Originally Posted by
HIDDY
Perhaps bealine can confirm or not but I suspect cutbacks has seen the number of ground staff being reduced over the years. Different working practices will also have had an effect when situations like this one have arisen. All done to keep costs down to keep air fares competitive.
If so then my statement is relevant.
Yes, most definitely the numbers of customer facing staff have been steadily eroded over the past ten years or so. I suspect it is to do with IATA's big dream and future plans. IATA makes no secret of the fact that it wants airlines' ground jobs carried out by employees directly employed by the local airports worldwide and, in return, the airline would pay a fixed cost to the airport for landing, parking and handling. This is IATA's great turn-on, and that of IATA's member airlines, who want, ultimately, to see none other than management and pilots on the company payroll. Bob Ayling's wife's airline, "Flying Colours", proved that cabin crew can wear the airline's uniform and customers happily accept them as BA staff!
As I say, I don't intend to excuse bad customer experience at all. It's just that the whole airline industry seems to have accepted that the "Glamour Days" are over and no longer even try to show much in the way of sophistication except for the premium classes. It's all very sad......