Lazy Northwest Airlines, give me a break
I fly on Northwest Airlines — you know, the one based in Minneapolis that is always on the verge of striking thereby filling our local news with fear mongering whilst doing a piss poor job for its full fare paying customers?
Well I found out this week that Northwest Airlines doesn’t just have shabby service in the Twin Cities. I fly a lot for work. I’ve flown more than 40,000 miles so far this year, mostly on Northwest. Until recently, the underlying labor and union issues with the airlines haven’t bothered me personally. But my four Northwest flights this week in Detroit, Kentucky and back to Minneapolis spurned me to share my hometown airline experience.
Regardless of telling their employees to go dumpster diving, I don’t blame Northwest Management for these issues noted below. I blame the lazy Northwest employees who took an airline job and are then doing a crappy job while bitching about it. If you want to get paid more and not have your benefits cut, either quit or do a stellar job. It’s that easy.
I flew from Mpls to Lexington, KY last week with a connection in Detroit. Of course, our flight took off late (not because of weather, because of incompetency) making my 60 minute layover a 7 minute dash down the Detroit terminal. The Northwest mechanics had left an unmanned luggage truck parked in front of our gate blocking the plane, otherwise I may have had 12 minutes to make my connection. Upon deplaning, the Northwest ticket agent said I would make my connecting flight to KY if I ran. I ran. I did not make it. And instead of getting into Lexington at 6 p.m., I arrived at 11:30 p.m. because of Northwest inadequacies.
Last week was the huge annual horse auction in the state of Kentucky (you know, home of the Kentucky Derby). The Prince of Dubai (United Arab Emirates) was in town for the sale, and he had a huge jumbo 747 that was parked at the end of the runway while he was at the sale. It had the flag of the country and everything on it. Actually, his brother was also here and parked his 747 right next to it! One day, the Prince spent $29.5 million dollars on three horses. Ridiculous.
The Lexington Airport is the one where the Comair plane crashed a few weeks ago because of pilot and control tower error. It’s a tiny airport with one restaurant, one gift shop and the entire airport closes at 6:30 p.m.
My 5 p.m. Northwest flight out of KY was delayed until 8:55 p.m. because the incoming flight from Detroit didn’t have any Northwest crew to staff the plane. Super! And We were the last flight out, and they don’t normally have flights after 7, so the shop and restaurant closed and the lights were dimmed. It was very odd, and I was hungry.
So about an hour later, with only one NWA employee left in the entire terminal (who was maybe 20 years-old, MAYBE), the NWA ticket agent came over the intercom to tell us that the Prince of Dubai’s 474 would be taking off soon, where to stand to see it and all about the plane (it takes 96,000 gallons of fuel, will fly to London and refuel before continuing to Dubai, how it lights the runway on fire because its jets hang over the runway and burn the grass, etc.). They only have little commuter planes at this airport, so this indeed was a huge deal.
Then our trusty Northwest Airlines ticket agent says, “So ummm, we’re going to go outside and watch it take off — be right back,” and disappears.
Hilarious. So here us 50 passengers sit in a closed airport by ourselves. So like sheep, we all shuffle over the window to watch the plane take off.About that time, the phone at the little NWA station starts ringing. It rings and rings and rings, but the dude isn’t around to answer the phone. He’s outside watching a plane take off - at his freaking airport job.
You know, his airport job at the airport where an entire planeload of people just died because of incompetency? The airport where a runway was too short for a plane taking off but the pilot didn’t know because the tower operators weren’t paying attention to correct him. The airport where that very day, the top story was that the runway map currently being distributed is still wrong and could cause crashes. I’m talking a big enough story thatI counted 4 satellite trucks parked out side the airport that day because national networks were picking up their feeds. Yeah. Thanks Northwest Airlines.
So I started making jokes about it to other passengers in a mock-Kentuckiana accent, “Sorrahy, we cannt answer da phone, were out watchin’ da planes take off” — everyone laughed. Then they all started chiming in. Every one of us is headed to Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, couldn’t believe our experience with Northwest at this time, and we all joined in the fun making light of this ridiculous situation. One guy started on a huge rant about Northwest being unprofessional, and everyone had something to share. It wasn’t like there was anyone from NWA around to listen, anyway. Wow, can’t believe this company is bankrupt, can you?
