Busted: ExpressJet False Ad for Non-stop Flights - Part 2
Wrapping up the ExpressJet debacle, it seems that my recent topic of corporate authenticity works well in analyzing the ongoing situation with ExpressJet (Nasdaq: XJT), the startup airline company in which I intended to invest heavily into this upcoming year.
Dr. Girlfriend reports that return flight was much worse than the departure, leaving me greatly disappointed in ExpressJet’s ground crew competence and customer service. In fact, after she had arrived at Tulsa she was impressed with the inflight service and had actually decided not to press the issue, but her return flight completely changed all that.
It Can Always Be Worse
While I hope for the best with any aviation venture it bears mentioning that the worst in aviation is always a smoking hole and broken dreams.
Therefore I apply the same critical analysis I would make if I were still flying in the Navy and had to evaluate a crew for mishap potential. Nobody gets a free pass or a gimme when the combined efforts or missteps of the entire team could result in tragedy, or in this case, unsat service. If my post brings light into situations that can be addressed, we are all better for it.
Analysis
Personally, I find the concept of untrained ground crew just downright scary. Pilot error or groundcrew error are two things not even top rated maintenance crews can help fix.
Maybe this jet is small enough for the pilot / flight crew to do all the preflight prep but if the ground crew are poorly trained and touching anything mission critical; that’s spooky and more important, human error is the most frequent cause of an aviation mishap.
You Snooze, You Lose!
Well, she gave them a full business day before I thought it best to post this message and see how many people’s lives it touched. As I mentioned in my Corporate Authenticity post, it’s time that corporations got real about what they represent.
As you may have become familiar with the events Dr. Girlfriend had boarding ExpressJet from my last post, it turns out that Dr. Girlfriend wrote a very detailed letter of her situation to ExpressJet.
Dr. Girlfriend gave me permission to post this after ExpressJet had a reasonable chance to respond to her. Here’s a copy of that letter, minus the identifiers, and plus the spell checking…
Note: Dr. Girlfriend is in the medical field, not technical communication. 
________________________________
From: xxxxx@xxx.com
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 5:45 PM
To: CUSTOMERRELATIONS@EXPRESSJET.COM
Cc: xxxxxxxxx
Subject: COMPLAINT
August 24, 2007
Attention John Moses
I’m directing this e-mail to you on the instructions of Meekin in the Denver location. I know she has spoken to you via phone already about my experience with your airline and you requested this e-mail.
Let me start with giving you the background. On May 2, 2007 at the age of 37 I was blessed with the birth of my first child a little girl. The family on my side consists of my mother and myself here in California. The rest of the great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins live in Kansas where I grew up. The extended family was expecting to meet [daughter's name] for the first time in November on our annual trip to celebrate thanksgiving. Not only was this the year for my first child but it was also my mother’s 60th birthday in August of this year.
On June 16, 2007 after the birth of my daughter and both of us seemed to be healthy and happy I decided to plan a surprise trip back home to take her to meet everyone and so my mother could celebrate her birthday with her parents that are both in their 80’s and her two sisters.
While shopping for good priced airline tickets online I discovered your new airline that I believe had only launched a month prior to my booking. Seeing that you not only flew from Sacramento to Tulsa but that it was non-stop (I felt that a non-stop flight would be the most convenient for myself and daughter since I could not predict how she would respond to flying) and the price was well below anyone else this peaked by curiosity.
While having your flight schedule on my screen I called your 800 number to verify a few things before I book. The first thing I asked was whether your airline was equipped to handle someone in a wheelchair.
My mother has been in a wheelchair for 37 years due to a car accident. I was assured that not only did you have the personnel but also the equipment to handle those needs. I continued to inform the person that not only would I be traveling with my mother and her special needs but I would have my 14 week old daughter.
Again I was assured that your airline was baby friendly and that you had all the personnel to handle all my needs.
My last question was about the non-stop status of the flight I was looking to book. I gave the flight number and was told that indeed it was a non-stop from Sacramento to Tulsa. I made my reservations online and then called a second time to confirm my booking and my accommodations.
I printed my itinerary with the confirmation number [deleted] leaving Sacramento Aug. 5, 2007 @ 9:25am flight # 0226 landing in Tulsa @ 3:50pm same day. Returning flight was 0227 leaving Tulsa Aug. 11, 2007 @ 2:30pm and landing in Sacramento @ 5:34pm on the 11th.
The day of leaving started out to be very routine for flying. My boyfriend took us to the airport to see me and his daughter off for her first airplane ride. Between my mother and myself I check 4 bags and my daughter’s car seat. I also took a portable chair for my daughter that fold down and had a carrying bag. It measures app. 14 inches by 14 inches and is as thick as a thin book. The lady @ the counter who was checking in our luggage and getting out boarding passes had us place the baby chair in the seat of her car seat and placed a large plastic bag over both.
