Well, avid blog-reader, you may remember some time ago (4 June to be exact), that I blogged my dismay at the airline which didn’t know anything about geography or the finer aspects of British constitutional history, to whit: I queued up at the “All UK flights” section to check in for my flight to Northern Ireland, only to be told that Northern Ireland is not part of the UK “for the purposes of our company, sir”. I won’t bore you with the finer details of that experience. Check the archives if you have forgotten or not read it in the first place…
…Well, the sequel to my story is this…
Yesterday morning, at 0600, I arrived bleary-eyed at the same airport for a day-trip to Holland on business.
Holland.
Not England. Not Scotland. Not Wales. Not even Northern Ireland.
Holland.
(Are you with me so far, avid blog-reader?)
“Ha!”, I thought, despite my semi-comatose state at that time in the morning. “I will not get caught out by this airline again. No, Sir, not this time.”
I scanned the information above each check-in desk with the eye of a keen eagle, hunting down its prey. And there it was – the Check-in desk for Holland.
Not England. Not Scotland. Not Wales. Not even Northern Ireland.
Holland.
There was no-one in the queue (hardly surprising, I thought, at that early hour). So, I raced up to the counter, thrust out my passport and, with a hint of victory and pride in my voice, assertively claimed, “I am going to Holland today. I am here at this counter to check-in”
“Oh, sorry, Sir, the computer’s down. Queue up at the next check-in desk instead.”
A bead of sweat broke through on my top lip. I held my nerve and held his gaze. I knew my ground was safe, so said in a low (and slightly threatening voice), “I can’t queue up at the next check-in desk. It is marked ‘All UK flights’ – and I am going to Holland. And Holland is not, most definitely NOT in the UK. England is. Scotland is. Wales is. Even Northern Ireland is. But Holland is not – nor has it ever been in the UK.”
There was a moment of silence. I allowed a small smile of satisfaction to cross my lips, safe in the knowledge that I had finally demolished this company’s illogical systems with my extraordianry knowledge of world affairs and British constitutional history.
The man looked at me. Then, he waved his hand dismissively and said, “Ah go on, queue up at the ‘All UK flights’ counter if you want to. To be honest, it doesn’t really matter where you queue – we can check you in at any desk, really.”
I bit my tongue. Hard. Perspiration seeped through my furrowed brow. There was so much I wanted to say.
But, with quiet British dignity, I turned and slowly walked away. Knocked down by their system – but not defeated.
I shall return to fight another day.
The Sequel to my Story
Steve, I cannot actually believe it! So what happens the 3rd time you fly with the same airline? Which queue will you choose?
A little while back I took a short flight to Swaziland from Johannesburg. Being the stickler I am, I got to the airport roughly 2 hrs prior to the flight (because it was actually an international flight depsite the distance)at 5am for 7am departure. There are approximately 90 check-in counters at JIA International Departures. Not a soul was there (that I could see) except for the lonely SAA check-in clerk at Counter 4. I handed her my ticket (with a perky smile, just having finished my Grande Cappuccino) and after a short check on the PC, “Sorry sir, you’re at the wrong counter. You need to present your self at Counter 75.”
With my caffeine burst not having worn off yet, I trotted down the length of counters (still no-one in sight at this time of the morning), my sqeeuching shoes echoing throughout the terminal. I finally reach the aforementioned counter, lo and behold, no-one! I then stormed back to counter 4 – breaking a rather uncomfortable sweat at thssi time of the morning. I told the friendly clerk, “There is no-one there to help me”. She takes a look down the length of the terminal and exclaims, “You’re right sir. But no worries sir, because I can check you in here”. AAAAAAAAARGH!
Enough of the narrative …
I have been following avidly the numeorus comments posted regarding shoddy service at airports/airlines of late. When will it stop? And when will something be done? With a network of unsatisfied customers in the TmTd.biz circles, surely we can offer something that resembles a solution, if not a demand at a solution?
Problem quite simply in my opinion with travel (airlines and car rentals) is simply this. They are so pre-occupied with their systems and processes they’ve lost sight of the customer.
Both of the stories above are about process, not people. The AVIS entry earlier today is about form letters (process and not people)
Every now and again you find a gem in the system who can see through the paper work and connect with the people. And when you find that gem it’s a wonderful experience. It could even be described to that ‘one shot’ in a golf game. The one great shot of the 100 or so you made that day, that brings you back tomorrow.
I like the idea of finding, creating a solution. For me the starting point has to be in the process/people intersection.
Problem quite simply in my opinion with travel (airlines and car rentals) is simply this. They are so pre-occupied with their systems and processes they’ve lost sight of the customer.
Both of the stories above are about process, not people. The AVIS entry earlier today is about form letters (process and not people)
Every now and again you find a gem in the system who can see through the paper work and connect with the people. And when you find that gem it’s a wonderful experience. It could even be described to that ‘one shot’ in a golf game. The one great shot of the 100 or so you made that day, that brings you back tomorrow.
I like the idea of finding, creating a solution. For me the starting point has to be in the process/people intersection.
I think you should consider trains in future and perhaps even swimming that darn channel between your Island and the rest of the world. Can see it now, “Good evening. This is the BBC…today an as yet unidentified, but presumed Brit, was seen swimming the Channel towards Europe in a suit, tie and complete with briefcase in tow. There was fierce determination in his eyes and those who witnessed the incident said they could hear him saying something under his breath that regrettably we cannot repeat on air…”
Sadly I fear – the trains are just as bad! “Planes, trains and automobiles” is suddenly taking on a whole new meaning!!!
Just last week some poor sods got stuck on a train for 2 hours in the middle of some freakishly hot British weather. Eventually they were forced to break the windows to try and cool down – after several people had fainted due to the heat. Apparently it was a safety hazard to open the train doors while on the track. (go figure.)