zagguru

The main line is terrible. Its outsources abroad and they simply do not know anything.

Anyone have a better number for US based customer service? Or any department who has more authority than the main line?

Yoshi212

Requesting a MOD move this to the HA forum where it may get an appropriate answer.

Beltway2A

What was the issue you had with them? I spoke to HA's CS a few days back, and they were pleasant and helpful once you got past the hold time.

zagguru

They dont seem knowledgeable and they keep giving me the run around. need a department which has more authority

Mwenenzi

What was the issue you had with them? (as asked above)

zagguru

the rep who booked my ticket, booked it in the wrong fare class (coach instead of first) and now isnt willing to change it because availability is no longer available for that class

beckoa

Welcome to Flyertalk zagguru.

As your topic is specific to HA, we'll move your query to the HA forum.

~beckoa, co-moderator Information Desk

likry2000

I had to speak with CS twice last week on the phone and they were able to solve my problem. The CS at B6 however insisted the HA flight in question was an international flight and would gate at an international terminal at JFK. B6 also insisted HA hadn't resolved my issue when in fact they had. At HNL, the HA special services rep was able to book new B6 flights for us as the HA flight was delayed and we would miss our connection at JFK. As with most things, it all depends on who you talk to.

nyc10036

I realize I am resurrecting an old topic here, but I just had to chime in... I had a simple reservation issue that could not be resolved, so I called HA's 1-800 CS #.

An agent with a very heavy international accent (and she sounded very much like some of my colleagues from South Asia) answered, and I apparently caught her on her very 1st day on the job! For instance, even when I spelled out and explained, she didn't know the basic concepts like PNR (Passenger Name Record) and TCP (Total Complete Party), and I had to use a dozen synonyms...but she still didn't understand the nature of my request--to the point (I think) she was asking me why I needed to have my travel companion's PNR linked to mine or to establish TCP. More importantly, I had a hard time understanding what she was saying.

So, I hung up and called again. This time, I get somebody that was a lot more fluent in English--but just as "fresh on the job" as the first rep. So, I hung up again and tried the DM on Twitter. They respond immediately, and I am given a # to text my inquiry because they apparently don't provide CS on Twitter. So, I texted. A guy responds, saying I needed to call the 1-800 CS number I had called earlier because text wasn't secure.

I called yet again. Another agent answers, and she was able to help me with no problems.

Greatly inconsistent (as in "mostly poor") CS, giving a customer the runaround, etc. are all bad signs, and many businesses have suffered as a result. I hope HA's upper admins are aware of this...

Often1

PNR and TCP are not common terms at every carrier. While IATA uses them in its tariffs and they have industry-wide significance, most US carriers call the PNR a "Record Locator."

If you call AA or UA, you will be asked for the "Record Locator" which is the term appearing on your e-ticket receipt.

It is no longer necessary to train front-line staff to handle tariffs and the like.

Maybe her "international accent" wasn't the problem.

nyc10036

Thanks for your input! I suppose that could be a possibility. Although I might clarify here that her international accent was not the issue directly pertaining to my PNR request. I just couldn't understand most of what she was saying--and I am from NYC. I get most accents!

Anyhow, since I switched over from UA several years ago, giving up my 1K status, I have been an AA EXP pretty much the entire time--and I have never encountered a UAgent or an AAgent in the last 20-or-so years, international-accent or otherwise, that didn't know those terms.

Since I travel heavily for business and often bring my spouse (i.e., two separate reservations), linking two PNRs is a request I make frequently...and no CS agent has ever had trouble w/ my request prior to this, let alone ask me why I'd want to link two reservations, PNRs, record locators--whatever one might call it. The second agent, as far as I can tell, just didn't know how to do it and told me to just go to the airport together and tell the agent...

formeraa

Agents should understand PNR. It was a common term behind the scenes at AA, DL, and other carriers. We were taught to say "record locator" to customers because most customers have no idea what a PNR is.

I agree that TCP is NOT a common term and most agents will not know what it refers to.

747FC

I had a friend who was a reservation agent at HA. I can say with certainty that the agents trained in her HNL-class knew the meaning of PNR.

Reifel

Living in Europe I booked my first Hawaiian Airlines flight online from SFO to HNL.
I switched around the last and first name of the second passenger.
Callled them, had no wait on the line, had a friendly and competent agent which changed the name without discussions and free of charge and reissued the ticket. Had a new confirmation 5 to 10 minutes after I started the call. Couldn't have expected better service.

747FC

Great experience. How long after purchase did you make the change--within 24 hours?