The plane from Detroit finally lands, unloads its very frustrated Kentucky-bound passengers and we get on the plane ourselves. Just as they close the cockipit door, the entire plane goes dead. I’m talking jets turned off, all lights turned off, everything. The plane is silent. Then our Northwest Airlines captain yells down the plane, “Something happened! We’re looking into it.” There was no nervous laughter this time.
This is the airport where a planeload of people JUST died, and it seemed to be amateur hour for the Northwest crew. Eventually the plane clicked back on and the pilot came over the intercom to say something about a breaker that they’d check once we landed in Detroit. Nice.
We landed in Detroit (thank you GOD). The Northwest ticket agent where we got off told me I’d make my connecting flight home to Minneapolis if I ran.
I ran. I missed it. They put me up in a nasty “Best America Value” motel, which had more DNA on the floor than a science lab. The next morning, my Northwest flight home to Minneapolis was again delayed because of non-weather-related issues.
Did they lose my luggage after all of this, you ask? Yes, they did.
I’ll still continue to fly Northwest because that’s where all my frequent flyer miles are, but I’m unhappy with four days of lazy Northwest employeees causing me to waste my time.
I hope NWA employees continue to get pay and benefit cuts to a). teach the current employees a lesson and b). get a fresh batch of employees who were hired to do a job and do that job.
You don’t see garbage men bitching about taking out the garbage each day, or postal workers bitching about selling stamps or the endless supply of mail. If you hate your job with Northwest, please quit. There are plenty of other airlines and/or other jobs you woudl be great for. If you’re not qualified for those jobs, then get trained or consider another career. I wouldn’t expect my boss to treat me right if I told him I could wreak CHAOS at any time. I wouldn’t expect my customers to support me if I took out my frustrations on them.
Hey lazy Northwest Airlines employees, give us paying customers a break and do your job! Meanwhile, I’m avoiding Kentucky again at all costs and telling everyone I can that NWA deserves what it gets.
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Capable of empathy much?
You’re right, they should quit… then maybe the airlines would realize they can’t just squeeze the life out of their employees.
But, people need their jobs, and it’s really not that easy to switch careers… at least not en masse.
I’m with you. It is absolutely ridiculous that anyone expects that they can demand anything of their employers if their employers are simply doing business (e.g., if they’re perpetrating human rights abuses - and pay cuts don’t count - on their employees, that’s a different matter). “If you don’t like it, change jobs,” may be easier said than done, but it is the solution.
There is absolutely no excuse for not doing your best, period. And if that’s your best, you should be working at McDonald’s, not somewhere where the lives of people are in your hands.
Personally, I don’t know how such selfish people can live with themselves.
Well, since you’ve been flying mostly NWA and might not be aware of this, I’ll lay it down for you:
1.ALL airlines lose luggage.
2.ALL airlines have delays.
3.ALL airlines experience technical problems with their planes. In fact, in this case, sounds like they made the right judgment in not delaying YOU any further from getting you to Detroit over a non-critical issue.
4.ALL businesses in America have any number of good employees and bad ones, your company included.
But speaking of bad employees, the runway-related accident you’re referencing was the shared fault of an airPORT employee AND a Comair pilot. It’s the airPORT’s responsibility to get the correct runway map out, not the airLINE’s - you have left out the fact that there are two separate groups here. Pilots have to rely on the airport to provide updated maps, which Kentucky has STILL not done (there’s your news story). How can you blame NWA’s employees for that? The traffic control tower is there to ensure planes are in the right place, and that tower is staffed with airPORT employees.
Speaking of good employees, I take this issue personally because my mom IS a stellar employee who has been written up in the airline’s magazine over a dozen times for exemplary service. Passengers have actually written to her supervisors praising her for a job well done and she has congratulatory certificates from the airline to prove it. She studies like crazy and scores 100% on her Emergency Recurrent test, HOT test, Ground School test and several others EVERY YEAR. She takes her job very seriously.
