eamus

Too true. I knew the idea was from the Wouldn't It Be Great If? files, along with the Sonic Cruiser, bars or exercise areas on A380s, and other such flyer fantasies, but it never hurts to dream.

T/BE20/G

The big difference is that the bulk of American's employees do not really have free travel benefits. There are some employees who get to travel free in coach in the US (those with 5+ years of seniority), even fewer who get to travel free in coach internationally (those with 25+ years of seniority), but no "normal" (i.e. non-management) employees who regularly get free premium cabin travel. The SOS program allowed employees who received them to travel in premium cabins without paying the normal service charges.

hillrider

What's wrong with a thank you? Like a "I really appreciated how you used my name in referring to me during the flight"?

I'd rather see AA focusing on getting rid of the dead wood (i.e. enforcing a higher standard of professionalism) instead of diverting money and attention from (rumored) projects like flat seats in business to fund an initiative like this one.

JonNYC

Me too! But I still think this would cost next to nothing and would be a small "quality of life" improvement. I too wish there was a way to get rid of the "few bad apples" as it were... but I don't know that there is. As far as new J-seats, I don't think this project would be in competition with same, if you know what I mean. But, obviously, I completely respect your opinion on the subject.

AA__Only

Good service should be recognized and rewarded at point of service to have the greatest benefit.

Many of us, I think, say 'thank you,' 'very nice service,' or the like upon deplaning. And while that's appreciated, I hope, it's still not as nice as having received an S.O.S. with the compliment.

To receive it after-the-fact in an email or other company communication -- as the result of a pax completing something online or at the kiosk-- means that it could be received long after the employee has forgotten the circumstances of why they've been rewarded.

In a new program, the SOS Cert should be limited and personalized. Controlling amounts could allow for a higher perceived value and personalizing them could help limit abuse. Imagine this call: "Mr. EXP, we recently rec'd the SOS that you presented to our GA at ORD, and we plan on running a small article in our newsletter about GA. Could you share with us .... for the story."

(And as an aside... I might have posted quite sometime ago, while frustrated about bad service that we should have a few S.O.B. stickers which we could affix to the forehead of a really bAAd employee who would have to keep it on until the end of their shift, at which time they would have to see their manager who would listen to the employee explain in their own words what they did to deserve the S.O.B. before the manager would use the special glue remover to take it off for the employee. Okay... not really. But as JonNYC has said: We can at least dream!)

studley

And it should be open to EVERYONE, not just Elites, regardless of what format it exists. I fly much more than the occasional pax, but not enough these days to make Elite status. I'd like to be able to reward exceptional service as well.

AA, I hope you're reading this.

sargento

^
I fly a couple times a year, and now I have no status, but I'm still loyal (and will continue to be) thanks to great service they provide me. Being able to provide a "S.O.S" and see the smile on the employee would be a fantastic way to end a great trip.

tt7

The times I gave someone an SOS, it was always very, very clear that they appreciated getting it. Like just about everyone in this thread, I wish AA would bring it back.

That said, I think the only way it works (at least for me) is the 'old' way i.e., a piece of paper I give you. Doing it electronically on the website or filling in an electronic form somewhere just doesn't work. It's not that I wouldn't do it, though realistically it is much less likely than with a piece of paper I give you then and there. Rather, with the old form, I just fill in my Aadvantage number and a comment and give it to you - I don't need to know your name or your base. I invariably left the name part blank, figuring the employee can fill in their own name. To do anything electronic, I have to know more than just that your name is "John" or "Mary" - assuming I know even that much.

As for processing them, AA seems to have enough difficulty with processing VPs etc. Conversely, someone manages to process Kellogg certificates... intrinsically, SOS certificates are no different.

Creating a 'flyertalk' version (as flipside has started) is at least a gesture that can be made, even if there's no tangible reward for the employee and I for one would be willing to use them. However, it would need some words on it explaining what it is.....

Serial Traveler

I'd love to see this program return in some form. AA has gotten quite a bit of negative lately so it would behove them to get the passangers looking for the "positives."

Additionally, it's positive reinforcement for FA, GA, etc who do go "above and beyond". Motivating and increased employee morale is NEVER a bad thing.

AA spends plenty of time and money on marketing to us, spending some of that money to allow us to thinkabout/focus on/look for the good experiences (vs just the bad ones) is essentially allowing the passenger to remind themselves of the positive experience - this does have value. Maybe they could divert some of the marketing budget.

