Thursday, August 17, 2006
You Can't Spell Northwest without NO...
Oh my...
It figures that after years of sporadic business travel I would finally reach elite status on the crappiest airline in the U.S. How bad is Northwest Airlines? So, bad that they are telling their employees to save money by picking through the trash. Sad.
Of course these are the very same employees who have the customer service skills of a department store clerk in the old Soviet Union. On my flight from Tokyo to Detroit last November, a mother with a baby was trying to get all situated and was having a difficult time. The surly flight attendant, clearly annoyed she had to take a break in her conversation with her coworker, yelled at the lady but offered no help, then went back to her conversation and to ignoring her customers. I've found that to be pretty typical from NWA employee....
Of course being an elite flier doesn't mean much anymore. Upgrades are rare on packed planes, frequent flier miles are difficult to cash in. The only real benefit was boarding earlier to get coveted overhead bin space for your carry-on luggage - which is now mostly banned. So, why pretend flying is anything more than a bus with wings?
