Sometimes it’s just you and the polyester provocateurbehind the counter. You want to take your plane trip, and they want you to take their power trip. Yes, the everyone-before-you-was-some-kind-of-drunken-moron and so you are one, too school of customer service serves them well. It is incomprehensible that we even have to mention that WE ARE THE PAYING CONSUMERS.
Here’s what your Spite Attendants think it may boil down to:
In any business, whether offering goods or services, there is a sense of accountability by those having regular contact with the customers/clients/consumers. Those enjoying this contact realize that in order to benefit from return business, they must demonstrate some modicum of service and support to those spending money with them. Sure, many of them don’t want to do it, but most of them understand the longer-term and direct benefits. (In most businesses, this ranges from “piss off a customer and get fired” to “we need customers to pay us to pay you.”)
As with most things that make sense, this doesn’t work as reliably with the airlines. The reasons?
Consider these:
- The airline industry fosters a climate where the value and purpose of money is not real. Fares and fees are whimsical and weird. They follow no monetary, value-based, actual worth, or structured guidelines, so they don’t matter. (“Adam Smith…paging Mr. Adam Smith. You’re needed at EVERY AIRLINE HEADQUARTERS IN THE WORLD.”) To that daily exposure to such monetary nonsense add the financial predicament of the airlines themselves. How many billions of dollars in debt? How much in employee concessions? What is the value of that merger, and what does it mean to me? Nonsense. This confusion breeds apathy (i.e. “I’ll never understand all of this, so I won’t bother trying to understand any of it.”) and acceptance. (i.e. “OK, well they seem to still be allowed to fuel up, and the peanuts are here on time, so despite being in a zillion dollars in debt, they must know what they are doing.) Naturally this translates to an inability to recognize that the person you are supposed to be serving is actually THE ONE PAYING YOU! They may not be, so piss off!
- Belligerent and impossible airline employees are given what your Spite Attendants like to call the “Latitude to Abuse,” because it’s cheaper than giving them more money. For example, “No Millie, you can’t have a raise (again), but tell you what – treat the passengers any way you like and we promise a ‘supervisor’ will never show up to contradict you. And, if the passenger crosses the line, we’ll throw them off of your flight.” And who said airlines weren’t one of the top places to work?
- Finally, they are subject to the lack of control control paradigm. This also applies to many retail clerks and checkout personnel and almost everyone at your local Department of Motor Vehicles. It works like this: An employee is so oppressed within their own working environment (and possibly their home environment), that they only have one little area of their life that they completely control…and you find yourself having to wade into the middle of it. We’ve all seen it, and the wisest among us play along and allow it in limited enforcement. “Take your food OUT OF THE BASKET and place it on the conveyor.” and “DON’T YOU HAVE ANYTHING SMALLER?!” are two classic examples that it’s happening to you. Anyway, it is understandable to be reluctant acquiescing when air travel is involved and you and your ass are the one on the conveyor. Resentment is common. Outrage is not inappropriate. You’re messing with their space simply by being in it. Ironically, you’ve paid to be in it. Gotcha!
So where does all of this insight get us? We have no idea. We’re simply offering insight that may help. If better understanding those with whom we interact can help us to interact better, then we should try. It’s kind of like Nancy Pelosi and the Syrians but not really. Anyway, you have to try.
