<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by B747-437B:
"Random acts of kindness" create unreasonable expectations which can not be met and lead to a further erosion of brand equity over time. The Captain is not authorized to make an operational upgrade under the circumstances mentioned above, and hence should be disciplined. Pilots should stick to doing what they are trained to do and do well, and not try to dabble in marketing and customer service.</font>
Sorry, but I think you are totally wrong.
The Captain's "Random Act of Kindness" is something that most passengers would appreciate...and not necessarily come to expect in the future.
One of the problems with business today (IMHO) is that more employees aren't "empowered" to do the right thing.
If more exployees acted like owners (not managers, but owners) companies would be better off.
Instead there are manuals, policies, procedures and all sorts of roadblocks in front of the employee who wants to do the right thing.
Isn't this really an example of customer service at its best?