As anyone who has been following the industry knows, American has been lagging Delta and United when it comes to both customer experience and profitability. Essentially, executives at the airline lacked a vision for far too long. Or perhaps more accurately, they had the wrong vision they believed that the key to profitability was to…
Continue reading: New American Airlines Customer Experience Advisory Board: Yay?
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Start by having ground agents not barking orders at customers!
"HAVE YOUR PASSPORTS IN YOUR OWN HANDS WHEN YOU GET TO THE GATE!"
"NPS scores rarely seen in the healthcare industry” isnt saying much.
So many outsized egos for such a do-nothing board. But the key to successful illusion is misdirection.
At the end of the day, anything that gets in the way of AAs perennially futile efforts to achieve D0 is road kill.
Shouldn't they have an actual customer on the "Customer Experience Advisory Board"?
It would be helpful, if not pertinent, to have actual customers on the Advisory board.
AA agent 'party poopers' .... I always try to 'mix it up' and swap passports with strangers just to add a levity & humour to the boarding process ! ... Try as I may, those AA agents just don't have appreciate comedy !
The title of the entity is ambiguous ..,.. Actually it is a board comprised of well seasoned professionals that will advise the customers ... Certainly not the other way around !
LOL ... I'd imagine those NPS healthcare industry scores have 'rarely been seen' indeed. Assuming we're talking about the United States health care industry, they're worse than rock bottom & most likely at subterranean levels.., Just further exemplifies how rigged/worthless that metric is. At least one can chuckle about the Walmart logistics member. And that GE engine member hopefuilly offer some insight regarding that AA 737 DEN diversion & engine fire due to negligent maintenance! Maybe Elliott can join the group once his pillaging @ Southwest as reached its logical conclusion. I'm sure those boyz n' girlz will enjoy their AA confirmed !st class transportation among their other perks for offering their expertise ...
At least back in the days when I worked a service industry job, we had this thing called "Secret Shoppers" that made sure you were being polite, efficient, checking ID, and doing all the corporate loyalty card rigmarole. Seems like it should be a simple thing to put a similar program in place for flights, no? Probably cheaper than what they're going to be paying this new advisory board too.
The key to fixing American couldn't be more simple. Performance management.
70-80% of AA frontline staff are perfectly fine. The bottom 20-30% are so bad they turn off profitable customers who choose other airlines. Every airline has its bad apples, but at AA, they are disproportionate in:
(1) Number
(2) Magnitude
AA has far more bad apples and the ones they have are more shockingly worse.
AA needs a way (in-app ratings with pics, a la Uber/Lyft) to identify, then exit, the bottom 20-30%. The same approach would also facilitate performance-based bonuses for their best staff.
Now where this Advisory Board and the new CCO comes in is instilling a high caliber of customer service skills training in replacement hires.
Sign me up !! As long as I get a token confirmed space pass travel award. Would sure beat the increasingly worthless non-rev pass travel these days !
First and foremost AA needs to improve upon the basics. Posting reasonable delays. Communicating to flyers what is going on even if it's bad news. Better gate management-flight arrives late at a hub, people are trying to make their connections and there's no crew and/or gate agent around. Improve recovery from airport/ATC delays/ground stops.
On the customer side, pre departure beverages being offered, and not just warm water and warm OJ. Improved meals, particularly if AA wants to reach DL's rate of cash upgrades/paid first. Blankets and pillows in first on flights of over four blocked hours. Improved BOB in coach. Another row of MCE.
And of course something about the lounge situation at a number of airports-CLT, PHX, ATL, TPA, MCO.
But all of this takes money and I have my doubts on whether AA will actually spend the money.
@Ben did you turn down the offer?
Can you make a post about offers you have received?
Joel, a week from today the SkyTrax 2025, Airlines World Rankings will be announced at the Paris Air Show. Last year AA were ranked a lowly 78, will they improve this year?
Perhaps they have had prior warnings that their customer satisfaction scores are much lower this year, hence the Customer Advisory Board?
If they want better service, no need to hire a VIP board. Just ask One World or near One World airlines, like Alaska, Japan, Cathay Pacific, Qatar, Starlux.
How many of these bigwigs fly economy class? Do they just fly private or business class?
I am willing to bet they never considered having a couple EXP and GLD on the committee.
What a great idea THAT would have been !
Tim Dunn are you AWOL?
We need you Tim to liven up this sad situation AA find themselves in.
Let's not kid ourselves to think that it will lead to some epiphany among AA management or AA becoming a premium quality airline. But, let's start with something simple: reopen the (stinkin') LAX Flagship First Dining. I'm paying for the ticket but you're stiffing me on the amenity? This issue characterizes what AA truly thinks about its customers and is typical of why AA lost me.
I see a major risk of siloed thinking here. This Customer Advisory Board is in no way reflective of AA's elite flyers, as defined by people who earn EXP or CK status on flights alone or a combination of flights and credit card spend.
If AA's leadership wants to understand what their customers want they should sit down with a combination of current elite flyers and those (like myself) who have fled AA and given our business to competitors to understand why that is the case and what it will take to get us back.
As for including a Marriott exec on the Board, I'm hoping that individual is there for AA to learn what NOT to do to ensure customer loyalty. I'm surprised they didn't add non-travel industries such as retail, spas, restaurants and the like to understand how consumers view experience across service industries. A missed opportunity and further demonstration of AA's insular world-view.
Lets just hope the "New American Airlines Customer Experience" advisory board take into consideration the mean of the word COMMUNICATION!. I have been on quite a few flights lately 10 to be exactly where the Gate agents have "no clue" why there are so many "mechanical" situations, and I never hear ANY apologies. That where you need to put the customer FIRST!
