School holidays. Oh how I loathe them. Kids running rampant around the terminal, stressed parents giving themselves hernias over seating arrangements, buggies and car seats and booster seats and bassinettes - all of which have to go in massive plastic bags - making any check-in agent break into a Zambesi induced sweat. Arghh.
Now to be fair to parents, I realise it must be a mission travelling with ankle biters. But if there are two of you, for God's sake you ARE capable of putting your baby necessities into the plastic bags. Do you think I have time to do it while I'm calculating the mountains of luggage you keep piling onto my belt and ensuring little Johnny is safely cornered into a window seat? Oh and it's real considerate of you to turn up 20 minutes before the flight's due to leave, giving me a whopping five minutes to get all this done. Thanks for that.
My rant tonight is probably compounded by a lethal dose of PMS (any poor service assistant asking me how my day is going has been given a mumble and narrowed eyes as a response) and my own stupid personal problems. There is either something seriously wrong with my phone or the few friends I have left are totally ignoring me. So obviously I committed some massive faux pas when I was home last week and am now paying the price for it. Whatever that was.
Fingers crossed it's Telecom stuffing up and not my friends retreating into the distance. Once again. Let's cue some violins, shall we?
Some good news, the in-house proposal went through with a whopping 76% majority so in a few weeks I'll be on a higher pay rate. Joy! God knows why I want to be a journalist because the media has totally manipulated it, saying we're ALL suffering and that the head honchos are being completely selfish. Um, hello, at least we got some notice...there are some people who turn up to work only to be told the company's gone under and there's no job left for them anymore. I know which scenario I'd prefer to be in...
Apparently we are also getting a new piece of uniform, namely a cardigan. I ask you - a cardigan?! I haven't worn one of those since primary school! And it's obviously incredibly elusive as no one has seen it, worn it or knows what it looks like. Yet we're expected to get one. Hmm. Be interesting to see what size I am, since my whole uniform is a complete jumble of sizes. Silk shirts are 14, skirts are 14, pants are 16, jacket is 16, merino top is a medium. WTF? Medium is, like, a 12. I haven't been a 12 in years. Go figure.
Alright I think I will go to bed. This PMS is making me far too emotional and I'm seriously tempted to start venturing into my personal life, which is NOT what this blog is for. Been there and done that with horrendous results. Leaving it at this for now - will update with some ground training reports. Woo.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
You love me, you really love me!
It would be easy in a job as low as mine to be swept aside or taken advantage of in terms of being appreciated. Actually, to hopefully not sound too emo, there are very few times in my entire life I've ever felt appreciated or wanted (cue violins). Two days ago, after struggling out of bed at 4am to do international departures, my supervisor for the shift pulled me aside and told me, straight out, that she loved working with me because I was so easy to get along with and did a damn good job.
I was flabbergasted. I really was. How many times does a superior admit to enjoying working with you? I can't recall it ever happening in any other job I've had. So wow. I'm pleasantly shocked.
Sunday marked my 6-month anniversary as an employee (and don't diss - my 6-month anniversary with my ex was, like, a big deal. Romantic writings in the beach and all. Oh to be 18 and in love again...I digress and apologise). 6 months at this company is kinda major because it means you're suddenly entitled to a lot of cool stuff, including pension plans and - BLISS! - staff travel.
The two sweetest words you will ever hear when you work for an airline. Staff travel. How wonderfully bizarre it was to book a flight to Christchurch for a fraction what I'd normally pay, then have to change it to a later flight for NOTHING. When I went to Dunedin last year on full fare and had to change my flight, it cost me over $150 just for the change! Now I can chop, change and cancel all for nada. Brill.
The reason I had to change my flight is because on Friday we finally get to vote on the big cost-reducing strategy. At first this looked destined to mean we were going to be outsourced to a foreign company, which would have been the pits, but it seems they have come up with an in-house solution. Now the vote just needs to pass and we're all good.
I'm voting yes because I'm a selfish bitch. My pay is going to go up on this new scheme. Many others' are going to go down. I also don't want to be outsourced and the new proposal is very fair, and the people losing money know that they can take redundancy in a very good package. Some of those people have been there 20 or 30 years and are ready to just take the nest egg and go. Plus they get to keep staff travel for a year after they leave. High five.
Everyone at work seems to hate our CEO but I guess as a boss's daughter I feel sorry for him. He must have the hardest job in the world, particuarly with aviation the crazy world it is today, and I'm sure he doesn't want to let staff go. But what choice does he have? It's a business. It has to make a profit. And everyone makes him out to be the bad guy because of it.
I hate the way everyone says "Oh yes, he's sitting up there in his Armani suit, writing with his Parker pen while his BMW gets polished by some $10/hr immigrant." I imagine this is miles away from the truth. Because people say the same things about my dad and he's the most down-to-earth, hard working person I know. So I wish people would just shut up, they don't know the guy and what he has to do to keep the company afloat.
Despite over 7 hours checking people in, I didn't have many dimwitted customers today. A rarity, I can assure you. My latest roster shows I'm doing ground training in a couple of weeks, SCORE! I thought it would never happen!
