The Diva's a busy little traveler, so she is excited to announce
that her musings on all things travel can be found on the
Commercial Appeal blog.
Look under the various categories to see my postings, which run
under Ms. Adventure, Luxe Life, Get Outta Town -- well, heck,
practically all of them!
Check it out, and don't be shy -- get involved in the conversation!
2.3.07 -- On board a Northwest Airlines flight.......10 am-ish
It wasn’t a glitch – but a mechanical oversight –something as simple as
filling the water tanks on the plane – that kept us ground for an hour and 45
minutes.
Now, one can understand the human error, and even applaud the stringent
safety measures which require a thorough check list f the mechanical
systems when there’s a glitch, before the plane is allowed to take off.
But I can’t help and think of the human stories that shift because of a delay.
Every connection missed because of the oversight is an opportunity
missed – in my case, the chance to spend as much time as possible with
my 93-year old grandmother before I have to appear at my final destination,
a business function.
So now, instead of taking Gram out for a nice dinner, long conversations, a
leisurely breakfast and helping her with a few errands before I have to go, I’ll
have a half day to cram in a visit – very likely my last – with a woman I
adore.
That, I find hard to accept like a good little member of the traveling public.
****
We're airborne! But NWA, I can't help but wish you went into bankruptcy,
allowing those nice folks from SWA into the Memphis market.
The delay caused by today’s oversight, while understandable – hey, it
happens – somehow just seems so NWA these days.
What’s happened to this airline? As my husband pointed out – lots of
cutbacks in the last few years. But cutbacks – whether in the number of
planes, the number of folks at the airport or at the customer service center –
certainly don’t explain the lack of caring that seems so pervasive in the staff.
I have no doubt the folks at NWA are working hard, and I hate to complain
about any of them. BUT -- Delta and others are having similar issues, and
they still offer free snacks, they still smile, they still provide customer
service in the face of takeover rumours and pay cuts.
My experience of late has been that the other airlines are succeeding, and
Northwest is failing, miserably, both financially and on every level of
customer service. From the phone chat with a customer service rep about a
seat assignment, to the nasty look from the flight attendant simply because I
don’t like Diet Pepsi – which I was VERY polite about – to the grim faces at
the gate, one has to wonder what has made life at Northwest so miserable
that the entire staff is depressed.
And c’mon, people – how hard is it to waive the snack fee of $2 for a tiny
bag of trail mix for your long-suffering passengers, when they've put up with
a very long delay, many missing their connections because of an oversight?
That’s just good business, good customer service.
Oh wait, I forgot – Northwest cut customer service.
that her musings on all things travel can be found on the
Commercial Appeal blog.
Look under the various categories to see my postings, which run
under Ms. Adventure, Luxe Life, Get Outta Town -- well, heck,
practically all of them!
Check it out, and don't be shy -- get involved in the conversation!
2.3.07 -- On board a Northwest Airlines flight.......10 am-ish
It wasn’t a glitch – but a mechanical oversight –something as simple as
filling the water tanks on the plane – that kept us ground for an hour and 45
minutes.
Now, one can understand the human error, and even applaud the stringent
safety measures which require a thorough check list f the mechanical
systems when there’s a glitch, before the plane is allowed to take off.
But I can’t help and think of the human stories that shift because of a delay.
Every connection missed because of the oversight is an opportunity
missed – in my case, the chance to spend as much time as possible with
my 93-year old grandmother before I have to appear at my final destination,
a business function.
So now, instead of taking Gram out for a nice dinner, long conversations, a
leisurely breakfast and helping her with a few errands before I have to go, I’ll
have a half day to cram in a visit – very likely my last – with a woman I
adore.
That, I find hard to accept like a good little member of the traveling public.
****
We're airborne! But NWA, I can't help but wish you went into bankruptcy,
allowing those nice folks from SWA into the Memphis market.
The delay caused by today’s oversight, while understandable – hey, it
happens – somehow just seems so NWA these days.
What’s happened to this airline? As my husband pointed out – lots of
cutbacks in the last few years. But cutbacks – whether in the number of
planes, the number of folks at the airport or at the customer service center –
certainly don’t explain the lack of caring that seems so pervasive in the staff.
I have no doubt the folks at NWA are working hard, and I hate to complain
about any of them. BUT -- Delta and others are having similar issues, and
they still offer free snacks, they still smile, they still provide customer
service in the face of takeover rumours and pay cuts.
My experience of late has been that the other airlines are succeeding, and
Northwest is failing, miserably, both financially and on every level of
customer service. From the phone chat with a customer service rep about a
seat assignment, to the nasty look from the flight attendant simply because I
don’t like Diet Pepsi – which I was VERY polite about – to the grim faces at
the gate, one has to wonder what has made life at Northwest so miserable
that the entire staff is depressed.
And c’mon, people – how hard is it to waive the snack fee of $2 for a tiny
bag of trail mix for your long-suffering passengers, when they've put up with
a very long delay, many missing their connections because of an oversight?
That’s just good business, good customer service.
Oh wait, I forgot – Northwest cut customer service.
Diva Musings aka The
Diva's Blog
Diva's Blog
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