Yes, I worked for a major company in NYC, and we used “secret shoppers” all the time. It worked spectacularly. You really learn how you are perceived by your customers. Very inexpensive way to learn a lot.
Helpful hint ( if you have any spare 'petrol' leaking around the house )... Spare a splash or 2 for this website ... Talk about 'stirrin' the pot', ya instigator !
.. lol..
Could it be that AA didn't/couldn't pay $$$/'in kind' to Skytrax to advance their status on the list ? .... lol
If these folks really want to be successful as the Customer Experience Advisory Board, then they need to “experience” a transcon in seat 33B or 33E in Boarding Group 6 with a carry on, close enough to smell the lav but just far enough away not to time it right to use it as well the surly service from AA’s finest FA’s. Then they’ll be able effectively be a Customer Experience Advisory Board.
Based upon their recent/past titles they probably haven’t flown economy in decades and need a refresher.
you might want to get to know Ascension Healthcare if you do not.
They are the largest religious (Catholic) hospital chain in the US and they are fairly well regarded in the communities they serve.
there are always anecdotal stories and healthcare is not my specialty but there are well-run companies in the health care sector.
I'm with Ben here.
Wait and see and hoping to see improvement.
I think AA is realizing they don't have a financial future if they don't deliver better service.
DL did the turnaround over 15 years ago, UA copied it over the past 5+ years so AA is not exactly left without examples.
I suspect that as long as upper management is from USAir not much will change. For at least a decade i've askec friends who work at HQ ( I live in Dallas ) why they were not paying attention to Qatar. Emirates and Etihad and the incredible customer
experience they were providing. The comment usually was tjat those airlines were supported by their Government. I dont recall that any of them had actually flown on any of the Mid 3 airlines. AA seemed to want to continue to compete with Spirit. IMHO.
Was delayed an hour last month (classic 4x 15 min) out of ORD. They mistakenly thought the aircraft was heading back to ATH instead of a domestic run to MIA, and placed bedding at the seats. Every pax, and even the FAs, were so excited no one dwelled on the delay.
Like you said, hope they realize such small touches like that can make a huge difference
In the 00's I was on the Delta - DFW Frequent-Flier Committee ... DL would fly in a half-dozen from ATL on the morning West-bound ... a couple from the DFW station. We met in an airport hotel, one morning they came in laughing ... a DL Retiree was down the hall, conducting a Seminar that he apparently was taking all over the US for AA Execs: "How to be more like Delta!" We quickly got to the core, comments, complaints akin to what's on this Board. And DL's execs were taking notes, they followed up with us individually and then with a summary of what was raised, what DL was doing about it. No outside Consultant, nobody taking a survey: just people in Operations actually listening to 10-15 of their customers.
I was thinking like the comments suggest that they should have a customer on the board and not one that has so many millions of miles - an average customer. I also want to say that it is only an advisory board. The company does not need to implement any suggestions that come from it. A customer experience board would be better and I think some of the executives should go undercover and fly economy and other lower classes to see what their experiences really are.
Thank you Tim, one was worried that once again you were being prevented from offering the readers the benefit of your experience and wisdom.
Time will tell if AA are serious about changing from mediocre to reasonable acceptable.
Come now bossa, whatever are you saying?
SkyTrax is a UK based organisation and everyone knows that the situation which you are suggesting is a common American business practices …. 🙂
Super “Loser” …. pathetic observation from a keyboard warrior of no repute. If you believe that you have something of worth to contribute to the blog, then do offer the readers the benefit of your extensive experience. However, one suspects that you are just an insignificant nobody who hides behind their computer screen, yes?
Super “Loser” …. pathetic observation from a keyboard warrior of no repute. If you believe that you have something of worth to contribute to the blog, then do offer the readers the benefit of your extensive experience. However, one suspects that you are just an insignificant nobody who hides behind their computer screen, yes?
Super “Loser” …. pathetic observation from a keyboard warrior of no repute. If you believe that you have something of worth to contribute to the blog, then do offer the readers the benefit of your extensive experience. However, one suspects that you are just an insignificant nobody who hides behind their computer screen, yes?
Super “Loser” …. pathetic observation from a keyboard warrior of no repute. If you believe that you have something of worth to contribute to the blog, then do offer the readers the benefit of your extensive experience. However, one suspects that you are just an insignificant nobody who hides behind their computer screen, yes?
Received a customer survey last night regarding my AA flight last week.
Lots of questions about my 'baggage experience', which was uneventful (it usually is.) It's been many, many years since I had a delayed bag.
The baggage was probably more comfortable riding in the cargo hold than I was sitting in the main cabin, but the survey didn't ask me about that...
Just so you know, posting the same comment four times doesn't make your nonsense any more appealing.
Now you'll blame my English while your one as broken as it can get.
What a simple man you are.
It's simple, accept the fact that American Airlines is just another budget airline, lower your expectations of what to expect from them, and everything is just fine...
So they brought in absolutely no one who sees things from the passenger perspective?That tells me everything I need to know about how serious American is about improving things from the customer point of view.
Or, how 'bout opening a cider stand for all those 'bad apples' ?
.. sorta like making lemonade outta the lemons !
The in-app ratings with pics sounds real problematic/draconian, considering we're dealing with too many internet self-inflated, self(ie)-centered, arrogant 'influencers' ahh. I mean PAX !... Scary thought having these morons instrumental in one's career !
Ahhh...... But I'm proud to say those Brits were inspired/schooled by that Yank innovative & pioneering corporate concept of 'conduct' !
If AA really wants to focus on customer service, they need to train their staff to stop treating customers as if they are a burden to them. The only airlines where the cabin crew in a long haul flight disappears after the first 90 mins and only reappears in the last 45 mins before landing.