Actually I'm kinda nervous about doing the public announcements, even though I love public speaking. My friend stuffed up yesterday by requesting a passenger "travelling to Paraparam" return to the counter, when really this passenger was heading for Palmerston North. But we both laughed about it for ages afterwards.
I've fricken hurt my back but it doesn't feel like I've pulled it so I don't know if I can pin this one on work and the tons of bags we end up lifting every day. It feels more like I've trapped a nerve or something. It comes and goes but when it comes, bloody oath it hurts. If it's still playing up when I get back from CHC next week I'll have it looked at. Bring on ACC.
Well this was rather meaningless and drawn out so I might head off now. 4am start tomorrow, choice, I get to wake up at 3am! But at least it's not a completely thankless task.
I was flabbergasted. I really was. How many times does a superior admit to enjoying working with you? I can't recall it ever happening in any other job I've had. So wow. I'm pleasantly shocked.
Sunday marked my 6-month anniversary as an employee (and don't diss - my 6-month anniversary with my ex was, like, a big deal. Romantic writings in the beach and all. Oh to be 18 and in love again...I digress and apologise). 6 months at this company is kinda major because it means you're suddenly entitled to a lot of cool stuff, including pension plans and - BLISS! - staff travel.
The two sweetest words you will ever hear when you work for an airline. Staff travel. How wonderfully bizarre it was to book a flight to Christchurch for a fraction what I'd normally pay, then have to change it to a later flight for NOTHING. When I went to Dunedin last year on full fare and had to change my flight, it cost me over $150 just for the change! Now I can chop, change and cancel all for nada. Brill.
The reason I had to change my flight is because on Friday we finally get to vote on the big cost-reducing strategy. At first this looked destined to mean we were going to be outsourced to a foreign company, which would have been the pits, but it seems they have come up with an in-house solution. Now the vote just needs to pass and we're all good.
I'm voting yes because I'm a selfish bitch. My pay is going to go up on this new scheme. Many others' are going to go down. I also don't want to be outsourced and the new proposal is very fair, and the people losing money know that they can take redundancy in a very good package. Some of those people have been there 20 or 30 years and are ready to just take the nest egg and go. Plus they get to keep staff travel for a year after they leave. High five.
Everyone at work seems to hate our CEO but I guess as a boss's daughter I feel sorry for him. He must have the hardest job in the world, particuarly with aviation the crazy world it is today, and I'm sure he doesn't want to let staff go. But what choice does he have? It's a business. It has to make a profit. And everyone makes him out to be the bad guy because of it.
I hate the way everyone says "Oh yes, he's sitting up there in his Armani suit, writing with his Parker pen while his BMW gets polished by some $10/hr immigrant." I imagine this is miles away from the truth. Because people say the same things about my dad and he's the most down-to-earth, hard working person I know. So I wish people would just shut up, they don't know the guy and what he has to do to keep the company afloat.
Despite over 7 hours checking people in, I didn't have many dimwitted customers today. A rarity, I can assure you. My latest roster shows I'm doing ground training in a couple of weeks, SCORE! I thought it would never happen!
Actually I'm kinda nervous about doing the public announcements, even though I love public speaking. My friend stuffed up yesterday by requesting a passenger "travelling to Paraparam" return to the counter, when really this passenger was heading for Palmerston North. But we both laughed about it for ages afterwards.
I've fricken hurt my back but it doesn't feel like I've pulled it so I don't know if I can pin this one on work and the tons of bags we end up lifting every day. It feels more like I've trapped a nerve or something. It comes and goes but when it comes, bloody oath it hurts. If it's still playing up when I get back from CHC next week I'll have it looked at. Bring on ACC.
Well this was rather meaningless and drawn out so I might head off now. 4am start tomorrow, choice, I get to wake up at 3am! But at least it's not a completely thankless task.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Reasons I love my job
Okay looking over this, a clear pattern of negativity is emerging. This is the best job I've ever had and I'm doing nothing but dissing the shit out of it. So let me go through the reasons why I love my job and then I can outline my fantastic day - made fantastic by one sole check-in. Go figure.
1) I get to work in an airport. Sadly, I love airports. There's some kind of buzz, an atmosphere that can't be emulated anywhere else and it just engulfs you when you walk in. Before I was working, I used to walk to the airport (which was a good 6km from my last place) and then sit in the main terminal, just soaking it up. I already said it was sad, okay? Let's not dwell on that.
2) The people I work with are (mostly) fantastic. In every job there's gonna be one or two that you're never going to be bosom buddies with and fair enough; you can't like everyone, after all. But some of my mates there are just the best, I laugh every single day I'm there, even the shitty oversold cancelled days.
3) As in any customer service job, I get some awesome work stories. Passengers throwing tantrums or who are as thick as the mud on their gumboots make for great retellings at your next dinner party. Or BBQ, as my age group is probably more inclined...
