Ms. Silverman

Concierge

Teachable Moment - the Saga of United Flight 996

By Marjorie Silverman, Honorary President, UICH, Les Clefs d'Or

How do you recover as a service organization when everything that could possibly go wrong, does? I had a recent experience with United Airlines where I spent six hours on a plane to fly from Newark to Chicago and I was actually almost grateful to have done so! As a service professional, I became fascinated with the way the captain and the customer relations department handled the situation each step of the way. It was a textbook example of Service Recovery that made me marvel at how well it was executed.

The sequence of events:

1st delay-Late arrival of aircraft

August 2, 2009 was a cloudy, rainy day at Newark Liberty Airport at 9:15 AM, approximately 1 1/2 hours before flight time. Scheduled to depart at 10:46 AM, United 996 was showing an on time departure. The aircraft appeared to arrive a bit late and so we boarded at about 10:50AM or approximately at the time we were supposed to depart. Not at all an unusual occurrence these days.

2nd delay-Mechanical problem

We pushed back from the gate, did the safety review and then the captain made an announcement. They had discovered in their preflight check that there was a mechanical problem which had been fixed but airline rules demanded that a mechanic complete some paper work and we could not taxi to the runway until this paper work was filed-he estimated that it would take 20 minutes to an hour. He apologized for the delay.

3rd delay-Thunderstorms

In about 1/2 hour the captain addressed us again. He said we were taxiing to a hold runway because now severe thunderstorms were in the area and that all three New York airports were closed by Air Traffic Control until further notice. He explained that we would not go back to the gate so that we could take off as soon as possible when we got an OK to fly and he apologized again. Immediately the flight attendants went down the aisles with granola bars and water. We could see out the windows of the plane that a severe storm was raging and that there was very low visibility.

4th delay-Unruly passengers

During the two hours we sat on the runway the captain updated us every 20 to 30 minutes. At that point, two passengers were loudly demanding to the attendants to return to the gate so that they could get off the plane. The Captain came back into the cabin to speak to the two unruly passengers who had been verbally abusive to the cabin attendants. He asked them to come with him to another area of the plane to speak to him privately. They were gone about 20 minutes and returned to their seats and then the captain came back on the address system to tell us that we were going back to the gate after all to let two passengers off the plane.

At the gate three transportation police officers boarded the plane and escorted the disgruntled passengers off. The captain said that we could deplane for 1/2 hour and he explained he had called customer service agents to see what service outlets were open for us. Further, he had even checked to see if they could get catering to the plane but was informed that it would take too long. He enumerated the outlets where we could get food and apologized again for the inconvenience.

We got back on the plane and were given more granola bars and water. We taxied to the take off runway and the captain informed us that we were 17th in line for take off and at approximately 2 minutes per plane, we would have wheels up in about 34 minutes. He apologized again for the "flight from hell" and empathized with those who had missed connections. He thanked us for flying United and said that we would be compensated for our experience. At the point we took off we had already been on the plane for about 4 hours.

When we arrived in Chicago approximately 6 hours after we had boarded the plane, the captain told everyone that there was a website to visit as soon as possible www.united.com/appreciation and we should have our flight information available and we would be offered a good will gesture to express appreciation for our patience. Meanwhile, I had received an email from United while we were in flight that expressed apologies for the flight and directed me to the website. The email was signed by Peggy Beirne, UA Customer Relations.

Being curious I visited the website immediately when I got home. It was extremely well designed. All I needed as information was my name, flight number and the date. I got the apology again and then a series of choices for compensation for my time and inconvenience. They were generous and appropriate. The following options were presented:

• E-Certificate valid for one year for 50 United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands or Canada.
• 20% off an overseas ticket
• 9000 miles for my mileage plus account
• Upgrade certificates for two 500 mile flight segments

I could choose immediately or postpone the choice to a later date. Having made the choice immediately, I got an e-mail confirmation with another short letter from Ms. Peggy Beirne, reiterating the apology, stating all the things that had gone wrong and regretting any unease or discomfort that I may have felt. The whole website process took less than five minutes to complete.

Perhaps no other segment of the travel industry has suffered as much as the airlines, for everything from bankruptcy, cutbacks in service, overtired crews, security concerns, endless delays, and cranky guests reacting to overcrowding and lack of food and drink. This captain and flight crew had no control over the weather or unruly guests but they responded like experts in handling adverse situations such as flight 996.

Here's what they got exactly right:

• Communication The captain had a soothing voice and he communicated with us frequently. He let us know exactly what was happening. He empathized with our frustration and in so doing he assuaged our emotions. He apologized repeatedly for the inconvenience and he made us think that he cared.
• Comfort food The staff gave us granola bars and brought us water throughout the wait and then they made sure that we were able to get some food at the outlets when they permitted us to deplane.
• for staff The captain refused to have passengers abuse the staff verbally and he had the disruptive passengers evicted.
• Proactive United Airlines had procedures in place with the website and in flight email to offer compensation. We did not have to ask or fight for it.
• Evaluation A short survey was offered as part of the website if one wished to participate. In that way United Airlines Customer Relations can measure the effect of their initiative so they can further refine it.

Because of the way United Airlines handled this situation, I gained more respect for them after flight 996 than I had before it. They changed my perception about their service delivery, which I had recently characterized as coldly impersonal and perhaps even worse, indifferent. Will I fly United again? You bet I will and I have my $200 E-Certificate to help me out! They said "your satisfaction is important to us and we look forward to serving you better in the near future." I am going to give them the opportunity to do so. I left flight 996 believing that United Airlines is committed to making significant service improvements.

Marjorie Silverman was in concierge for 25 years and now is a Consultant, Meeting Planner and Lecturer. She was the Chief Concierge of Hotel InterContinental Chicago, and the first female and first American to serve as President of Union Internationale des Concierges d'Hotels, Les Clefs d'Or. Les Clefs d'Or is the international association of concierges, headquartered in Paris, which groups 40 countries under its umbrella. The 3500 members join forces to promote tourism worldwide. She was a founding member of the Chicago Hotel Concierge Association. Ms. Silverman can be contacted at 773-248-7462 or marjoriesilverman@mac.com Extended Bio...

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