So, you’re suggesting (like NWA is) that none of that matters. You’re throwing GOOD people like my mom and several of her friends away when you say that you hope NWA employees get their pay/benefits cut and lose their jobs. I don’t understand your argument. NWA employees are reacting to being treated like crap for years now (which you’re also throwing out the window), and CHAOS is a result of THAT. Again, it’s not the other way around.
I mean, it’s fine if you want to bitch about a few bad flights, but seriously, do some research before you start making nasty blanket statements about people in a public setting.
Not blaming NWA for the Comair crash, but you have to agree that running outside to watch a plane take off while passengers are left alone in a terminal is the epitome of bad customer service on NWA’s part. That, on top of losing luggage, employee laziness and “non-critical” mechanical issues that were not explained in this era of human-error flight tragedy are what prompted me to write something. Because she’s such a great employee, I’m sure your mom is the one NWA employee who won’t be striking/CHAOSing, and I commend her for it.
Sure, I agree with you - you had some bad experiences. Actually, I don’t know anyone who flies regularly who HASN’T had at least one bad experience (myself included)…but those experiences aren’t exclusive to NWA, which is my point. The fact that you brought up the Comair crash was just inflammatory - it has nothing to do with the topic of bad customer service.
I don’t agree that because you’ve encountered a few bad apples that you can say all NWA employees should lose their jobs, pay and benefits to teach them all a lesson. NWA employs thousands of people - you’re complaining about what, twenty, thirty?
There is a reason it’s called Northworst
I brought up the Comair crash because that’s the airport I was in. You would think that would be the one airport where all employees would be doing their best to make passengers feel safe. Instead, the NWA workers went outside to watch a plane take off. I agree with Tipper, maybe those clowns should be at McD’s instead.
The whole industry is based on poor economics, with unions being the root of most of NWA’s issues. You don’t ever hear about any NWA employees who are anti-union and assure us they won’t strike. It’s usually 20-30 NWA representatives who are talking about CHAOS leaving travelers stranded to teach mgmt a lesson. This is a fun thread. Really got some discussion going here!
Again, I understand you had a bad experience with a select group of people at NWA. Again, that doesn’t mean it’s fair to say that ALL NWA employees are lazy and deserve repercussions. I’d like to hear your response to this slippery slope.
NWA has been run horribly from a pure business standpoint. The corporate leadership fattened their wallets WHILE they were losing money and asking their employees to make concessions. They bought a whole new fleet of planes when they knew they were heading for bankruptcy. Is that the union’s fault?
I’d be interested to know how you’ve come up with the idea that the union is “the root of most of NWA’s issues.”
I look forward to other NWA employees proving me wrong on my next trip.
Maybe it’s something about that region. I’ve flown through Cincinnati before and had some not so hot experiences there.
I can see your point, Greg. And I can see Heather’s point, too. You get bad customer service. Who do you blame? The individual? The management? Is it a training issue? There are always outstanding performers who get shafted because of their co-workers who just don’t give a shit.
Pretty safe to say Northwest needs some turnover in their upper management.
Blaming all, or even most, of NWAs problems on the unions is really a pisspoor arguement. The airline industry is a race to the bottom in general to see who can get the governmet to bail them out as critical infrastructure first.
Look to managment and the people not taking the monstrous paycuts beforeyou start finger waggling at the unions. Strikes and this operation CHAOS thing are utterly valid ways of making mangement wake up.
For the record, I racked up 98k frequent flyer miles last year and never lost a piece of luggage or ran into a delay of over an hour ( and those hour long delays were for hurricanes ). I flew Northwest once and had a 3 hour delay and had my I still don’t know where my pants are.
NWA is also currently emailing frequent fliers asking them to sign a petition to grant NWA the upcoming monopoly on service direct from the US to China.
http://www.nwa.com/features/shanghai/
Yeah, I got that email. I just laughed and deleted it.
Northwest is a big business bully.
They are abusing the law and their employees - making them give up pay, pension, etc… in order to keep their failing company in business, while the money is moved around.
If a business can’t substain itself. It might be time to go out of business. Smaller companies that treat their emplyees better usually pop up.
I think this thread proved the unfortunate truth that if you make a generalization, people will focus on that generalization and fail to grasp the whole point of whatever you say.