4) Okay it had to be brought up, the money and perks are fabulous. I get time and a half just for working the weekend - when I first saw that I literally exclaimed, "What the fuck?!" In any other job I've struggled to get time and a half for working a normal public holiday! Not here - public holidays mean double time. And the perks...there's that many that I don't even know most of them. We get discounts at jewelers, day spas, shoe stores, florists, tourist attractions, accommodation around the world. Bloody hell.
5) Kinda falls into the last category but hella cheap airfares. Yes you travel standby and yes, you're the lowest of the low on the pecking order should your flight be full/disrupted, but my God when you see how much we pay! I almost feel like I'm robbing the airline! It's honestly a dream come true because all I've ever wanted to do is travel, and this is the most realistic chance I'll get. To have this opportunity is just unbelievable.
6) Checking in famous people. Okay so New Zealand isn't crawling with Britney Spears and her A-list mates but when it comes to her or one of our rugby teams I know who I'll pick any day. Sports stars, TV presenters, tons of journos, politicians (Don Brash is the nicest so far, he was such a gentleman!) and personalities. It's wicked.
Today's fantastic event was thanks to that last point. I checked in a very well-known TV personality and a mate he was travelling with. For one thing, he is amazingly good-looking in real life. After putting a stop to my salivating, I managed to actually have a really long, funny conversation with him. I felt about 12 admitting that I love all his work and even said "I know you probably hear this all the time, but..." but he seemed genuinely touched. I mentioned that we had used some of his shows as studies at Uni and he was really interested, wanting to know what I was studying and if I was enjoying it. Then we joked about the latest cost-cutting venture the airline's put in place and I apologised for not being able to get them a row on their own; but he was really down-to-earth, didn't make a big song and dance (unlike SOME passengers), and walked away with many thanks for "such a friendly check-in."
Dammit, I wish I'd got a photo. To revert to my teenage self for a minute, he is SO HOT.
Actually I reverted to that when I texted my sister afterwards to tell her: "Oh my God I just checked in ***** ***!!! Hes SO hot! I cant stop shaking he was so nice we talked for ages! Wish I'd got a photo :-( swoon..."
He was actually very genuine, not up himself at all, hell he wasn't even listed as a frequent flyer even though he must get around the country a lot. Oh God I hope I get to check him in again. That tops my list of best ever check-ins. Not to offend my aunty and uncle I checked in not long ago, but ahhh...I just wanted to get my fingers tangled in his hair...
Ahem. Excuse me. That wasn't professional at all.
It's now 1.20am, Wednesday morning, it's freezing and I've just finished the international arrivals. Which was dull as dust since our first flight didn't come in until 2 hours after I started my international segment. So we sat around watching Police 10-7 and reading OK! It's been a long day. Had Uni for a couple of hours in the morning then work from 4.45 til now. So I'm going to go read my Jeremy Clarkson book and hopefully fall into blissful slumber.
Swoon...swoon...swoon...
1) I get to work in an airport. Sadly, I love airports. There's some kind of buzz, an atmosphere that can't be emulated anywhere else and it just engulfs you when you walk in. Before I was working, I used to walk to the airport (which was a good 6km from my last place) and then sit in the main terminal, just soaking it up. I already said it was sad, okay? Let's not dwell on that.
2) The people I work with are (mostly) fantastic. In every job there's gonna be one or two that you're never going to be bosom buddies with and fair enough; you can't like everyone, after all. But some of my mates there are just the best, I laugh every single day I'm there, even the shitty oversold cancelled days.
3) As in any customer service job, I get some awesome work stories. Passengers throwing tantrums or who are as thick as the mud on their gumboots make for great retellings at your next dinner party. Or BBQ, as my age group is probably more inclined...
4) Okay it had to be brought up, the money and perks are fabulous. I get time and a half just for working the weekend - when I first saw that I literally exclaimed, "What the fuck?!" In any other job I've struggled to get time and a half for working a normal public holiday! Not here - public holidays mean double time. And the perks...there's that many that I don't even know most of them. We get discounts at jewelers, day spas, shoe stores, florists, tourist attractions, accommodation around the world. Bloody hell.
5) Kinda falls into the last category but hella cheap airfares. Yes you travel standby and yes, you're the lowest of the low on the pecking order should your flight be full/disrupted, but my God when you see how much we pay! I almost feel like I'm robbing the airline! It's honestly a dream come true because all I've ever wanted to do is travel, and this is the most realistic chance I'll get. To have this opportunity is just unbelievable.
6) Checking in famous people. Okay so New Zealand isn't crawling with Britney Spears and her A-list mates but when it comes to her or one of our rugby teams I know who I'll pick any day. Sports stars, TV presenters, tons of journos, politicians (Don Brash is the nicest so far, he was such a gentleman!) and personalities. It's wicked.
