Delta’s customer-service surprise
With the news this morning that Delta Air Lines is once again raising its fees for checked bags, here is at least a little evidence the company is not completely oblivious when it comes to public perception and customer service.
Several days ago I wrote a blog describing the experience I had trying to catch a flight from New York’s LaGuardia airport just before Christmas. Without recapping the events of that day, let’s just say it was chaotic and frustrating and my plane arrived at its destination three hours late; the experience was pretty much the exact opposite of what a business owner would hope one of his or her customers would have to endure.
However, literally the day after the link to that blog was published in our e-newsletter, I received a letter from Delta’s general manager of customer care who extended to me a “personal apology for the inconvenience you experienced as a result of the delay.” She then went on to say, “We want to make travel on us a convenient and trouble-free experience for our passengers and I am truly sorry we failed to do so on this occasion.”
As a gesture of apology, I was also informed that Delta would be adding 1,000 bonus miles to my frequent-flier account. Now, those 1,000 miles won’t have me jetting off on a first-class flight to Maui anytime soon (a quick check of the Web site shows I’m about 134,000 miles short of my “Award Ticket” for that trip). But those miles do tell me one very important thing: Delta Air Lines is at least trying to pay attention to customer satisfaction.
Currently the largest airline in the world in terms of passenger traffic, fleet size and annual revenue after its merger with Northwest, I was actually surprised my flight’s delay would even register on the company’s radar as anything more than another very minor blip on a very busy day, much less prompt a response or gesture of any kind. So, if nothing else, Delta’s letter shows me the company has a system in place to monitor the customer’s experience and attempt to improve it when necessary.
I live in the Twin Cities, so it’s not like I have that much choice when it comes to air carriers. Short of having my plane fall out of the sky, it’s hard to imagine a bad customer experience that would make me swear off traveling with the company that dominates the skies here. But knowing there is at least an effort to make travel on Delta pleasant will help me more easily tolerate the ongoing increases for checked bags, strip searches and other inevitable hassles that are sure to crop up.
For the cost of the ink, paper and postage to create and send one form letter, and 1,000 meaningless miles, Delta Air Lines built a little customer loyalty, at least with this traveler.
