I spent the past couple of days visiting my family out in California before starting my second year of the Ph.D. program at the University of Tennessee. Ever since I went to school in Florida, there have been times where it seemed like I lived in the airport. This is how I felt these past couple of days. I was supposed to leave out of LAX to head out to Denver, and then end in Nashville– but my flight to Denver was hugely delayed, which of course meant that I was going to miss my flight back to Nashville.
So, I went to the customer service desk for United, and the line was really long. It seemed like everyone had the same idea! It did take some time to make it to the front of the line. There were two people working to try to make the changes needed in people’s flights. As soon as I got up to the front, one of the women announced– well, I’m hungry, so I am going to take my lunch– and then walked off to leave the one to help all of us. As a traveler, I was like– okay, this is interesting. But as someone that is in public relations, it did give me an insight into how United operates and the need to improve their customer and other stakeholder relationships. What kind of message does this send to United customers? Not necessarily a good one. United can improve on this by having a crisis management plan in order to deal with situations like this one, where senior personnel can help out in a time of need for their customers.
But the responsibility also lies with the customers as well– there were some people in line that were not professional and were making it harder for themselves. The key is to stay calm and be adjustable, and be flexible with your time schedule. If the representative and the flier can work together– life will be easier!
However, the representative that I met with did help me get on another flight to Nashville– I just had to go to Washington D.C. first. I told her that I really didn’t care how I got to Nashville, as long as I got there in one piece. 🙂 She was very helpful, and got me two exit row seats. 🙂 So, in this situation– both parties have to realize that the other person is stressed also– whether it is dealing with hundreds of tired and frustrated travelers, or anxious about getting home. The key is to be respectful, professional, and work together to make it all work out. 🙂
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen 🙂
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