Today's fantastic event was thanks to that last point. I checked in a very well-known TV personality and a mate he was travelling with. For one thing, he is amazingly good-looking in real life. After putting a stop to my salivating, I managed to actually have a really long, funny conversation with him. I felt about 12 admitting that I love all his work and even said "I know you probably hear this all the time, but..." but he seemed genuinely touched. I mentioned that we had used some of his shows as studies at Uni and he was really interested, wanting to know what I was studying and if I was enjoying it. Then we joked about the latest cost-cutting venture the airline's put in place and I apologised for not being able to get them a row on their own; but he was really down-to-earth, didn't make a big song and dance (unlike SOME passengers), and walked away with many thanks for "such a friendly check-in."
Dammit, I wish I'd got a photo. To revert to my teenage self for a minute, he is SO HOT.
Actually I reverted to that when I texted my sister afterwards to tell her: "Oh my God I just checked in ***** ***!!! Hes SO hot! I cant stop shaking he was so nice we talked for ages! Wish I'd got a photo :-( swoon..."
He was actually very genuine, not up himself at all, hell he wasn't even listed as a frequent flyer even though he must get around the country a lot. Oh God I hope I get to check him in again. That tops my list of best ever check-ins. Not to offend my aunty and uncle I checked in not long ago, but ahhh...I just wanted to get my fingers tangled in his hair...
Ahem. Excuse me. That wasn't professional at all.
It's now 1.20am, Wednesday morning, it's freezing and I've just finished the international arrivals. Which was dull as dust since our first flight didn't come in until 2 hours after I started my international segment. So we sat around watching Police 10-7 and reading OK! It's been a long day. Had Uni for a couple of hours in the morning then work from 4.45 til now. So I'm going to go read my Jeremy Clarkson book and hopefully fall into blissful slumber.
Swoon...swoon...swoon...
Friday, March 16, 2007
Paper cuts and pet peeves
Oooh yesterday sucked. There's no other way to put it. I should've been prepared for it when my supervisor for the day was moaning about how there was no staff for the Friday afternoon rush. I haven't worked a Friday arvo in so long, I guess I didn't really take notice.
Oh my. I wish I had.
I was on stupid, boring, monotonous bag drop all day, which leaves you feeling like little more than a robot about an hour or two in. The passengers have done the hard bit, checking themselves in, we just have to send the bags away. So you kind of end up doing the same thing over and over - take boarding pass, enter bag weight, tag bag, release bag.
Occasionally I'll ask security questions but these seem to be slipping my mind a bit lately. Oops. I'm sure it will be reinforced at the end of the month when no one will be allowed liquids on any flights outside New Zealand unless they're in a clear resealable plastic bag. Arghh.
Anyways my shift started badly when I went to actually check a couple in (who had been dimwitted enough not to read the screens and were supposed to be in the other queue, but this isn't uncommon) and saw the flight was oversold. Refer last post. Gulping in anticipation, I finished the check in and lo and behold, they were put on standby. I went to see my supervisor, who also groaned at the prospect of telling these people they weren't gonna get to where they wanted to go straight away. I believe they were going to Napier. In the end we had to re-route them via Auckland, which would usually be easy enough.
Except that two flights to Auckland got cancelled. Queue major chaos and angry frequent flyers just wanting to get home for the weekend.
It's bad enough when any flight gets cancelled, but AKL is our busiest route, particularly on a Friday. Oh and then another flight, this time to Tauranga, was oversold and another couple had to be re-routed via Rotorua and then bussed to TRG. Bloody hell.
It was a trying day for all concerned. We were majorly short staffed, which is becoming all too frequent an occurence, and the queues were winding out the door most of the day. Just crazy.
Personally, I was ready to break. I managed to wind up with three different paper cuts from tagging bags, which I haven't done since I first started, including one that was so bad I was bleeding for at least 20 minutes. But did I have an opportunity to go get a band-aid? Oh no, not with eager passengers coming up to my counter before I called them over and was actually ready to serve them.
This has to be my biggest peeve of all. There are signs all through the queues saying "Please wait until called by check-in agent." Does anyone actually do this? HELL NO. They see the previous person walking away and rush up to the counter, even though I may have to still put extra tags on the bag, enter data into the computer or, as yesterday's example shows, attend to a medical emergency (lol!!). There are even big-shot passengers who think it's okay to not only stand right behind the person I'm serving, but to push in altogether. This happens a lot when it's busy because people, understandably, panic that they're going to miss their flight due to waiting in the queue.
Some stupid woman had the nerve to almost enter into my counter yesterday (ahem, security...) while I was dealing with someone else and their six bags, to demand that she be served because her flight was leaving in 30 minutes. I calmly explained that everyone else has to wait and that the flight doesn't close for 15 minutes so if she just lines up she will be served. We frequently check the queues for flights leaving soon but 30 minutes doesn't warrant "soon." She was not impressed but by then I couldn't give a rats. I hate it when people interrupt me in the middle of something and in the end it's only going to make the queue longer for everyone. So just back off.
Other peeves also resurrected yesterday. There are signs on the counter explaining how to go through a "safe" check-in. Safe, ha, tell that to my back that I can hardly move right now. Basically it asks to please place the bags with the handle upright and to remove all old tags. Most people ignore this. The bags get put on the belt completely flat - how the hell is this going to work?! - and it would seem most think it's our job to remove the old WLG tags so that the bag doesn't wind up back where it started. Actually it's not, and if an old tag is on a bag that goes missing it's the passenger's liability. Not that they'll listen or agree but it's true.
