorities--comfort over complaints, or on-time arrivals ahead of baggage handling.

 

[bigsky]

In all fairness to AWA, they have improved greatly since that article was written- and the other majors have greatly declined.

In my job I unfortunately commercial more than I fly. I used to hate flying on ata, airtran ect.. but now they have better service than Delta. At least they try! I definitely see the both sides but I think most of the problem is having 25 year veterans as FAs who dont care anymore-"and it shows". I believe Some of the foreign carriers have mandatory retirement at age 30-which is bad for them but at least keeps the service fresh.