What do/should the Concierge really do for SE's?.
 

I have been wondering about this, I know its going to be a touchy subject....but here goes...

What is the brief of the concierge...what do they really do for you as a SE?...

Apart from stroking your ego with the welcome handshake and goodbye kiss, which wears of...what else...

There are some exceptional ones out there, like SYD, and then there are not...

When you really need the favour can they or will they do it?...its hit and miss...
I have had some really bad experiences with concierges..one in particular who accused me of going into the air Canada reservation system and upgrading my own flight!..she was was rude and never apologized for accusation...

Then you get the likes of SYD who without doubt are the shining lights, they will try and do as much as they can and won't BS you when they can't...they are honest...nothing fake..if they can do they will if they can't they will tell you why.

I don't want to name names on the bad ones as I am sure they can make like tough...and I am sure they don't know who they are but there colleagues do!

But what are the limits of there ability?..what can we expect...?..
Can they really swing the OP UG.?..can they change a flight for a direct or more convenient?...what...I really don't know....
the un-published benefits are just that un-published...

Please enlighten me...

Take underage SEs into the MLL. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/tongue.gif

My outbound trip to PWM this week was a nightmare, made tolerable by Margie at YYZ.

My original UA flight (2:35pm) was delayed at IAD and, unbeknownst to me, UA rebooked me on the AC flight (2:45pm). I found out this tidbit of info after I left gate area T and walked over to gate area L to try to reroute my trip through ORD. No such luck...

The UA attendant at gate L ended up routing me thru LGA, taking a US flight to PWM (yes, I was on a UA ticket). The flight to LGA was on AC metal so I headed back to the lounge to score an upgrade for the flight.

Upon arriving in the lounge, one of the people at the desk was entirely unhelpful so I went into the lounge, made myself a drink and paged a concierge. When Margie showed up, we straightened out why I was not showing up properly in their system (my MP number was on the ticket, not my AP number) and sorted out that I could upgrade if there was space (there was). However, the UA agent had screwed up the re-booking and she had to go back out to ticketing, straighten everything out and get a paper ticket for me to continue on my way. She also got me checked into the flight, issued a BP and took my cert before sending me on my way for the flight.

All in all, a very pleasant outcome for a day that didn't look like it was going to work out very well.

All I can say is that right or wrong life is about relationships and when you have them with certain staff they are willing to go that little bit extra in certain situations. they can't do it for everyone, just as you can't really ask the concierge you don't know for that "extra" favour because why would they stick themselves out on the line for someone they don't know.

This is true for everything in life not just SE and concierges. I have to say that I do this in my job as well. You do things for the ones you know and trust more than the stranger. I think a big part of that is also the trust you have with people.

I also don't ask the concierge I don't know for favours either so I don't really have a reason to complain about them. The way I look at it is that as a SE I get the seat I chose and I don't really look for a whole lot more from those I don't know.

For what it's worth I feel that I am treated very, very, very well by the concierge that I know and I would like to say thank you once again. You make the travel almost humane and in case management don't understand, they are GIANT reason that I still will fly AC a lot this year. After my anger at all the stupid cuts to this program it is the friendly faces and helpfulness of the concierge staff that have ultimately made me decide to stay with AC this year and get my SE.

BTW, Mrs Cattle says hi to all of you and thanks as well http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

I can't say enough good things about them. I don't know how many times I have had them check me in over the phone while stuck in traffic or snowstorms so I can grab my boarding pass and sprint to the gate to make my flights. Once when my corporate TA made the wrong booking they spotted it, called me because they thought it out of my routine, rebooked me on the correct flights and got the change fee waived.

What it comes down to is they try their darndest to make sure I get to where I need to be when I need to be (especially so at week's end) and that earns them my eternal gratitude. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif

Not sure I can comment I so seldom see Concierge, but in LGA she was very helpful![I fly with UA most of the time]
I'm not sure AC wants to do anything for SE's anymore. We have been tossed to the competition.

[This message has been edited by why fly (edited Mar 12, 2004).]

[This message has been edited by why fly (edited Mar 13, 2004).]

Dupe..sorry, still the **** Mac...

[This message has been edited by FatBoyYVR (edited Mar 12, 2004).]

Sorry, but I think this is wholly unacceptable if true. If getting service from a concierge is dependant on whether you have had to call on them lots of times then something is wrong. It implies that (if like me and many other SEs) you never seek out concierges, and have never had need to use them, then you are screwed on the one occasion you might need to. Well, it certainly explains my recent LHR experience. Concierge service should not and cannot be dependant on whether they know you and like you personally. It is a service for all SEs - the problem for me is that I dont really know what that service should consist of, or what I can ask for and expect help with.
It would also be nice to feel that we can use this thread to discuss some of the issues raised by Ferrari without it simply becoming another "thank you" thread or one directed at the concierges, (We have the Starwood forum for that kind of thing) http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by FatBoyYVR (edited Mar 12, 2004).][/QUOTE]

lellert, cattle, yycguy2

Guys, and eveyone else thats thinking this way...

What happened to you could have be dealt with by a gate agent, MLL agent or Check in agent, they are all capable and able to do most things...

