Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
Do you all remember that post I wrote about Jet Airways and how surprisingly great they are? This morning they sent me a lovely letter:
We shall convey and place on record your compliments for the service rendered by our ground staff, our crew members, for the quality of meal served on the above flight and also for the cabin maintenance.
Ms.Berlinski, the support of our guests has always been valuable and assisted us in the process of enhancing our service standards. With the encouragement received from well wishers such as yourself, we will surely ensure that our guests always have a pleasant and comfortable travel experience.
You see what I'm saying? This company is going somewhere. Can you imagine Delta sending you a letter like this?
But honestly, this is a worrying thing. Last summer, my friend Mustafa Akyol--a Turkish journalist with whom I'm now vigorously disagreeing about pretty much everything in Turkey, alas--wrote a column about his awful experience on Delta. He too saw something of a geopolitical hint in America's lousy airline-service standards:
Now, maybe it is too much to infer a geopolitical lesson from such a one-night story, but I will still try. For I think even this very small experience hints that the common 20th century belief that most people on earth shared - that “America does everything best” - is slowly fading away.
Yes, America doesn’t do everything best anymore. The age of its fancy cars is long gone, as the appeal of its fast-food, which has become globally notorious for unhealthiness. Even in skyscrapers, the very icons of American success, the U.S. is now outdone by other nations. On the list of the highest buildings on Earth, Chicago’s famous Willis Tower is now surpassed by towers in Kuala Lumpur and Taipei. Even taller ones are coming soon in Mecca and Dubai.
No, I don't think it's too much to draw geopolitical lessons from this. This is significant. I've asked before why Americans tolerate, sheeplike, the absurd theater of TSA's security nonsense. I've asked why this is a political non-starter of an issue. It should be important to Americans. We shouldn't be so tolerant of the demise of a critically important industry like air travel. We should not see it as normal that our domestic airlines are generally so awful that no one wants to fly them. It isn't normal, and if the trajectory continues in this direction we're in trouble. We should be ashamed of this and indignant. I'm waiting to hear an American politician discuss this openly.
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Comments :
May '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
I dunno Claire. Not sure that your and your buddy's customer service experiences are the deciding factor here. Much as I mourn the way air travel used to be -- I'm not sure that the business model evident in the U.S. (i.e. more bus-like -- but ever, ever cheaper) is not evidence of the continuing superiority of the United States in matters of business. In other words, you want pleasant banter and good food? You'll have to pay.
As for politicians getting involved? Are you sure you haven't confused this site with Huffington Post?
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
I want them to get un-involved. I want the TSA to confine itself to doing the few small, useful things it can realistically do to make air travel safer--like insisting upon reinforced cabin doors, as it has already done--and to stop taking the tweezers away from the grannies.
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
You're right, though, I've elided two issues: The crummy service on US carriers, and the TSA. The first isn't something for politicians to be involved with at all. But I reckon the market is going to discipline these companies, hard. That ticket on Jet Airways was cheaper than one on any US carrier, and the service about ten times better. I don't know how they do it. And I don't know if that flight was an anomaly. But I'd be curious to know. And my instincts say that US airlines now have the stink of companies that have been propped up by federal bailouts. The lousy standards of service are a pretty classic signature. These companies are blaming the security environment for declining profits--they haven't been forced to ask or answer the question, "Are we going down because we're not giving customers the best possible product at the lowest possible price?"
Edited on Sep 24, 2010 at 1:48amMay '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
I eagerly await the return of the commercial Zeppelin. That was luxury flying. Your own cabin, a nice lounge and observation deck. Delovely. Might even encourage passengers to dress like actual people rather than zombie movie extras. I'm sure Lileks would agree. Can the inaugural Ricochet air cruise be far behind?
Are you embarking on a deliberate campaign to confuse people by changing pics so often? That juggling act only works for a while. Strong, steady leadership is what's needed.
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
Well, given Turkish sentiment about British imperialism, the Queen Claire photo struck me as entirely too likely to result in a real international incident. Last thing I need, you know? As for the second photo-switcheroo, blame the reactionary Ricochet old-guard Plutocrats. They complained the replacement photo was too fuzzy. I capitulated as a tactical maneuver to persuade them that I was still pliant. Their guard is down now.
That said, I can always be persuaded by the argument, "We need bigger, clearer photos of Claire."
Jul '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
This may be stretching the point, but if it is not too much to draw a geopolitical lesson, may one say that the decline of religion, which accounts for the rise of self-obsession, lack of humility, and self-importance, observable both in the airline employees and passengers is just as likely culprit?
I hope the following does not get me barred from Ricochet: a bunch of guys are sitting in the bar when a group of stewardesses comes in and sits nearby. The fellows wonder which airline they work for, debating this for a while when one guy says, "Look, why don't I just go and ask them." So he goes and says, "Excuse me, ladies, my friends and I wonder which airline you flying with." One of the gals tells him, "[uncouth expletive deleted--eds]." So he goes back to his table and says, "Air Canada." So you see, US carriers don't have a patent on rudeness.
