Sutori - Stories Tagged With 'airline'

Tickled pink with JetBlue

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 18:13:47 -0700

There is just something about JetBlue that is different than the other airlines out there. Or maybe there are many things about JetBlue.

From booking on their website to picking up your bags after a long trip, as a customer, you feel appreciated. The check-in process is amazing. Their little 'do it yourself' kiosks are fun to use. They use friendly language like, "Don't worry! You're almost done!"

There are never long line ups...and if the line starts getting long, they actually put more people on the counters to serve you. They are quick and friendly and accomodate anything they can for you.

As you get onto the plane, there is a basket of headphones that says, "Believe us, yours are better" That always makes me smile. Even their little televisions on the backs of the headrests are fun: "You look good in leather" it flirts.

What I really really love about JetBlue is their lack of hierarchy. There is no First class, business class, or economy class. Just class. ;) Lots of legroom for everyone.

What else? It's in the details, truly. Always friendly. Customer empowering. Light and flirty messaging. Comfortable flying. Choice. Those amazing blue chips they serve. Televisions with trashily fun programming (vh1 lists are the best). Baby bottled waters (love those). Great prices.

Man. I wish they flew everywhere.

The Star Alliance is neither Celestial nor Aligned

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 14:49:59 -0800

Take a strong dose of patience and allocate at least 30-60 minutes of phone time if you want to redeem any US airlines' frequent flier miles for an international flight which requires any or all portions to be provided by a member of the Star Alliance. Since you cannot book these reservations via United or USAirways' web sites, you must call and speak to an agent, and they will consume many minutes navigating their own and their so-called partners' reservation systems to find an appropriate routing. They will then have the audacity to charge you a phone booking fee even though you have no other way to conduct this transaction. You will still have to call the partner airline for your seat assignments and meal preferences, so you are again forced into another 20-30 minute call. There's little evidence that these airline alliances provide any benefit to passengers because they impose these inconveniences and require the customer to interact wiith each individual airline anyhow. If you fuss about the phone booking fee, they will send you a paper voucher for a future reservation which, surprise, you must conduct via the phone! No wonder airlines are the most despised businesses of all.

An airline and a cluetrain

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 09:45:04 -0800

I'm trying something a little different here.

This story is not something that happened to me. It's something that happened to someone I respect very much.

And because I trust and respect that person, the story affects the way I feel about this company. It has an impact on my goodwill towards them.

In this case, the company is United Airlines and the customer is David Weinberger, co-author of a book called the Cluetrain Manifesto—a book that laid the groundwork for Sutori with its vision of markets as conversations between customers and companies.

Here’s the story, as blogged by David . . .

After United Airline's online systems assured me as of 7pm that my 8:40 flight from Boston to DC was only 45 minutes late, I arrived at the airport to be told by the unhelpful person behind the counter that they'd actually cancelled the flight that afternoon. (I'd also checked with a living person over the telephone.)

But that's just your usual traffic snarl. Kafka didn't step in until I said that the subsitute flight they wanted to put me on at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon wouldn't work, but I still wanted to fly back with my ticket on Monday. Fine, said the unhelpful telephone support person, but that will have to be repriced up as a one way fare.

Ah, yes, that's how to develop customer loyalty!

So what do you think?

Does a “second hand” story like this belong on Sutori?

Should it carry as much weight as a first-hand experience?