I wrote this post last week while traveling on Delta, but let it sit a bit.  For all my grumblings, my return trip was nothing like my departure from SEA.  Therefore I’m going to conclude that either this is an isolated issue with SEA or perhaps larger airports.  Anyways, here is a bit about my adventures on Delta.

—————-

I arrived at Sea-Tac, which is Seattle’s main airport for commercial flights. If I were flying private then there would be no need for this post. As per my usual routine I park my car and goto check-in. Generally this is a fairly pain free process, and can take from no time to a long time depending on the number of departing flights. Ironically this isn’t a complaint about security and the TSA.

I checked-in online to “save” time. If you aren’t checking a bag then perhaps this is a time saver, but if you are don’t bother. There is a redundancy in the system where it all has to be done again at the airport <at least the was SEA has things setup at the moment>.

Delta forces you to check-in again at the kiosk so your baggage check label is printed. From there your name should be called. In theory just like communism this sounds great, however we know what happened to Russia.

I happen to check the special bag field, which told me to see an agent. Okay so is my bag label being printed or no? I waited for a bit, while becoming quite frustrated. The system is broken when a random person goes and checks in ahead of the others who are waiting for their name to be called. My name wasn’t being called… after having an agent ask me if I used the kiosk… my name still wasn’t being called, and as I said random people were jumping ahead of the kiosk users.  Efficient right?

In Europe this might work because lines don’t seem as prevalent and they are able to find order in a chaotic mass while waiting. We United Statizens don’t do so well and get frustrated and confused.

What happens when someone comes along and needs to talk to an agent? They have to wade through a mass of people who are also waiting, but nobody really knows who is first second etc….

I’m going to leave the absurdity of the system at that, but it doesn’t work. Nobody knows they have to goto the kiosk to be put in the queue for their name to be called. There were so many frustrated agents and customers…. Not good for business Delta.

On other airlines I’ve seen every agent helping to get the job done, but there were the First Class agents and some further down who were not helping to expedite the process.

Yes, I was frustrated. To continue to be isn’t worth the energy, but I will now think again about flying Delta until they figure out their customer service situation. This is a first for this kind of problem with Delta and me.

At times there are problems at check-in. I can deal with that and I’m patient, but this confusion at the beginning of the flying process is going to lead to greater problems in the entire supply chain.

When a customer enters the airline they expect or at least hope for a certain level of service. There is no arguing that air travel is more difficult and anxiety ridden than in the past. Now we are searched, scanned, herded, and made to feel as though we are guilty of something.

The airline’s first physical contact with its customers happens either at check-in or perhaps at curb side. In an already hostile environment the step one of check-in needs to have the sense that the airline is taking care of you the customer.

Granted the airlines are losing money, they are adding service fees to stay afloat, and trying to trim every possible cost. The one area they need to invest is in service and starting their customers off on a happy flight. That will make the jobs of the flight attendants, airport staff, TSA, and every person their customer comes in contact with that much faster and efficient.

So we pay for checked baggage, we pay for food, and I’m sure there is another fee around the corner. The airlines really need to make sure this is the correct approach. As we moved from full service gas station to self-serve kiosks we have lost a large portion of service we once used to receive. For more we now get less.

Let’s say on average half the flight checks a bag and the other half only carries on bags. Instead of implementing a per bag fee, which annoys people and slows down check-in, add a fee to everyone’s ticket. Yes, those not checking bags will be paying for a portion of those checking bags, but I would imagine over time it would all even out. Sometimes I check a bag and sometimes I don’t.

In regards to food in-flight. What is with the crappy snack packages? They are junk food and ought not be considered a meal. Why not have people pay for food at the time of ticket purchase. If you want a meal you pay for it ahead of time and know you will have a decent meal versus being left stranded with crap. Airlines would be able to plan ahead the required number of meals and avoid throwing out excess.

In an industry where margins are thin, and competition fierce what will make an airline standout from another? Customer service!

I don’t want angry or frustrated agents helping me. Forcing people to use self-serve check-in only slows down the process because they don’t know what they are doing. Give them the option, but make sure to have agents available that people can wait in line for.

If an agent has to handhold many people’s hands at a kiosk then there is a problem. The idea of the kiosk is to enable people to check-in without agent assistance. On most airlines I like being able to check-in online, get my seats, select how many bags and then proceed to a bag drop where I show my ID and boarding pass. Simple and fast for the most part.

I don’t know what happened at the Seattle Delta ticket counter, but they are going to have continued problems until they modify the layout and process. Having frustrated people isn’t good for anyone all the way down the food chain.

On a bright note there isn’t anyone sitting next to me, and I have an exit seat!!