aulrik

I had an interesting experience today. Checking-in at T3 at CPH today. At the entrance to the C/*G check-in line is standing a SAS staff. He is literally blocking the entrance completely while chatting with a couple of guys - passengers or friends, I don't know. He see that I want to enter, but doesn't move at all. I provide a quick "excuse me", he looks briefly at me and then turn around to keep talking with the other people again. I then makes me as small as possible and try to squeeze between him and the barrier. Unfortunately one of the wheels on my small carry-on, touches one of he's shoes, and he absolutely loses it. He drags my passport out of my hand and screaming "what the hell are you doing, bla bla bla" (in Danish). I were in no mood for arguing so I just shake my head and proceed to the check-in counter, but it was obviously not enough for the guy. He jumps past me and block me once again and keep yelling at me. Once again I shake my head, pass under the barrier and walk to the check-in counter and the guy gives up.

I don't loose my night sleep over this and I doesn't really care, but it got me thinking. This guy is standing at the entrance to what is probably where most of the high-revenue passengers enter (I'm not one of them, I rarely fly SAS), and this is how you are greeted. I kind of understand why SAS is loosing terrain to low-cost carriers like NAS if there are several employees like this in SAS.

I have to mention that most SAS staff I meet are friendly and service minded, this guys behavior was just some of the worst I have ever experienced from any airline staff.

hawklx

Oh dear! This sounds truly awful, but I suppose every airline, or indeed every corporation, has bad apples.

Well done for keeping your cool.^

tgj1974

Have had a few lately, speaking to me in semi-aggressive language.

One tried to convince me I needed my SAS Card on my booking to use fast track, another one at the language when I moved towards the stairs of the gold lounge to get wet wipe (I normally use Down stais lounge, as it sort of feels more spacey).

MrCharming

If someone did that to me I think I would loose it myself.. And then I would hope for him to push me or something and file a case against him and get some upgrade vouchers or something from SAS as an apology

SK2751

I think it is really cool that you stayed cool, and were a better men. kudos.

Mjoellnir

I've had the woman in the CHP *g check in desk yell at me because i hadn't checked in before I approached her. I told her that i did not have to do so because I am gold, and was rewarded with a deathstare before she practically threw the bp at me. I did not dare to comment on the missing pritag on my bag.

Never had a bad experience anywhere else with sas on the ground.

view

Oh my goodness, what an appalling experience. Well done for keeping your head, not sure if would have been able to do the same.

finhub

Ohh dear! That sounds like typical CPH treating.
I don't know why, but I've had the shittiest customer service experiences at CPH - quite many times actually.
Especially those on SAS are really rude and don't care a sh*t that you really are a paying customer or even elite/traveling on business.
In Stockholm and Oslo it's totally different level of service at SAS counters. CPH is just getting worse and worse if you think about the customer service experience.

jrcplus

Is it possible that the people he was talking to were passengers that he was helping and he thought you were trying to cut? I'm not trying to defend his inexcusable behavior; I was just trying to understand what might have been going on :P

aulrik

Yes that is of course a possibility, however it was never my intention to cut in line and the *G line was empty and with 3 check-in counters open, so hardly any benefit from sneaking in line.

Anyway, I don't really care about this guy, he must have a hard time hating he's job so much that he have to take it out on the customers. However, I do feel sorry for all the excellent SAS employees that works hard and have to accept big pay cut's and then on top of that have colleagues like this, that put the entire airline in a very poor light.

fassy

Not trying to defend the behavior of that guy, but to be honest in the last three years with hundreds of flights on SAS out of CPH I can't say I had just one bad experience with SAS employees - be it at the check in desk, FastTrack, lounge entrance/desk or at the gate.

On the contrary I was helped out more than once by helpful staff move to an earlier flight without paying up or change fees and got really great service in case of irrops - while other were still waiting to get reticketed I got a SMS the minute the flight was announced to be canceled with my new connection.

Same applies to the on board expirience - just had two bad crews in 3 years. One Norwegian long haul crew was not very friendly (to be honest quite rude) and service oriented and a danish FA on a very short hop CPH - DUS. I was particular disappointed on the long haul since I was in C SFO-CPH - long flight with a ad crew in C is no fun.

Same goes for OZ, LH, OS and LX while I try to avoid UA and LO where ever I can

Snacky

Hmmm ... try grabbing an extra newspaper or two, as a SAS Plus passenger (I would think that would be perfectly OK on any other airline, if you were sitting in a premium seat). I was publicly reprimanded by two young, female FAs, making sure I looked like a greedy SOB with no concern for other pax's desire to also get some reading options. Fortunately, I was able to laugh it off, as I had no time to spare giving attention to snippy little girls (who in the end threw stockpiles of unwanted newspapers in the luggage compartment above me after boarding was completed).

Great that OP managed to hold his ground and avoid sinking to this (psychopathic excuse for a SAS employee's) level.


Snacky

nussle

Actually they seem to be doing a bit of yelling at ARN these days too. Got a good drubbing at security and call an idiot for not removing my belt in the fast lane and similar in the gold line for not checking in with the machines first before approaching the desk.

The SAS CPH to DUB had the most grumpy steward I have seen since I last flew BA during the strikes. The only good part was his anger seemed to be directed at rows 5 and back and I was up in 4.

Seems the skandies on the desks are resenting seeing all their countrymen off on vacation when they have to work.

aulrik

I don't travel out of CPH a lot, maybe 6-7 times a year. I never check-in before I arrive at the airport, I always head right to the *G check-in counter and I have never had any negative remarks about that from the check-in staff. In fact I find the check-in staff at CPH very friendly and helpful, but maybe that is just because I'm used to TK customer service and use that as a baseline

DestiTout

I first flew SAS in the glory days of the 1980's and always enjoyed a pleasant experience. Fast forward to August 2014 and my first exposure in decades. What miserable people, starting with the customer service who would not help me when I was trying to get seat assignments. Did everything possible to say what he couldn't do. Totally unhelpful.

On the flight August 17, from PMI to CPH I was shocked to find that SAS was charging for WATER! The slogan should be "SAS - We sell you water."

Inexplicably (to me, at least) the next leg from CPH to TXL offered OJ without charge. They've come a very long way from where they once stood and it's all down hill.

Any explanation or update for the flight departure delay from PMI? No, of course not. That would be considerate and we can't have that, now can we?

In a further measure of decline, my seat belt was incorrectly installed. What kind of idiot installs the buckle side of the belt upside down? I have pictures of that as I consider it a safety violation.

Flying SAS was what I imagined EasyJet would be like. Next time I'll save quite a bit of $ and just take EasyJ.