She gave us our boarding passing along with a pass for my boyfriend to go up to the gate with us in order to help me with my mom and baby.
Here would be the unkept promises of a nonstop flight there…
It wasn’t until we were about to leave the counter that I has asked to confirm by final destination. I told her Tulsa and she said she would go remark my luggage for Tulsa not Albuquerque.
I thought that was a little strange but didn’t give it a second thought until I got to the gate and found out that there indeed was a 40 minute stop in Albuquerque on my non-stop flight to Tulsa. I was not happy! Right off I did not get what I paid for. Now I would be adding a landing and a take off to my trip and 40 minutes confined in a small plane all with a 14 week old baby. My future on this flight did not look promising.
At this point I asked for a manager to express my unhappiness with. A gentleman named Ryan can up to the counter to handle my complaint. I informed him of my steps and phone calls prior to booking and now that I’m ready to fly I find out that I didn’t get what I paid for. At this time he was kind enough to email me a voucher for my next flight.
So out on the tarmac I go to pre-board the plane with my mother and baby. Someone had already put the stairs up to the plane and the two ground crew members could not find or didn’t think that it even existed the aisle chair or the lift to load my mother into the plane.
After standing out in the wind and sun for 15 minutes and no one able to locate the necessary equipment to get my mother on the plane the security gentleman that escorted us to the plane picked my mother up (she weights 90 pounds) and took her up the stair on the plane and seated us in the first two seat row #3 even though that wasn’t out assignment.
Now I’m really not happy about the events considering I called ahead to make sure these things would not be issues. But guess what, they are!!!!
Finally arrive in Tulsa and start the week with the family.
Problems start from the get go. Went to check in the exact same luggage, baby chair and car seat that I came with and was told that I would have to carry on the baby chair instead on placing it in the seat of the car seat as I did on the way out.
I explained that I had my mother, her wheelchair, my baby, and her diaper bag to carry and I could not manage to carry that also through the airport and security. I explain how Sacramento sent it out and was told they “broke the rules”.
They said it would cost me $50 to fly the chair back home. I told them that I wasn’t paying to fly that chair home, it came with me and it was going back, and if I had been told that it was breaking the rules I could have sent it home with her dad that was at Sacramento airport when I has leaving and not brought it.
They held me up at the ticket counter for 25 minutes saying they would have to call their supervisor down because they could not allow that chair to fly without charging me for it or me carrying it on. (Do I need to remind anyone how limited the space is on the plane and by me checking the chair with the car seat was much more convenient for both me and the airline).
As I waited for the supervisor to come speak to me our boarding passes were prepared. It was noted that my mother’s California ID had expired on her birthday while we were gone.
They couldn’t find my daughter’s reservation and told me I had not booked her. I told them that I had definitely booked her with my travel arrangements.
At this point I was being spoken to rudely and not as if I was a customer.
Still no supervisor has shown to speak to me about the baby chair issue.
With an attitude I was handed by boarding passes the baby chair was placed in the seat of the car seat and bagged and I was told that “you’re done here”.
Off to the gate I go. Now first I have to go through security (we all know how difficult that can be but do what you have to do) and when I get there with my mother, daughter, and extras in hand we are told that because my mother’s ID is expired that we should have been issued a special type of boarding pass and of course wasn’t.
If she does not have another government issued ID we are going back down to the counter where they are “done with us” to get it corrected. (Yes I will be required to haul everything and everyone single handed back down stairs to correct this mistake)
Luckily security took my mom’s social security card and a bank card with her picture on it.
We get to the gate to find out that guess what, my return flight is no non-stop as I thought I had purchased to begin with. Another landing and take off with a 40 minute wait on a small airplane in Albuquerque.
Go to load to leave, well this time they were able to find the aisle chair and platform lift to get my mother in the plane.
New problem, out of the 3 ground crew members only 1 knew how to operate your MANUAL crank lift and not very well. Myself holding my baby, my mother, and 1 ground crew member was placed on the platform of the lift. It is oh, about 120 degrees outside counting humidity.
It took the female ground crew member 3 times cranking by hand us up then down because she could not line up with the plane door correctly.
She asked another female ground crew member to crank it up the last time but that person was unable to because “this is new and no one has showed me how” the other girl replied “I know and I don’t know how to use it any better that you but I can’t do it again” by now all of us on the platform have a temperature of 120 just like outside including my 14 week old daughter.
