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Will airline mergers improve customer service? Probably not …
By Lauren | April 17, 2008
This week’s announcement that Northwest Airlines and Delta intend to merge may not be great news. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all in favor of enhanced efficiencies, economies of scale, and all of those good B-school theories that newly-minted MBAs just love to put into practice. I couldn’t help noticing, however, that the pilots aren’t exactly jumping for joy, which means that the pilots’ unions will demand major concessions to go along with the deal. A plane can’t fly without those masters of the air in the cockpit, so the odds are good that the airlines will pony up whatever it takes to get the pilots on board, hoping to cut costs elsewhere.
Then, Delta announced that the planned merger won’t mean a reduction in front-of-operations staff, so you can probably expect to see about the same number of ticketing and gate agents behind the counter and cabin attendants in the aisles as you do now. The cost-saving staff cuts have to come from somewhere, though, which means that the merged airline is probably going to reduce personnel behind the scenes. Delta/Northwest’s maintenance workers, baggage handlers, and all the other unsung worker bees you never see are likely to find their ranks trimmed sharply, which means more lost luggage, more mechanical malfunctions and, in all likelihood, more delays.
This proposed merger comes at a time when the airline industry is already at the edge of losing even the tattered remnants of the respect it once enjoyed from the traveling public. Forbes Travel recently posted an article online offering twelve tips to reduce travel stress. The ideas were practical, but they definitely go against my grain. If I’ve paid $500 or more for an airline ticket, it makes no sense for me to have to ship my suitcase by UPS to ensure that it will arrive at my destination when I do. Isn’t that what those overstuffed luggage bins are for?
We seem to be headed down a steep and slippery slope when it comes to the level of service we expect from airlines. On my most recent US Air flight, I was bemused to see the airline advertising its snack boxes – available for a fee, of course – as a good buy because, if I got stuck on the tarmac for hours, at least I’d be well-fed. (Given the doubtful quality of airline food I’m skeptical, but I digress.) With the price of air travel being driven through the roof as oil prices rise, a plane ticket has become expensive enough that it really should come with some basic amenities. Charge us an extra ten or twenty dollars if you must, but guarantee each passenger a seat, feed us something edible if we’re in the air at mealtimes, and make sure our bags are on the same plane we are at least most of the time. Otherwise, airlines may see more and more of their customers taking Forbes Travel’s last tip … by taking the bus.
Topics: Business Ethics, customer relations |
April 18th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Lauren wrote an interesting post today. Here’s a quick excerptThe cost-saving staff cuts have to come from somewhere, though, which means that the merged airline is going to reduce personnel behind the scenes. Delta/Northwest’s maintenance workers, baggage handlers, and all the other unsung worker … [...]