Goodbye SEA and SUX res...Friday 7/27 visit to Seattle with Discount Travel Codes
#76
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Some place in this wonderful world (usually at 39,000 ft in seat 1C)
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Posts: 13,747
Sounds good to me. Reservations should be done online, and for those who can't it should be automated with a computerized voice system. I actually think hiring offshore reps is overkill and here is why:
Delta ought to have consumers have direct access to the reservation systems via the internet and voice systems tied to their reservation systems. Actually having representatives over the phone to me is actually overkill and to me quite frankly shows that if they need such, it means their automated systems are failing the customer and not intuitive enough so they are needing hand holding from a representative.
Delta should put funds into aircraft, hiring qualified onboard personnel and pilots and equipment and into maintaining the airplanes they fly as well as terminal expansions.
I don't think it is a sad day for the american worker at all, I think it has to do with priorities and moving forward and not worrying about folks losing their jobs so that the firm can better progress.
In fact, with the Delta orders for Boeing corporation jets, there are more jobs for workers building modern jets at factories, working on terminal expansion and construction jobs and I hope in the future, more aircraft expansions and more pilots needed to fly those jets and even more hirings for flight attendent jobs and crew members and the like.
Delta has indeed given jobs right back to America and lots of them too.
The airline industry is pretty well known as to what can be done transportation wise, and the future progression is also well established.
Delta ought to have consumers have direct access to the reservation systems via the internet and voice systems tied to their reservation systems. Actually having representatives over the phone to me is actually overkill and to me quite frankly shows that if they need such, it means their automated systems are failing the customer and not intuitive enough so they are needing hand holding from a representative.
Delta should put funds into aircraft, hiring qualified onboard personnel and pilots and equipment and into maintaining the airplanes they fly as well as terminal expansions.
I don't think it is a sad day for the american worker at all, I think it has to do with priorities and moving forward and not worrying about folks losing their jobs so that the firm can better progress.
In fact, with the Delta orders for Boeing corporation jets, there are more jobs for workers building modern jets at factories, working on terminal expansion and construction jobs and I hope in the future, more aircraft expansions and more pilots needed to fly those jets and even more hirings for flight attendent jobs and crew members and the like.
Delta has indeed given jobs right back to America and lots of them too.
The airline industry is pretty well known as to what can be done transportation wise, and the future progression is also well established.
#78
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: DTW, LAX, MBJ
Programs: AA, Delta Kryptonium (DM) Hyatt Diamond IHG Fake Plat (Ambassador), HH Gold
Posts: 832
This is about operating a smaller number of fully staffed call centers than 9 partially staffed centers.
TTT has it right in his post about Real Estate.
Not sure why you started another thread about SEA and SUX closing????
Flygirl is probably better informed about this issue. I hope DL realizes what a gem she is and offer her a job in Social Media.
Maps
#79
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
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Sounds good to me. Reservations should be done online, and for those who can't it should be automated with a computerized voice system. I actually think hiring offshore reps is overkill and here is why:
Delta ought to have consumers have direct access to the reservation systems via the internet and voice systems tied to their reservation systems. Actually having representatives over the phone to me is actually overkill and to me quite frankly shows that if they need such, it means their automated systems are failing the customer and not intuitive enough so they are needing hand holding from a representative.
Delta should put funds into aircraft, hiring qualified onboard personnel and pilots and equipment and into maintaining the airplanes they fly as well as terminal expansions.
I don't think it is a sad day for the american worker at all, I think it has to do with priorities and moving forward and not worrying about folks losing their jobs so that the firm can better progress.
In fact, with the Delta orders for Boeing corporation jets, there are more jobs for workers building modern jets at factories, working on terminal expansion and construction jobs and I hope in the future, more aircraft expansions and more pilots needed to fly those jets and even more hirings for flight attendent jobs and crew members and the like.
Delta has indeed given jobs right back to America and lots of them too.