I was starting to get anxious about the situation knowing I needed to get my baby and mother out of the direct sun and heat. Like they say third time must be the charm because we were finally on the plane.
Now according to the pilot when we are getting ready to take off we are about 20 late but there is a storm passing through Albuquerque so now we will miss it.
When we land in Albuquerque I change my daughter’s wet diaper on my lap and wrap it up.
A new flight attendant got on our plane. We were seated in row #3 again, I was closest to the window. [Note: this means her handicapped mother is in the aisle seat.]
As the new flight attendant passed by me I asked her if she could throw away the diaper for me.
She turned and speaking not very good English told me “no I won’t touch that. I don’t have to. Get up and go to the back of the plane and throw it away in the bathroom yourself” and walked away.
I noted her name by her badge as Sara Brooks.
Again I asked her for help because I had my baby on my lap and that would require me to crawl over my mother with her, go to the back on the plane and try to make my way back to my seat as the other 60 passengers were now trying to get on board. But again she refused to take it or bring me a plastic bag to put it in.
SHOCKED!!!!!
What happened to baby friendly?
Ok leave Albuquerque get to Sacramento everyone gets off the plane and there is Sara Brooks again telling me to go ahead and get off the plane. I told her I am waiting for them to bring an aisle chair for my mother to unload her.
Instead of fully listening she was already responding to me ” hold your own baby and I will walk her off” I explained that she could not walk and again she rudely informed me to “take your own baby I’ll take her”
I then raised by voice and told her she would not be walking her anywhere she hadn’t walked for 37 years that we needed an aisle chair and the lift.
Sara then said “oh was that your wheelchair I thought it was that other ladies”.
I look out the window only to see some stranger sitting in my mother’s wheelchair and being wheeled away in it. (like underwear and person’s wheelchair is a personal item that you don’t want other’s using. Those are her legs)
At this point I went to the pilot and told him that I would not nor could I continue to deal with Sara. Her English speaking skills were poor and no one could understand her, she was rude, she did not listen to her passengers, and due to that she did not know her passenger’s needs. (this conversation is taking place when Sara is off the plane getting some stranger out of my mother’s wheelchair).
Finally the proper equipment arrives to get my mother off the plane. I exit first and wait on the ground while they hand crank my mother down from the plane.
The ground crew called Ryan to operate the lift because “we only got these less than a week ago and no one has shown us how to use it”.
Thank god we are now off and the nightmare of Express Jet has ended.
There Is A Point To All Of This…
I write this complaint letter with hopes that you are interested in not only good service but also being better equipped to handle the needs of people with disabilities, elderly and mothers/fathers traveling with babies or small children.
None of these conditions are fun to deal with when traveling but are less fun and down right impossible when the airline you travel with does not make an attempt to meet basic federal guidelines or needs. In the same aspect when traveling with babies or small children their world and day is different everyday and is not predictable.
When the airline you travel is not baby friendly to relieve some of the anxiety and make you feel like no matter what they will go out of their way to help with issues, it makes you not want to fly with that airline.
Some think choice of airline is based solely on how much is the ticket, take it from someone who travels with someone that is handicapped and now a baby, I’ll pay extra for good service and help. My mother has traveled alone with other airlines in the past, I would not ever agree to have her travel without me on your airline.
I do not have any confidence your airline personal would have the desire or ability to help her.
It’s Not Just Me…
In reading several stories in the news and online I guess feel better about your non-friendly baby attitude towards me. It is apparent that my experience is not the first for a mother with an infant that the flight attendant had no desire to help, I thought it was just me. (A mother and her 19 month old son were removed in Dallas because her baby was talking and annoyed the flight attendant).
If you want your airline to fly only single adults with no needs or expectations of customer service then you are well on your way to having that reputation.
As I made reference to, I have read other stories on web sites about substandard experiences on your airline and have also added my story.
Doctor Girlfriend’s Final Request To ExpressJet
I would love to add a happy ending to this by letting everyone on my website know that ExpressJet has sent vouchers to me and my mother in the full ticket price for our nightmare travel and will be giving them a second chance in November 2007 on our annual trip home for thanksgiving. [We will keep you posted about how this turns out].
I will be happy to send future emails to educate you and your airline on tips on how to make traveling for disable, elderly (I’ve worked in a nursing home for 10 years) and babies easier for the average person. I look forward to the resolution of this matter.
I prefer not to take this matter to any higher or other levels unless ignored or not taken seriously. I will look for a response by email.
Once I receive vouchers from your company then I will be happy to post my happy response to this situation and book my travel arrangements in November.
Thank you for looking into this matter.
Sincerely,
[Dr. Girlfriend]
Posted by Charles in Corporate Authenticity, Family, Parenting |