SO REMOVE YOUR OLD TAGS.
Oh and one more thing I can't stand is when people write out their luggage labels and take goddamn FOREVER doing it. I always say "All we need is a name and contact number" but oh no, we have to put our street address, suburb, postcode, city, country, email address and cellphone number before we can tie it to our bag. Like we're going to traipse to your house if your bag shows up somewhere it's not supposed to - we're going to ring you first.
I think I'm done for now. I'm only working 3 hours today so I really shouldn't have any right to complain at all. Bets in that I'll get asked to stay on, just as I was yesterday...not that I'll say yes. The Crusaders are playing tonight. LOL!
Oh my. I wish I had.
I was on stupid, boring, monotonous bag drop all day, which leaves you feeling like little more than a robot about an hour or two in. The passengers have done the hard bit, checking themselves in, we just have to send the bags away. So you kind of end up doing the same thing over and over - take boarding pass, enter bag weight, tag bag, release bag.
Occasionally I'll ask security questions but these seem to be slipping my mind a bit lately. Oops. I'm sure it will be reinforced at the end of the month when no one will be allowed liquids on any flights outside New Zealand unless they're in a clear resealable plastic bag. Arghh.
Anyways my shift started badly when I went to actually check a couple in (who had been dimwitted enough not to read the screens and were supposed to be in the other queue, but this isn't uncommon) and saw the flight was oversold. Refer last post. Gulping in anticipation, I finished the check in and lo and behold, they were put on standby. I went to see my supervisor, who also groaned at the prospect of telling these people they weren't gonna get to where they wanted to go straight away. I believe they were going to Napier. In the end we had to re-route them via Auckland, which would usually be easy enough.
Except that two flights to Auckland got cancelled. Queue major chaos and angry frequent flyers just wanting to get home for the weekend.
It's bad enough when any flight gets cancelled, but AKL is our busiest route, particularly on a Friday. Oh and then another flight, this time to Tauranga, was oversold and another couple had to be re-routed via Rotorua and then bussed to TRG. Bloody hell.
It was a trying day for all concerned. We were majorly short staffed, which is becoming all too frequent an occurence, and the queues were winding out the door most of the day. Just crazy.
Personally, I was ready to break. I managed to wind up with three different paper cuts from tagging bags, which I haven't done since I first started, including one that was so bad I was bleeding for at least 20 minutes. But did I have an opportunity to go get a band-aid? Oh no, not with eager passengers coming up to my counter before I called them over and was actually ready to serve them.
This has to be my biggest peeve of all. There are signs all through the queues saying "Please wait until called by check-in agent." Does anyone actually do this? HELL NO. They see the previous person walking away and rush up to the counter, even though I may have to still put extra tags on the bag, enter data into the computer or, as yesterday's example shows, attend to a medical emergency (lol!!). There are even big-shot passengers who think it's okay to not only stand right behind the person I'm serving, but to push in altogether. This happens a lot when it's busy because people, understandably, panic that they're going to miss their flight due to waiting in the queue.
Some stupid woman had the nerve to almost enter into my counter yesterday (ahem, security...) while I was dealing with someone else and their six bags, to demand that she be served because her flight was leaving in 30 minutes. I calmly explained that everyone else has to wait and that the flight doesn't close for 15 minutes so if she just lines up she will be served. We frequently check the queues for flights leaving soon but 30 minutes doesn't warrant "soon." She was not impressed but by then I couldn't give a rats. I hate it when people interrupt me in the middle of something and in the end it's only going to make the queue longer for everyone. So just back off.
Other peeves also resurrected yesterday. There are signs on the counter explaining how to go through a "safe" check-in. Safe, ha, tell that to my back that I can hardly move right now. Basically it asks to please place the bags with the handle upright and to remove all old tags. Most people ignore this. The bags get put on the belt completely flat - how the hell is this going to work?! - and it would seem most think it's our job to remove the old WLG tags so that the bag doesn't wind up back where it started. Actually it's not, and if an old tag is on a bag that goes missing it's the passenger's liability. Not that they'll listen or agree but it's true.
SO REMOVE YOUR OLD TAGS.
Oh and one more thing I can't stand is when people write out their luggage labels and take goddamn FOREVER doing it. I always say "All we need is a name and contact number" but oh no, we have to put our street address, suburb, postcode, city, country, email address and cellphone number before we can tie it to our bag. Like we're going to traipse to your house if your bag shows up somewhere it's not supposed to - we're going to ring you first.
I think I'm done for now. I'm only working 3 hours today so I really shouldn't have any right to complain at all. Bets in that I'll get asked to stay on, just as I was yesterday...not that I'll say yes. The Crusaders are playing tonight. LOL!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Read your terms and conditions
There are two reasons I shouldn't be posting today - one being that I didn't actually work (joy!), and the other being that I am so sick I can barely focus on anything. I've walked around like a zombie most of the day, which has been interesting given that I didn't have a car while it was getting serviced...and it was pissing down with rain. But I digress.
