Why do airlines and airports have those information screens telling you flight status? I know they are supposed to give you information about your flight but how many times do you read them and know the information is wrong? Or how many times have you read it and thought the information was right only to learn that it was wrong.

That happened to me tonight in Philly and I am delayed an additional three hours. The airport says it is the duty of the airline and the airline blames the airport. Of course, I don’t care. All I want is information and all too often it is not available.

The staff in Harrisburg was top notch. I was switching back and forth between a Philly and a Charlotte flight based on the latest delays and chances of making a connection. I finally made it to Philly at 10:15PM and was looking good for my 10:45PM home. I walk to the gate, no plane but it says on time…hmmm. “Is this Raleigh?” I ask. I am told yes and I ask the logical next question, “Where is the plane?” “OH, that will not be here until midnight.” OH, I see. Then why, I wonder, does the screen say ON TIME at 10:45. I know better than to ask the question because there has never been a good answer. (By the way, the screens at Harrisburg were wrong too).

I travel alot. I understand weather. I don’t understand inconsistent execution and today was a textbook case of poor execution. I left Harrisburg so totally impressed with the service and attention (I was the only person on the flight to Philly). I left Philly, yet again, disgusted with the lack of service and respect for the customer that US Airways often shows.

Do you consistently execute? What is the expectation of your customer and are you meeting it? If you are not executing consistently how will you lead your team to consistency?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 at 4:40 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.