Or they pull the budget from HR and structure with minimal start up/promotion costs. The individual awards only occur when a positive has occurred so there is theoretically no "something for nothing" aspect - it only costs AA when good things happen and for the sake of customer satisfaction thats a winner.

The structure of the program would be entirely up to AA so they have the ability to control the costs. No idea of what the calculated value of allowing a passenger to recognize and reward a SOS level of service, but I'm sure there is someone at AA who figures these kinds of things out (hopefully not the same system that sets fares or the value would be all over the board).

There are surveys done every year that address the impact of different types of recognition programs on employees. The value of the possible reward to the employee as part of recognition is not nearly as important as the recognition itself. I think we all agree that positive reinforcement is a good thing.

Okay, AA, do you bring back some sort of SOS program? Or do we, as one of the largest forums in the world start a grassroots movement as suggested by another poster (either with Randy's blessing and the FT logo or without)?

benoit

I liked the SOS program. But just from these forums and what I have seen on flights I could see some problems with the program. I really like the idea of genuinely exceptional employees being rewarded, but I saw a lot of behaviors with SOS that worked directly against this.

I recall several flyertalk posts from people boasting about giving SOS to all personell on a flight, despite likely having no contact at all with most of them. Some would even give them out on every flight they took to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Or some would give them out for fickle reasons that had nothing to do with the behavior of the receiving personell, for example someone in a good mood from getting an OP UP and liking the food. Giving SOS out so indiscriminately and frivolously defeats the whole purpose of the program in my opinion.

Not as rare as you would think, were employees not so subtly asking for them, or passengers giving them out as leverage or rewards for special treatment. Again this corrupts the program, and sometimes the employee/passenger relationship. It's laughable that coupons worth so little could have this effect, but I saw it with my own eyes.

AAPlatinum

I'm 100% for bringing back the SOS in paper form. They are a tangible way to say thank you for good service.

AAFA

There's always going to be someone who is not following the rules. Do you punish everyone else as a result? It's one of the annoying things I deal with at work. If most of us love a layover hotel there will be 20 people who write nasty letters and call the union and tell them that they hate it. Invariably, the people who say something get things changed. Meanwhile, the rest of us loved it so we never felt the need to tell anyone we did until they tell us they are changing it.

It's the same thing with letters. The people who love us say they will write a letter, but it is the people who had the "worst experience ever" who usually wind up writing. The SOS can at least even the balance a little.

One of the problems some FA's and GA's had with the SOS program was the employees whose husbands/wives/friends were EP's. They would get a million of them and we knew these people weren't using them for what they were intended for. There was no way around that and thankfully there were plenty to go around.

I think the SOS should come back in some form so that we can have the good people acknowledged. I still think an e-form would really work because that way the SOS's would be accountable per aadvantage member. This would eliminate the people who hand them out in one shot and the people married to AA employees. It would also allow people who aren't EP's to put in a good word and everyone would not have a set allotment. You could put in a good word for an unlimited amount of employees a year.

oklAAhoma

Absolutely nothing wrong with a thank you. I think that anyone deserving should hear that phrase regularly. However, the SOS is for "Someone Special" ... hence the name. IMO there are times when a verbal thank you is just not enough. As others have stated, the SOS is a tangible "thanks" for those outstanding individuals who provide exceptional service. (And it serves as proof of good service that can be presented to the supervisor and added to the employee record.)


[QUOTE=hillrider] I'd rather see AA focusing on getting rid of the dead wood (i.e. enforcing a higher standard of professionalism) [/QOUTE]

Totally agree that AA needs to prune a bit of dead wood. I've had a few episodes with FAs, GAs, and CSRs that would have sent me running to another airline had any of these been my first AA experience.

IMO these two goals (reinstating SOS program and enforcing higher standard of professionalism) are not mutually exclusive; they are actually closely correlated. I hope AA will seriously consider both requests.

Sagy

I love it. Great job.

I'll be sure to have some printed for my next flight.

Thanks,

Serial Traveler

I've been noodling on this, I think that a "grassroots" program is a great idea. Yes, there are pros and cons and opportunities for abuse, but that's true of most things.

The question is, what next...

- do we all just do our own thing with this or do we try to make it a bit more organized and give it "wings"
- do we check to see if FT is interested in adding their "mark" or endorsement and then roll something out
- do we do something more formal with or w/o Flyertalk and create a "suggested" format that folks can download, reproduce and use
- how far do we take this - program cards, e-mail "template" to AA to let them know when someone has been "carded", press releases?

Great ideas need to be nutured in order to grow. IMHO, this community is a place where that growth could happen...how do we approach this opportunity and how do we work together to make it happen?