The reason I write today is because my beloved employers are in the news, as they are almost every week, which I guess is to be expected when you pretty much hold a monopoly in a developed country. I want to make a record of this so I remember. Basically a flight from CHC to WLG was oversold and people got bumped to later flights. Unfortunately this isn't all that uncommon. In fact it's company policy, and a very common practice adopted by most certified airlines around the world.
As you can imagine, this is massive fun for those of us behind the counters (I don't know if I can convey sarcasm on this thing but I'm dripping with it right now). Most flights are authorised to be oversold. A typical flight using a Boeing 737 - in our case most travelling between CHC, WLG and AKL - has only 136 seats available but we can sell up to 140 or in some cases 144. I've seen flights from AKL to LAX or LHR oversold by 12!
Today it was reported that some poor soul in Christchurch was two hours late to his grandmother's funeral in Wellington because of the overselling policy, despite having paid $344 for his ticket. Said customer has now taken his gripe to the media and complained that the airport staff were totally unsympathetic and told him it was his problem.
I find this really, really hard to believe. We hate it when flights get oversold. We dread it. If those of us on the frontline could change the policy we bloody would; if there's 136 seats on a plane, don't sell more than 136 seats! Make ours and the passengers' lives easier. But the reason this exists is because on any given day, dozens of passengers miss their flights, therefore freeing up lots of seats on busy routes. In theory this should work out well...but in my encounters with it, and today's example, it obviously backfires very badly.
I am not in any way demeaning this particular customer's distress, especially during such an awful time for him, but I'm not sure why he had to highlight his so-called treatment at the airport. If I told a customer that overselling was his problem and he took it up with a supervisor or the media, I would be in line for firing or at the very least a very severe disciplinary action (e.g. I could lose my staff travel benefits). I find it far more believable that he was told that this practice is company policy, it's stated in the terms and conditions of the ticket and that it is beyond our control. After hearing this, and in the state he was most likely in, I can imagine he has taken it the wrong way and is now crying foul to all who will listen.
This is one of the things that really gets me about customer service. It's not our fault we have to follow the rules but quite frankly I don't want to lose my job or be reprimanded for excusing one and ignoring all others. When I explain that there's nothing I can do about it, I always add that I would change it if I could but by then it's too late. Most customers have it set in their mind that I'm an unhelpful bitch who doesn't care about their predicament.
Sigh. If you only knew some of the nights I've spent wondering if you got to your destination okay...
I have a feeling part of this story has been blown out of proportion because in my experience with overselling, we always ask the reason for travel. If it was something as important as a funeral, I strongly believe everything would be done in our power to get that person where they need to be on time, including asking for volunteers to take a later flight instead. We've done this before, it's worked, I just can't understand why this one case has gone so wrong in so many ways.
Oh wait, I should know, I'm a media student. Let's take a story about an evil company and blow it up to front page stuff. Again, not demeaning this awful situation, but this has been going on for years without so much as a squeak of a complaint. Why now?
I would go on but my eyes/chest/throat/head are so sore I physically can't. I would change the terms and conditions, but because I can't I strongly suggest you actually read them before you click that little "submit" button on your e-ticket purchase. The words reserved, OK and confirmed do not necessarily guarantee you a seat.
The reason I write today is because my beloved employers are in the news, as they are almost every week, which I guess is to be expected when you pretty much hold a monopoly in a developed country. I want to make a record of this so I remember. Basically a flight from CHC to WLG was oversold and people got bumped to later flights. Unfortunately this isn't all that uncommon. In fact it's company policy, and a very common practice adopted by most certified airlines around the world.
As you can imagine, this is massive fun for those of us behind the counters (I don't know if I can convey sarcasm on this thing but I'm dripping with it right now). Most flights are authorised to be oversold. A typical flight using a Boeing 737 - in our case most travelling between CHC, WLG and AKL - has only 136 seats available but we can sell up to 140 or in some cases 144. I've seen flights from AKL to LAX or LHR oversold by 12!
Today it was reported that some poor soul in Christchurch was two hours late to his grandmother's funeral in Wellington because of the overselling policy, despite having paid $344 for his ticket. Said customer has now taken his gripe to the media and complained that the airport staff were totally unsympathetic and told him it was his problem.
I find this really, really hard to believe. We hate it when flights get oversold. We dread it. If those of us on the frontline could change the policy we bloody would; if there's 136 seats on a plane, don't sell more than 136 seats! Make ours and the passengers' lives easier. But the reason this exists is because on any given day, dozens of passengers miss their flights, therefore freeing up lots of seats on busy routes. In theory this should work out well...but in my encounters with it, and today's example, it obviously backfires very badly.
