| January 17, 2012 | ||
| Dear Dr. Weiss: | ||
| This note is a response to your letter to Mr. Horton, who asked me to research and respond. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me and for assisting fellow passengers on board flight 1758 with their carry on items when you traveled to Boston on January 14.
Indeed, there is simply no excuse for the poor demeanor of our flight attendants. We are required to assist our customers who have disabilities or medical needs with their carry on items if asked during the boarding process, while inside the aircraft cabin and when deplaning. If a flight attendant feels that he or she can’t assist, then ground personnel should be called aboard to assist. I apologize for the lack of assistance on our part. Dr. Weiss, we appreciate the time you have taken to contact us. We can assure you that your comments were forwarded to the appropriate Flight Services Manager for internal review and counseling purposes. It would be our pleasure to welcome you on board future flights. |
||
| Sincerely, | ||
| Stefania Meyer | ||
| Customer Relations | ||
| American Airlines | ||
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Given your letter, your flying status and what occurred, did you feel this reply was adequate?
Roberta
Yes, because I didn’t want anything for myself, just a clarification of what the policy really is and, given that it’s sensible, action taken against the flight attendants, which I was assured in a phone call was in progress. The American person who called me was, in my judgment, appalled at the episode.
I do think that CEO Horton could have moved from his chair and dropped a line, however, even if someone else drafted it.
That’s what I was thinking.
Roberta
“if asked” seems to be a bit of a cop-out, though. A little initiative goes a long way.
One hopes that the phrase “internal review and counseling purposes” indicates something a bit more positive than it sounds. Unfortunately, if the remedial classes are just yet another policy, and the flight attendants view it as more of a punishment than a bona fide learning opportunity, you can bet that they will do just enough to avoid such punishment in the future – but no more. Talk about a downward spiral.
Any company may not be aware of these kind of employee transgressions unless they’re told. American acted rather quickly once informed. I don’t know what will happen. But maybe these three will think twice in the future before standing around waiting for an accident to happen. Amazingly, I’m guessing they’re probably senior people. How did they get this far with that attitude?
What would those attendants have done if they were in the exact same situation and it was their mother and aunt standing there in the aisle?