The airline industry is pretty well known as to what can be done transportation wise, and the future progression is also well established.
Delta ought to have consumers have direct access to the reservation systems via the internet and voice systems tied to their reservation systems. Actually having representatives over the phone to me is actually overkill and to me quite frankly shows that if they need such, it means their automated systems are failing the customer and not intuitive enough so they are needing hand holding from a representative.
Delta should put funds into aircraft, hiring qualified onboard personnel and pilots and equipment and into maintaining the airplanes they fly as well as terminal expansions.
I don't think it is a sad day for the american worker at all, I think it has to do with priorities and moving forward and not worrying about folks losing their jobs so that the firm can better progress.
In fact, with the Delta orders for Boeing corporation jets, there are more jobs for workers building modern jets at factories, working on terminal expansion and construction jobs and I hope in the future, more aircraft expansions and more pilots needed to fly those jets and even more hirings for flight attendent jobs and crew members and the like.
Delta has indeed given jobs right back to America and lots of them too.
The airline industry is pretty well known as to what can be done transportation wise, and the future progression is also well established.
#80
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: Now just a lowly DL PM/1MM. This industry needs some competition. It's just not enjoyable anymore.
Posts: 3,543
Therein lies the issue. DL's IT is nowhere near the point that human interaction can be reduced, let alone eliminated. Indeed, it can be so frustrating for even the most tech savvy customer that it is probably driving up calls rather than eliminating them.
#81
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Likely being followed...
Programs: DYKWIA Extraordinaire. TrollSlayer Mega Diamond. [insert esoteric sounding status level(s) here]
Posts: 5,240
I'm sure the union @ NW would have prevented this...
Then again, DL has led the in-sourcing of customer calls for years... But let's ignore that. 1/2 full offices like those mentioned by NWA/Deltaflygirl might have more to do with it than anything.
#82
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Formerly at PIT, now planted near MSP.
Programs: No flights since April 2019 (Medical Issues). Lost all my status.
Posts: 1,483
1.... do a complicated reservation
2.... try to upgrade with SWUs or miles
3.... want to fly most DL partners
4.... want to get an interesting award ticket
5.... want a round trip routing with a connection on the outbound and nonstop return or vice versa
6.... require particular fare classes
7.... require different cabins for different segments of an itinerary
8.... have schedule changes
9.... suffer IROPs
#83
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Formerly at PIT, now planted near MSP.
Programs: No flights since April 2019 (Medical Issues). Lost all my status.
Posts: 1,483
#84
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: MN
Programs: Lots of programs, dirt on all of them!
Posts: 11,938
This sounds to me like you rarely actually fly DL. If you try to do a complicated reservation on line, try to upgrade with SWUs or miles, want to fly most DL partners, want to get an interesting award ticket, want a round trip routing with a connection on the outbound and nonstop return or vice versa, require particular fare classes, require different cabins for different segments of an itinerary, have schedule changes, suffer IROPs, etc. you absolutely need to be able to talk with a real person. This stuff cannot be handled on line by the passenger, no matter how expert and how willing to waste time doing DL's job. Phone trees similarly waste the customer's time, even more so for automated voice recognition customer service.
Sounds like you are a pretty "high maintenance" passenger. I've flown 200 segments in the last 24 months and only needed assistance with #8 and #9. My smartphone app easily took care of those issues. I'm not sure why I should be footing the bill for call centers for "high maintenance" travellers that need the other services. Please help me understand why I should pay so that your complex issues can be resolved free of charge.
#85
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: SUX
Programs: DL 2MM GM
Posts: 320
The federal government told the city to make the pick and they did. It was also the more expensive one. The "govt" then ratified it.
#86
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Programs: Delta Ballast Medallion, Card Carrying Honorary KM
Posts: 553
Most of the folks who have posted in this thread a are right - it's about the real estate more than anything else. DL outright owns it's buildings in some res offices, and rent in SEA is pretty ugly, especially for such underused space.