I am not in any way demeaning this particular customer's distress, especially during such an awful time for him, but I'm not sure why he had to highlight his so-called treatment at the airport. If I told a customer that overselling was his problem and he took it up with a supervisor or the media, I would be in line for firing or at the very least a very severe disciplinary action (e.g. I could lose my staff travel benefits). I find it far more believable that he was told that this practice is company policy, it's stated in the terms and conditions of the ticket and that it is beyond our control. After hearing this, and in the state he was most likely in, I can imagine he has taken it the wrong way and is now crying foul to all who will listen.
This is one of the things that really gets me about customer service. It's not our fault we have to follow the rules but quite frankly I don't want to lose my job or be reprimanded for excusing one and ignoring all others. When I explain that there's nothing I can do about it, I always add that I would change it if I could but by then it's too late. Most customers have it set in their mind that I'm an unhelpful bitch who doesn't care about their predicament.
Sigh. If you only knew some of the nights I've spent wondering if you got to your destination okay...
I have a feeling part of this story has been blown out of proportion because in my experience with overselling, we always ask the reason for travel. If it was something as important as a funeral, I strongly believe everything would be done in our power to get that person where they need to be on time, including asking for volunteers to take a later flight instead. We've done this before, it's worked, I just can't understand why this one case has gone so wrong in so many ways.
Oh wait, I should know, I'm a media student. Let's take a story about an evil company and blow it up to front page stuff. Again, not demeaning this awful situation, but this has been going on for years without so much as a squeak of a complaint. Why now?
I would go on but my eyes/chest/throat/head are so sore I physically can't. I would change the terms and conditions, but because I can't I strongly suggest you actually read them before you click that little "submit" button on your e-ticket purchase. The words reserved, OK and confirmed do not necessarily guarantee you a seat.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Numero Uno (sorry, it's gonna be long...but good)
When I was a teenager (which, admittedly, was not all that long ago), my father used to remark that I could whinge for New Zealand. "You'd get gold if that were an Olympic sport, Sarah" he'd chuckle. Now this has evolved into the art I call ranting. Not as in a ranting lunatic (well, I hope not anyways) but I somehow get into this groove of just writing and writing about crap that doesn't really matter to or interest anyone else. And I never know when to stop.
So I've started this blog basically to get down all my gripes with my professional life - if you can call what I do professional. I'm actually supposed to be a university student first and foremost, and would never jeopordise my studies, but my job is actually starting to consume me. If nothing because I love it so much.
Anyone who has ever dealt with the public or worked at the bottom of the food chain which, let's be honest, is where most people start, will immediately empathise with my upcoming rants. I'm actually incredibly lucky to do be doing my job while I'm at uni, I don't know any other students on my type of wage or who get the amazing amount of perks that I do. And considering I absolutely prayed to land this job while the (lengthy) interview process was going on, I can't be ungrateful. I'm not ungrateful. I reiterate this over and over.
I suppose I should actually kind of mention where I work. I work at the airport here for our national airline (that totally gives it away but I'm not entirely sure how explicit I can be about my employer so I'll play it safe). Obviously, I'm a customer service agent. I check in numerous throngs of people every day, listen to their complaints and perform miracles on getting them onto departing planes when they've slept in for their flights. As a bit of a closet planespotter (yes, a GIRL planespotter, good grief) this is all a bit of a dream for me.
That doesn't mean there are things that really get my goat though.
Let me recap - I'm nearly 22 and I've had...let me count...five jobs since I left school in 2002. I didn't finish school, not because I was dumb enough not to, but because I got so goddamn bored of the place that I started wagging class in a desperate attempt to make my parents see how much of a waste of time it was.
Cut me some slack, I was only 17. To be old and wise you must first be young and stupid, etc etc.
My first job was at a McDonald's in a mall in my hometown. I can say with absolute conviction it was the worst job I could ever imagine and not just for the terrifying first encounter with public dealings. I was paid $8 an hour to do physically demanding, unrelentless work for managers barely older than myself who thought they were royalty. The whole place was corrupt and nearly put me off work altogether.
But since then things have slowly got better, advancing to a sole charge receptionist in a real estate office and then a brief stint at my father's work doing admin and driving jobs. I could say I dealt with the public in all these jobs but I didn't really experience customer service until I started working in a call centre.
It was for a telecommunications company here (there are really only two and this was the smaller and therefore more bumbling of the two) and I suppose anything involving technology and the dire need to be contactable 24/7 is going to compound things when the shit hits the fan. I was called every name under the sun, 90-year old ladies would scream at me down the phone if I couldn't get their UKTV back on...once I even got threatened by a very angry South African man with a rifle. Not enough to make me terrified but still, enough to have me looking over my shoulder on my way to work for any grassy knolls.
I somehow survived there a year before I realised I wanted a little more than just these stop-gap jobs. Desperate to put my love of writing into something I could make a life out of, I packed up, said goodbye to the few friends I have back home and moved up to the capital city of Wellington to start university. My first nine months of uni were fantastic, didn't receive a mark below a B and surprisingly found myself passionate about what I was learning.
But the sad reality of being a student is being poor, which was a huge shock to my system after working full-time the last four years. In some bizarre twist of fate I found an ad on the internet for my job and, after going through four different interviews and a multitude of security/personality/medical checks, I was hired. And stoked.