I mean what do conceirges really do.?.

What do they do that other AC staff can't...what do they do for the over and above to recognize the 100k + miles we fly each year...

I agree, just because your friendly with one shouldn't bring you extra benefits...
The service what ever it is should be constant and known to ever one...

One example I can give is like seeing that your on the manifest before you check in and making sure that (subject to space) the seat next to you is blocked, or a better seat (Y) is found, something ahead without asking...

The extra miles stuff, not the basic stuff....

I know some are good at it, and some are not...
I actually asked one NEVER to touch my flights again as she was so crap...
Funny, that other SE's i talk to about that one conceirge agree with me,....so I guess bad news goes around as fast as good...

They make travel better.

I find this a dangerous thread. The concierge service is one of the true perks of the SE program and we should just continue to enjoy it. If we start this analysis of expectations we are doomed to lose it too.

DutchSE


How?.

No, i don't mean to start trouble, I just want to know...

What are the perks?....

I disagree, maybe the analysis will identify what we can and cannot expect, making the lifes of SE's better...

They is nothing more frustrating then asking for something and getting told that they can't help you....if we knew in advance it would surely help....

Well, knowledge is expectation. My point is that the concierge service often goes beyond what can be reasonably expected. This will obviously be on an individual basis and will vary from one place to another. All I can say is that in situations where it looked like my travel day was going to get real ugly, they miraculously helped to clean it up. It is an absolute pleasure to be unexpectedly surprised by their help - that is the way I think we should all learn to enjoy their service. Just my opinion!

I see your point but I don't find these other people as accessable when I am stuck on a freeway or in a subway on my way to catch a flight and usually by the time I can talk to someone at the check-in, GA or MLL agent their only solution is the next flight. The concierge service offers me a chance to catch my scheduled flight by having my BP ready and getting me through the security line to catch my flight (a 100% success rate to date). It doesn't happen often but when it does I'm glad they are there.

Agree. I always harp on consistency in service here too. Since they laid off the concierge service manager last year (I forget his name), I was told the concierges now report to the airport manager in their city. Some of the inconsistencies could be as a result of no central person managing the group anymore.

I find that they do. I often see them with the lists of SE's who are flying on the day's flights. Some of the gang in YYC check my seats assignments (I am lefthanded and have a few seating preferences that they have made a note of and do change for me regularly). My previous reply also had the example where the ORD gang noticed flights that were not the norm for me. Again proactive. Unfortunately I have not been lucky enough to have the middle seats blocked beside me but I didn't think AC does that (it would be nice but filled seats = revenue).

I'm not sure a GA or check-in agent can do these things given their current staffing levels. They have their hands full already.

The concierges are also in the same position (doing J class check-ins and such that they did not do even last year) and they are not able to respond as fast and are not visible. However, their cell numbers are on my speed dial list on my cell phone and they always answer those calls right away.

So I really have not had a bad experience with the Concierges and like I said they are there when I need them.

I was met by Anne Rosen at YYZ at the luggage arrival upon returning from DEL-YYZ flight after our 14 + hour flight.After clearing customs, personally re-checked our luggage and helped us avoid a long line of connecting passengers. She mentioned that another flight had come in late and IF we had to line up in the normal connection line, we would have never made our connection. Thanks Anne.

I can't count the times I have had a concierge check me in when I am running late for a flight. Also, sometimes I have been running to the airport to catch an earlier standby flight but I would miss the cutoff and they have a BP printed and waiting for me at a pre-determined area. So I would miss these flights but when I have called them they have been willing to check me in and since I use roll on luggage I have never missed an opportunity to leave early.

On some flights that are filling up I have had the concierge put a good word in at the gate to ask if the spot beside me could be filled last if there are going to be any empty seats and it has worked. Can't say for sure if my doing this would have resulted in the seat staying empty (though I wouldn't hold my breath for my success)

The one time that there was going to be a major delay for me because of a late inbound aircraft a concierge in YWG phoned me on my cell (which I gave to them the one and only time I met them) and let me know that I should come to the airport for a while and they would secure our seats. That same concierge had the lead gate agent for our flight hunt my wife and I down in the lounge to keep us up to date with what was happening with our flight http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/eek.gif The concierge did this because their shift was finished before we were scheduled to check in.

In all of these instances I had either never met the concierge in question personally or just 1 time. So thanks Ferrari for making me dig a little deeper on how great the concierge have treated me over the past year even when I don't "know them personally".

I understand that others will have different experiences and I can't speak to those. Ferrari, I realize that you fly a lot more than I do so you have likely had more encounters with concierge than myself and thus a greater chance to have things go wrong. I on the other hand really have had great success with them and yet to be let down by them even once

I agree 100% that we should discuss any area that AC can improve upon, even the concierge. The thing I would like to point out here is that just like yycguy2 pointed out, the number of concierges is shrinking and they are having their duties altered to take away from their core mission. Without acknowledging this we may very well run into something similar like this next year and I for one don't even want to imagine what travel would be without them even at this level http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif


[This message has been edited by cattle (edited Mar 13, 2004).]