Edited on Sep 24, 2010 at 5:06amMay '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
When Boehner becomes Speaker, you should definitely go orange in celebration. Most girls just change their hair. Changing skin signals seriousness.
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
Ragnarok:
I hope the following does not get me barred from Ricochet:
Edited on Sep 24 at 05:06 am
While it will not get you barred, it will get you very politely and kindly informed that on Ricochet, we use "expletive deleted," as shown above, and then only if the expletive in question is highly relevant to the context (as it was, given that the joke would otherwise not be very funny). That's the proper Ricochet form. We do not otherwise even hint at the nature of the expletive in question, for we would not wish to invoke the word in readers' minds and cause them to faint.
They may make that joke about Air Canada, but they will never make it about Ricochet.
Edited on Sep 24, 2010 at 5:17amSep '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
Just to throw in another familiar argument, how much unionized labor impacts any part of the operations of Jet Airways? The flying business in the United States has a lot of built in costs and their customers demand the cheapest fares possible. The easiest place to cut is service.
May '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
Claire - The reason the US airline industry is terrible at customer service is the same reason health care is in bad shape - too few of us are actually paying for it. I fly a lot and not one dime comes out of my pocket. And the company doesn't care how I am treated as long as the airline gets me to where I need to be when I need to be there. And when I travel for pleasure I cash in the frequent flyer miles, so I'm not paying for that, either.
The bottom line is the guy in the seat ain't complaining cause he's still getting the value and the payer isn't getting the bad service.
May '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
I had an experience similar to Mustafa Akyol's in Memphis a couple years ago. A late plane made a connection impossible. The motel bus could only handle 10 people at a time with 100 people waiting. The ladies at the front desk couldn't operate the computers. The cook in the restaurant hadn't come in. The customers had been waiting over an hour for the waitress to take their orders. I have never seen a hotel in the third world that was that bad. That's the hotel Delta chose.
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
EJHill: Claire - The reason the US airline industry is terrible at customer service is the same reason health care is in bad shape - too few of us are actually paying for it. I fly a lot and not one dime comes out of my pocket. And the company doesn't care how I am treated as long as the airline gets me to where I need to be when I need to be there. And when I travel for pleasure I cash in the frequent flyer miles, so I'm not paying for that, either.
The bottom line is the guy in the seat ain't complaining cause he's still getting the value and the payer isn't getting the bad service. · Sep 24 at 5:16am
A good point. Of course, there's an indirect cost--unhappy employees need to be kept happy and compensated in other ways--but the problem is temporarily (at least) obscured from the people who would react immediately to the bad service by saying, "That's it, I'm never flying this airline again."
May '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
I haven't yet lived in a city served by Southwest, but that will change very soon when they begin serving GSP. Despite having no personal experience with them, I've heard excellent reviews generally of their customer service. They typically fly folks who are picking up the freight for the own ticket. They also post solid numbers against the rest of the industry. Probably not a coincidence.
I usually have no problem with airline customer service. Fellow air travelers, however, really get on my nerves.
Aug '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
I had a lousy flight experience recently: weather delays, a loss of pressurization leading to a divert to an airport half way to where I wanted to be at 2 in the morning, confused help from ground personnel, lots of waiting in line the next day...
I listened to fellow passengers gripe about all the things the airline should be doing for them.
And I can imagine an airline that has planes and crews standing by to step in when the system is disrupted by weather or mechanical failures, or that has people it can call in at 2am to answer my questions and find me a hotel, and that has enough empty seats that if I get bumped from one flight I can just get a seat on the next one scheduled.
But I would never spend the money to buy the ticket on that airline.
So the real problem is me.
Edited on Sep 24, 2010 at 7:46amJun '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
To me, the best thing in Mustafa Akyol's article was this quote:
In his new book, “The Post-American World,” Newsweek columnist Fareed Zakaria points to such examples and notes that rising countries of the world are catching up with the United States. He explains that these nations have learned “America’s game” - market economy, creative technology and entrepreneurship - and now are playing it themselves. Hence they are becoming a little less fascinated with America, and a little more confident in themselves.
To have the rest of the world making real economic gains is a good thing, having them do it by playing "America's Game" is a great thing. Surely this will lead to a more general understanding that America needs to step up its game, not adopt models that the rest of the world has abandoned.
May '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
Hooters Air has friendly service. They even sit down next to you and pretend to be interested in what you're saying. The food is mediocre, but in airline terms, that's spectacular.
Between that and Southwest, it's clear that our airlines need more southernism.
Aug '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
Had.
Hasn't flown in four years. Couldn't afford it.
Air travel used to be glamorous. Now it is a commodity.
Aug '10
Re: Jet Airways: My Soul Belongs to You, Which Worries Me
Dr. Berlinksi, I see that they are now one of your advertisers. Good job!
I have wondered about Ricochet's finances. I understand there are investors, but can a couple of bucks from gabby conservatives and a few web ads really be a business plan? It seems too much like the South Park Underpants Gnomes:
- Collect Underpants
- ???
- Profit !
Edited on Sep 24, 2010 at 12:25pm