Since then I've worked anywhere from 4am to 2am and unfortunately in the process come to remember my pet peeves when dealing with the public. Now this is the place to record them, instead of laying it on my mates who can't really understand. From ungrateful passengers who expect you to scrape and bow at their mere presence, to the ones who need to be spoken to in very small words before any sort of understanding can connect to their brains, it's impossible to deny customer service is definitely not a job for the faint-hearted. It's amazing how thick your skin becomes, and if it doesn't then it's not the job for you.
I'll jot some real experiences down soon but for now I'm a little ranted out about my history (someone my age should not have such an extensive working past...makes the CV look a little strange). Today I worked 5.45-10am then had uni so I'm understandably wiped. Thank God tomorrow is a day off, I'm pretty sure I've thrown my back slightly lifting unbelievably heavy bags.
Seriously...how much luggage do you need to take to Hamilton or Invercargill? They're not exactly places where it's going off.
Oh boy. It starts. :)
So I've started this blog basically to get down all my gripes with my professional life - if you can call what I do professional. I'm actually supposed to be a university student first and foremost, and would never jeopordise my studies, but my job is actually starting to consume me. If nothing because I love it so much.
Anyone who has ever dealt with the public or worked at the bottom of the food chain which, let's be honest, is where most people start, will immediately empathise with my upcoming rants. I'm actually incredibly lucky to do be doing my job while I'm at uni, I don't know any other students on my type of wage or who get the amazing amount of perks that I do. And considering I absolutely prayed to land this job while the (lengthy) interview process was going on, I can't be ungrateful. I'm not ungrateful. I reiterate this over and over.
I suppose I should actually kind of mention where I work. I work at the airport here for our national airline (that totally gives it away but I'm not entirely sure how explicit I can be about my employer so I'll play it safe). Obviously, I'm a customer service agent. I check in numerous throngs of people every day, listen to their complaints and perform miracles on getting them onto departing planes when they've slept in for their flights. As a bit of a closet planespotter (yes, a GIRL planespotter, good grief) this is all a bit of a dream for me.
That doesn't mean there are things that really get my goat though.
Let me recap - I'm nearly 22 and I've had...let me count...five jobs since I left school in 2002. I didn't finish school, not because I was dumb enough not to, but because I got so goddamn bored of the place that I started wagging class in a desperate attempt to make my parents see how much of a waste of time it was.
Cut me some slack, I was only 17. To be old and wise you must first be young and stupid, etc etc.
My first job was at a McDonald's in a mall in my hometown. I can say with absolute conviction it was the worst job I could ever imagine and not just for the terrifying first encounter with public dealings. I was paid $8 an hour to do physically demanding, unrelentless work for managers barely older than myself who thought they were royalty. The whole place was corrupt and nearly put me off work altogether.
But since then things have slowly got better, advancing to a sole charge receptionist in a real estate office and then a brief stint at my father's work doing admin and driving jobs. I could say I dealt with the public in all these jobs but I didn't really experience customer service until I started working in a call centre.
It was for a telecommunications company here (there are really only two and this was the smaller and therefore more bumbling of the two) and I suppose anything involving technology and the dire need to be contactable 24/7 is going to compound things when the shit hits the fan. I was called every name under the sun, 90-year old ladies would scream at me down the phone if I couldn't get their UKTV back on...once I even got threatened by a very angry South African man with a rifle. Not enough to make me terrified but still, enough to have me looking over my shoulder on my way to work for any grassy knolls.
I somehow survived there a year before I realised I wanted a little more than just these stop-gap jobs. Desperate to put my love of writing into something I could make a life out of, I packed up, said goodbye to the few friends I have back home and moved up to the capital city of Wellington to start university. My first nine months of uni were fantastic, didn't receive a mark below a B and surprisingly found myself passionate about what I was learning.
But the sad reality of being a student is being poor, which was a huge shock to my system after working full-time the last four years. In some bizarre twist of fate I found an ad on the internet for my job and, after going through four different interviews and a multitude of security/personality/medical checks, I was hired. And stoked.
Since then I've worked anywhere from 4am to 2am and unfortunately in the process come to remember my pet peeves when dealing with the public. Now this is the place to record them, instead of laying it on my mates who can't really understand. From ungrateful passengers who expect you to scrape and bow at their mere presence, to the ones who need to be spoken to in very small words before any sort of understanding can connect to their brains, it's impossible to deny customer service is definitely not a job for the faint-hearted. It's amazing how thick your skin becomes, and if it doesn't then it's not the job for you.
I'll jot some real experiences down soon but for now I'm a little ranted out about my history (someone my age should not have such an extensive working past...makes the CV look a little strange). Today I worked 5.45-10am then had uni so I'm understandably wiped. Thank God tomorrow is a day off, I'm pretty sure I've thrown my back slightly lifting unbelievably heavy bags.
Seriously...how much luggage do you need to take to Hamilton or Invercargill? They're not exactly places where it's going off.
Oh boy. It starts. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)