scottsam66

He just told you how McDonalds does it. And how airlines DO it. Is it really a fantasy that an airline that offers food for sale by cash only, be able to make change?
That is too difficult? Seems I have more faith in US than you do.

scottsam66

I was a waiter, than bartender for a few years in undergrad and grad school. As a waiter (analogous to FA) I knew to show up to work with a set amount of "change". I guarantee I would sell in a 5 hr evening more food/drink than the average FA on their whole days itinerary. It was MY responsibility to come prepared with change. It's would and should be a lot easier for FAs with only a handful of snacks, and set prices for drinks. Why has no one suggested hat FAs should bring a 'bank' to work each day.
And yes I know they are all about safety first, but good customer service is also important, no?

scottsam66

Yes, maybe your real world experience trips his MBA. Is that a valid reason to be snarky and disrespectful?

BoeingBoy

"Adequate service reliably" or "operate efficiently" by your definition, apparently. Unless you've got data that says otherwise it seems that the majority of passengers get adequate service given the environ that airlines operate in.

The problem with your two's position is that neither of you have presented a method of distributing cash for change funds efficiently and reliability across the US, while eliminating any chance for theft. All you talk about is examples that are a lot simpler - like McDonalds - or present the solution that FAs should provide their won change fund...for up to 30 or so segments in a 4 day trip, something many FAs can't afford to do.

In my first post I said it'd be nice if US went all cashless, including Express. I can only surmise that the individual carriers - the entire system isn't US owned - present some reason to not do that.

Jim

scottsam66

So now only businesses that can eliminate all theft can operate a cash business.
There would be no cost for FAs bringing their own bank. They would not be out any cash whatsoever. Like I said previously, just because the frequent flyer doesn't have the perfect solution doesn't absolve the airlines of operating a faulty method. FAs bring their own bank would work just fine. You do realize by making change they aren't out cash. If I give the FA a twenty, she gives back a ten, a five and five singles-that doesn't cost her anything.
Zero theft is nonsense too. Shrinkage is a part of retail life. There are no industries I am aware of that can boast zero theft, so that is not a valid objection to a FA carrying change.

sjpmurph01

He's not saying that it would cost FA's money out of pocket, he's saying that that's a lot of personal cash to ask an employee to carry around with them. ~30 segment work week x ~$100/segment (low estimate) = $3000 (in singles & fives). That's not something I'd be comfortable carrying around with me, knowing that it's my money and my employer's not going to take any liability if I get robbed.

Or else do you expect your FA to also run to the bank during their break or on their overnight? They're already putting in a lot of hours that they aren't officially on the clock for, so I'm sure that's not what you're implying.

I have an idea for who can replenish the change fund - YOU. Why doesn't everyone who's complaining about USX's cash-only policy just make a habit of carrying small bills. If you do, then the infrequent traveler that it sounds like we're trying to look out for here will be able to get change from the FA. Problem solved.

BoeingBoy

Sorry, I was looking at a change fund from a different angle. You order a $7 beverage and give the FA a $20. She hands you the drink and $13 from her change fund. If she started with $100 in change, she now has $93 and $7 goes to US for the drink. US owes her $7 (or it comes from someone who has exact change).

BTW, do you have any idea what the union would have to say if US or the Express carriers started requiring their FAs to carry around hundreds of dollars in change fund? Or take their off time to break the bigger bills they'd collected into smaller bills?

Jim

justhere

The airline can and does make change. The issue isn't that they never make change, it's that they can't always make change.

I suppose a waiter is analogous to an FA in the sense that both are human but for the sake of argument I will agree with you 100% that they are analogous. But that's where it ends. A bar/restaurant is in no way the same as an airplane. It's a very different environment and you cannot compare a brick and mortar establishment to a metal tube moving around the country.

Then you were probably more likely to have change because you had more customers paying you. Also, your customers came to you knowing they were going to buy from you. Most people on a plane are there primarily for the transportation, not the food and beverage and may have stepped on to the plane with absolutely no plans to buy anything.

