Has air travel taken a nosedive lately, or is it just me?
My last few trips can only be described as a type of purgatory. A mind-numbing combination of stress and boredom that makes you want to ugly cry in public.
My most recent trip: I attempted to fly down to Forrester’s CX North America conference in Nashville, Tennessee — a conference dedicated to excelling in customer experience.
You’re picking up on the irony, right?
Your Tire Was Slashed? Wait. What?
I was off to a good start. I got to the airport on time, got through security in 10 minutes (one plus for rural Pennsylvania). The flight was delayed 20 minutes, but no biggie. When I did board, there was still room in the overhead bin for my bag.
I buckled up, relaxed and broke out my book. Then, the pilot made an announcement.
“Ah, folks… The co-pilot just took a walk around the plane and found a slashed tire. We’re going to have to wait for maintenance… We don’t have a spare tire. We’re probably going to have to de-board the plane.”
And then he said the dreaded words: “Yeah, this is going to mess with your travel plans.”
Related Article: Here’s What I Learned About Customer Experience From One Pharmacy Trip
A Detour to Des Moines? Wait. What?
We de-boarded the plane and, en masse, headed to the only restaurant in the airport. A certain camaraderie developed as we grumbled about our mixed-up travel plans and waited on any news.
I was still optimistic at this point. But that optimism soon ran out.
No tire was to be found. No jack, either.
In fact, both had to be driven up from Philadelphia, a city going through a crisis of its own that day with a major bridge collapse on I-95 — a road that serves nearly 40% of America’s population.
Any flights with different connections? No. Any nearby airports with flights? No. What about flying out the next morning? Also, no.
At one point, a flustered gate agent, dealing with me (and a line of people behind me), a plane de-boarding at her gate and an angry manager, handed me a set of new tickets, telling me that I was all set for a new flight the next morning. I looked down at the destination on the ticket: Des Moines, Iowa. Nope. That’s not Nashville.
Twice, I had to correct the agent on where I was headed. And again, I was left with no solution, waiting on the plane that would never depart.
You Closed My Flight. Wait. What?
A glimmer of hope shone around 9:30 p.m. — 11.5 hours after I arrived at the airport.
I was on standby for a different flight, one that would deposit me in Charlotte, North Carolina for the night. I would spend the night in Charlotte (sans luggage), then get another flight in the morning to Nashville.
The flight was fully boarded, and there was one seat left. Two people (myself included) needed a seat, and I had priority. I was only waiting on a seat number.
As one agent helped me, another was responsible for running the “report.” I watched that agent as I waited, and noticed a look of panic come over his face.
“I accidentally closed the flight,” he told the agent helping me.
“Can’t you re-open it quickly?” a nearby passenger asked.
“No,” he shook his head.
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A Little Irony With This Customer Experience Lesson
Neither I nor the other waiting passenger got that seat to Charlotte. Instead, it sat empty.
The plane with the slashed tire still sat on the tarmac, waiting for a maintenance crew whose existence I now doubted. It was 10:30 p.m., and I decided to call it quits.
As I left the airport, pitch black and rain pouring down, the irony wasn’t lost on me. I’d set out to attend a conference on customer experience, only to be sidelined by a negative customer experience.
Unfortunately, my ordeal has become an alarmingly common one: airlines, an industry where delays, cancellations and unforeseen circumstances are par for the course, leaving their customers adrift.
The result? I left tired and stressed out. The other passenger trying to get to Charlotte? She walked off in tears. I saw other travelers arguing, yelling and generally upset. And the reality is that we’ll all hold onto those emotions, associating them with that airline in the future.
My unfortunate experience illustrates a fundamental truth: customer experience isn’t just about isolated moments, but the entire journey. It isn’t just about the efficiency of a desk agent or the friendliness of staff, but a holistic approach where every touchpoint matters. When one part of the journey falls short, it can taint the overall experience.
Stay tuned as I now fight my way through the refund process. And we’ll talk about how following-up on negative customer experiences can win back frustrated customers or push them further away.
Editor’s note: This is one dedicated reporter. After her painfully-long day at the airport only to just go home and miss out on business travel, Michelle still managed to provide coverage of the conference in Nashville and author this very article — in the same day.
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