superangrypenguin

The key word in the thread title is "constructive". No whining just for the sake of whining please. I'm hoping AC reads this thread and we can all collectively have a better onboard experience.

What things can AC/ACr FA's improve on with respect to their soft skills?

I'll start.

It doesn't happen frequently that I'm addressed by name. The SD on my flight when taking the drink order addressed me and my seat mate by name. It was a change (for me) that didn't require much work. No, she did not read off of the PIL in front of our faces either. Usually it's just "sir/ma'am". This experience of being addressed by name is a consistent thing on BR, but very spotty on AC.

Big thumbs up. ^

(yes I realize this point is very minor, but we live in the first world). No RCHHMP please.

Hello again

I get called by name almost 100% of the time. Must be my exceedingly good looks and disposition

Hello again

Better soft skills would be to give better descriptions of the meal to be served and their opinions of it in general terms. I would also suggest AC arm the IC's with IPads and the pax's history of likes and dislikes which can be built flight by flight.

PilotTobe

Similarily, on a Rapidair YOW-YYZ, the FA memorized everyones name and said goodbye to everyone by name. She even wished me and my travel companion a good day of travelling: enjoy your trip to Halifax! This is on a one hour flight!

Fizzer

"Oh it's you. Hello again" doesn't count.

superangrypenguin

AC crew meals are different than what we eat. So opinions may not be possible.

Hello again

How about good bye again which I get as I disembark.

airbus320

This is not a soft skill......but one that is important. Enforce the stowing of carry-on at/near seat location.

172pilot

I also appreciate this and it is so easy. When I was platinum with AF, the SD would come back to Y and welcome the plats by name. Cost =$0, benefit is huge.

On a similar note why do some YUL based crews think everyone is French? I flew MEX-YYZ last fall, the SD didn't address me by name and spoke to me in French. My last name is German, had she taken the time to read the manifest and thought about the route, English should have been her first guess.

Another nice touch is meal orders. As a SE I get asked first. Most often my seat mate is not. Some SDs tell my seat mate they will be right back, others just move on to the next SE. This often causes confusion for the non-SE. How hard is it to say they will be right back?

superangrypenguin

Oh is that what causes the different customer experience?

Unfortunately I cannot fix that. Genetics is a [bleep]

YOWgary

SERIOUSLY.

As a non-SE, this seemed like terrible, thoughtless customer service before I learned that SEs get first choice. That's fine, it's the kind of costs-the-airline-nothing perk that SE's should get, but if I'm a 50K sitting next to a SE, and you just walk away without acknowledging me, it comes off as quite rude.

Besides, if AC is now trying to incentivize people to spend up to get SE, surely it'd be good advertising to make a little more mention of the perks SE receives.

superangrypenguin

How does a SD/FA know that you are traveling with the SE? The PIL doesn't indicate this (if you're on the same PNR AFAIK) And yes I see this all the time. Been on enough in flight Dos to know this since I'm often the idiot traveling with a SE.

CanadianMike

Good thread idea.

I firmly believe with any company that customer service starts with the frontline employees. So with airlines that means check In + gate Agents, customer service reps, and of course flight attendants. In my opinion their actions greatly influence the public perception of "company culture" and what the experience of flying that airline is like.

With that said, improving "soft skills", is one of the cheapest improvements / changes a company can make. May take time, but can be incredibly effective.

I'd just like if there was more consistency with the service from the staff I mentioned above.
Smiling and being friendly / cheerful is free. And makes a HUGE difference.

I've worked service jobs when I was younger and know it is impossible to do it 100% of the time, but I've seen some appallingly rude flight attendants, and borderline obstructive check in agents. I've equally seen a good share of friendly ones who provide excellent service. But bridging that gap and making the experience consistent is what counts in my mind. Many of my friends who fly less have the belief that "the service on AC sucks". Well sure, sometimes. But sometimes its great as well.

Nitehawk

I am usually addressed by name on AC. Sometimes even on Dash flights. Must be an SE thing.

D404

I've seen all of these happen both Y and J with much regularity.

• Don't badmouth passengers while within earshot of other passengers.
• Don't ignore the call button.
• Don't be snarky with passengers. (Especially when they've barely made a peep the whole flight.)
• Don't leave crumbs and garbage all over the cabin from the previous flight. Thew new 787s are already getting bad... (I don't know if this counts as soft product or not, actually.)