So seeing as the McDonalds comparison seems to keep coming up, how many of the McDonalds employees come prepared with change? Probably none because most companies don't expect their employees to float the cash needed to make change. It's great that you did but most companies won't ask that of their employees and rightly so. That's why no one has suggested they bring a bank to work each day.

Not having change for a customer isn't necessarily poor customer service. It would be nice if change could always be made but the likelihood is that there will never be enough even if the FA did bring their own bank. So where do you draw the line? If you are the 20th customer to buy something and the FA has no change is that ok but if you are the 5th customer then it's poor customer service?

LowlyDLsilver

Having one side (mainline) cashless and express cash-only makes no sense.

Customers hate inconsistency, because they don't know what to expect.

From a management viewpoint, I would always view a one-time investment in technology to eliminate an ongoing labor expense as money well spent.

Even if the logistics of maintaining change banks across a far flung network were workable (I'll concede this rather than face re-starting the hamster wheel), the labor involved to control that cash would be a large on-going expense, as cash must be counted every time it changes hands.

Buying card processing equipment for the express fleet would be a project with a 3 year payback, max, IF there was a current cash-control expense for change, but there ISN'T.

The "expense" is forgoing some sales on express because the FA doesn't have change - which some bean counter has determined to be minimal, because express flights are short-duration and the people affected should be able to do without, so the payback on card readers for express isn't as easy to figure out.

A customer-centric operation would have bought card readers long ago (they did it on mainline, so the payback must have been provable there), but show me a customer-centric legacy carrier - I would expect I will see a snipe first.

bkafrick

Interesting thought.

I'm sure the AFA would have a field day with that requirement.

But - definitely a good thought.

bkafrick

The question of why US hasnt bought card readers for its Express fleet is really a good one. Why havent they? As you say, they should know the payback time already with their use case of the mainline fleet.

saneman

I personally think while having enough change is good customer service, I have to side with those who think FAs carrying enough change should not be a big priority overall on short or midrange flights. However, the FA was making change for other people. She could have asked others paying if they could pay in other denominations if possible just to make enough change for the OP and others like him. Maybe she tried that approach, but judging by the reaction she had for the cash service, maybe she didn't bother. Who knows. There are creative ways for doing it as long as you offer a cash service. In the worst case, I agree tthen the OP should be able to come up with a compromise and see if he could buy a different combination to see if she could make change for that.

My personal priority for short and midrange flights is transportaiton first, food a lesser priority in terms of essentials. Almost all gates in modern airpots have food places to buy snacks from and make change if you have to. But then again , that may be just me. , I always thought airlines should just put a barrel of small water bottles/cheap snacks(that pretzel or peanut stuff) for passengers to pick up at entry and just do away with the cart service on short flights. It beats having the aisle clogged up by that slow moving cart and makes the FAs give better customer service in other areas.

dcpatti

Works in theory, but not in practicality. Firstly, when the FA is scheduled on a turn-and-burn schedule with little time in between flights (remember, this is on Express, not mainline, so lots more short flights) and the pax on his/her first flight deplete the change bank, how will you feel about the pax on the next flight being delayed a few minutes while the FA tries to find somewhere to make change? 3 minutes in line here, 4 minutes there, it all adds up. And with a service background you should be able to recall every now and then having one of those days where everyone wanted to pay with a $20. Even a FA who brings a stack of singles to every flight is going to get caught short at some point.

Secondly if it becomes common knowledge that FA's carry big cash banks, they become a target. Easily identifiable by their uniforms, and often waiting for the employee parking shuttle/hotel shuttle, parking in dark spots, etc. That's a pretty easy target. In my years in the restaurant business, the only waiter I ever knew that got mugged on his way home from work was the one that didn't change out of his uniform. And I believe he was mugged three or four times in about five years. Waiters can easily brimg a change of clothes with them but most FA's I know don't have any extra room in their carry on (and it may be a requirement to stay in uniform till reaching the hotel if overnighting--- I'm not sure, but I sure can spot a flight crew getting in the crew van).

Just not practical.

aztimm

Ok folks, looks like this thread has run its course.

If anyone has a compelling reason for me to open it, send me a PM.

Thanks.



aztimm