I'm sure DL have some kind of lease agreement 'down there', and I try not to think too much about those particular logistics, but rest assured, Delta is one of the few airlines that has it's call centers primarily in the US, and is a HUGE US employer - I swear, I think 90% of SLC's economy is supported by DL and Alanta will someday be renamed CNNCocacolaDeltaville .
It's not just the 'high maintenance' traveler who requires phone assistance. We have callers who don't even use a computer (a small percentage of my callers don't even have e-mail), I sure don't own a 'smart phone' (mine is a prepaid basic phone that suits me fine) Unaccompanied minors MUST have a phone rep (often correcting the fact that a 9 year old has been booked on the last red-eye flight of the night) some people PREFER to have the 'personal touch' - I can book award travel from two different accounts, a credit card ticket, and an UMR who's actually traveling with one adult one way, and an entirely different adult the other, AND get seat assignments in the bargain, in the space of 5 minutes - something ya can't do from a smart phone!
I'm sure DL have some kind of lease agreement 'down there', and I try not to think too much about those particular logistics, but rest assured, Delta is one of the few airlines that has it's call centers primarily in the US, and is a HUGE US employer - I swear, I think 90% of SLC's economy is supported by DL and Alanta will someday be renamed CNNCocacolaDeltaville .
It's not just the 'high maintenance' traveler who requires phone assistance. We have callers who don't even use a computer (a small percentage of my callers don't even have e-mail), I sure don't own a 'smart phone' (mine is a prepaid basic phone that suits me fine) Unaccompanied minors MUST have a phone rep (often correcting the fact that a 9 year old has been booked on the last red-eye flight of the night) some people PREFER to have the 'personal touch' - I can book award travel from two different accounts, a credit card ticket, and an UMR who's actually traveling with one adult one way, and an entirely different adult the other, AND get seat assignments in the bargain, in the space of 5 minutes - something ya can't do from a smart phone!
#87
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Formerly at PIT, now planted near MSP.
Programs: No flights since April 2019 (Medical Issues). Lost all my status.
Posts: 1,483
Why would Delta want to fly to SUX (~40,000 PAX per year) when FSD (~400,000) is 90 minutes to the north and OMA (~4,000,000) is 90 minutes to the south? The math seems pretty easy.
#88
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: HSV
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Posts: 880
I know Hitler's pissed! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSN7zpwV6vQ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law
#89
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
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Posts: 14,404
Sounds good to me. Reservations should be done online, and for those who can't it should be automated with a computerized voice system. I actually think hiring offshore reps is overkill and here is why:
Delta ought to have consumers have direct access to the reservation systems via the internet and voice systems tied to their reservation systems. Actually having representatives over the phone to me is actually overkill and to me quite frankly shows that if they need such, it means their automated systems are failing the customer and not intuitive enough so they are needing hand holding from a representative.
Delta ought to have consumers have direct access to the reservation systems via the internet and voice systems tied to their reservation systems. Actually having representatives over the phone to me is actually overkill and to me quite frankly shows that if they need such, it means their automated systems are failing the customer and not intuitive enough so they are needing hand holding from a representative.
#90
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Formerly at PIT, now planted near MSP.
Programs: No flights since April 2019 (Medical Issues). Lost all my status.
Posts: 1,483
+1000.
I don't think MSPEconomist is "high maintenance" at all. I have had issues with many of the same things myself. So did you volunteer to pay DL more when you needed to call for #8 and #9 yourself, since in your own words you must be a "high maintenance" passenger if you need to call the airline?
I don't think MSPEconomist is "high maintenance" at all. I have had issues with many of the same things myself. So did you volunteer to pay DL more when you needed to call for #8 and #9 yourself, since in your own words you must be a "high maintenance" passenger if you need to call the airline?
Answer me this .... Do you really think that there will be any call centers at all by the year 2020? Isn't it inevitable that they will disappear.