The following story was written by a long-time client/colleage of TeamTrident and is a stunning experience with Service. The Service Excellence is indeed going to highlight Continental Airlines again. However, the first airline she discusses is left unnamed…and is not Continental.Let’s be clear on this. How many of us have experienced something like this? Still, this is almost beyond belief.

The “Other” Airline

In October of 2009 my boss and I traveled to Rochester, NY for a two-day leadership meeting/conference. We flew out of Chattanooga on a Tuesday morning, had a great conference and were ready to come home on Thursday when the conference ended at 4:00 PM. We headed to the airport for our 6:30 PM flight, checked through security and went straight to the gate. When we arrived, we had plenty of time to grab a bite to eat and then check back in before departure so we met up with some fellow conference-goers flying out at the same time and went to eat in the airport. Just before 6:00 PM, I went up the airport concourse to see about a Coke since the airport restaurant was overcrowded with only one waitress. Along the way, I noticed a sign at our gate that said the 6:30 flight had been cancelled.

I stopped at the desk to inquire further about the cancellation. In front of me was an elderly couple. The gentleman was asking the lady behind the counter if he had time to run up the concourse a short distance to the restroom before the flight took off. She kindly assured him that he did. The man left up the concourse in a trot. The older lady with him sat down in a chair not too far from the desk. I watched in amazement as the lady behind the counter went straight to the door to the plane ramp and shut it. She then radioed the pilot and said all were boarded and the plane was cleared to take off. It wasn’t two more minutes before I saw the plane move away from the airport!

The older lady waiting on her husband saw the plane leave and jumped up to ask what was going on and the employee behind the counter simply said “The plane had to leave”. The lady then asked her why on earth she told her husband he had time to use the restroom and the employee then stared at her with a rather bemused smile and stated that “Oh well, I guess he didn’t have time after all.” The lady turned and asked her when the next flight would be and the employee said “I don’t know”. All flights are cancelled for tonight. That was the last flight out of Rochester for us tonight.”

I jumped in at this point and asked her to please look up the next flight out as I was supposed to be on the 6:30 flight. She looked it up and said there would be a flight at 6:30 the next morning to Atlanta and that I could get on that. I asked her to confirm that for me and my boss and for the three others that were with us in the restaurant. She said we were confirmed and that we just needed to be back the next morning by 5:30 AM. I left her talking the older couple now that the gentleman had returned. I went back the restaurant to tell the others what was going on. We then got on the phone for a hotel close to the airport and made reservations, cancelled all meetings for the next morning and called our homes to let everyone know we wouldn’t be in that night.

One of the ladies with us had a question and so we all went back to the gate before we left the airport. There was a new employee at the gate now. She indicated that we were NOT booked on the morning flight and that she had to see our ID’s individually to get us into the system correctly. I handed her my ID and she printed me out a ticket. She did the same for the others and we left to go to our hotel for the night.

We did end up with a fun side trip to Niagara Falls that night due to our layover but it did cost us more to stay and quite a bit of inconvenience, obviously. The next morning we were back at the airport at 5:30 as instructed. We waited in line for security for 30 minutes or so. When we got to the scanners, we were told we did not have confirmed seats and could not be let through security. We were directed back to the front of the airport to the airline counter. When we reached the counter, we were all very angry and upset. There was a woman at the counter in tears ahead of me trying to get home and they wouldn’t talk to her.

I stepped up after a few minutes of waiting and was able to get a ticket. I went back to security 10 minutes before the flight was to take off and made it to the gate. At the gate, we were told we still were on a waiting list and that eight people needed to give up their seats before we could get on that flight. There were people standing around waiting and most of them looked very unhappy. A long line had formed at the counter and the girl was very dismissive to each and every person that she spoke to. As the line got shorter, I went and stood in line. The employee called out that the flight had been delayed another hour and that we were to stop asking her questions about it.

I finally arrived at the counter to get more information on what was going on and why some of our party had confirmed seats and others did not. She glared at me and yelled “it is not my fault that you did not book this flight correctly”.

I did not yell at her and I did not even raise my voice, but I was seriously about to take her outside on the tarmac for another type of “discussion”. I was so close to not caring if I was arrested at this point. I think all of my fellow travelers were feeling the same way.

I turned and walked away to talk to my boss. He and I did not have seats. One of the ladies with us from Shaw did not have a seat and one of the gentlemen from a company out of Arkansas did not have a seat. I could tell my boss was getting upset too and I thought I just needed to work it out to get him home. He was ready to drive 15 hours just to go home. I couldn’t stomach the idea of a 15 hour drive but I could get him out and then I could drive to Buffalo if I had to fly out from there.

As I was thinking this, I looked up and saw a young woman entering the Continental gate counter across the concourse.

Get Ready: Enter Continental Airlines

I jumped up and ran over to her. She smiled and asked if she could help me. I told her that I just wasn’t sure if she could or not, but if there was any way out of Rochester that day, I would sure like to be part of it. She smiled again and said “I see this all the time over there.”

She then pulled up her computer, apologized that it was slow to warm up, and then checked into all the flights for that day. I told her I would go to Memphis, Atlanta, Birmingham, Knoxville, Nashville, or even Charlotte. She said she could get me and my fellow passengers onto a 2:30 PM flight and connect in Atlanta to Chattanooga 1 hour later. I asked her if there was any way to move my reservation from the other airline and she told me to go back to the waiting list this morning. If we got on the plane, she would know and she would cancel these reservations. If we did not make it on that flight, she would see us back at her counter and she would print tickets for us then and take care of the arrangements for us. There should be no additional costs. She smiled at me again and told me to go back and see – she felt like we had a good chance of getting on that that flight out that morning.

I thanked her profusely and ran back to tell my boss and the others that we finally had a way out of Rochester. It wasn’t long until they called the flight on the other airline and then began calling passenger names for seat assignments. We were included on that flight.

I waved and smiled at the girl at Continental and she winked at me and waved back. As we got on the plane, I saw the elderly couple from the night before standing at the desk at Continental.

Okay, well…back to the “Other” Airline

When we arrived in Atlanta, we found our gate and went to check in. One of the ladies with us had a stamp on her boarding pass that said “see flight attendant before boarding”. Mine had the same stamp on it. I was standing beside and behind her as she spoke to the attendant and, when I heard her say something about me having the same stamp, I came to the counter. I held my ticket up and showed the lady and she barked out, “I am talking to HER right now and YOU will have to wait.”

I turned to my boss and said “I know what I am going to be for Halloween this year” and he asked me “What?” and I said with a hiss – “a flight attendant from the airline from Hell.”

We finally made it onto the plane and home. When I got home I emailed that airline to let them know what a horrible experience we had just had. Two weeks later I was sent a $25 voucher with no words of apology or even a note.

I also made a point to email Continental and praise the young woman at the Rochester airport. I have never been so grateful to anyone before or since. She didn’t actually DO anything but offer some peace of mind to us weary, angry, travelers.

Laura.

[Thanks Laura. Now, don't we all feel better after reading that? Perhaps the Continental team member didn't actually "do" anything, but how much did she really accomplish? And note here the Decisive Action at the critical Moment of Truth. The Continental team member's mindset was that of a Solutions Provider, and she was good to go. You tell me what she accomplished. Which organization sees "customer experience" as is product, not just seats on a plane? And which one executes because of that? Which one has leadership throughout? Think leadership matters? I sure hope the newly merged United team finds and reads this. Jeff Smizek, drive it home, brother.]