Northwest Airlines Gets Customer Service Finally? Maybe Not

There's been way too much in the news lately about airlines and their woes -- late or canceled flights, lost luggage, disgruntled customers. Northwest has had a particularly tough time getting flights from and to their destinations. Through all that, it seems they may have finally learned a few things about customer service.

A couple weeks ago, a Northwest flight was delayed for three and a half hours due to a maintenance issue. Such is the way it can be in that industry. And it's no wonder since they run those planes on almost a constant basis. Not one passenger was very happy about that delay (including me), but who wants to fly in a plane that's not safe. I'll pass, thank you. We were surprised that day when each of the passengers received a $25 travel voucher. A nice touch. Other options (like a food voucher) might have been better, but it's a start. So I was delighted last week when I received a letter of apology. That's a new twist that's never happened before. And on top of that they added extra miles to my frequent flyer account because of the inconvenience.

Hmmm. Looks like they are beginning to get customer service after all.

Or maybe not. Seems they forgot to tell the flight attendants. This week as the plane was loading up, a young man asked for a cup of water to take some medicine he forgot he needed to take before the flight. The flight attendant's response? "This isn't first class you know." She did bring the water, with a huge dose of attitude. What a shame.

So Northwest Airlines. Keep improving on the customer service front, just don't forget to communicate that message to the front line staff. 

And don't you forget that what's decided at the top of your organization must -- MUST -- make its way to the front line employees. If it doesn't, you're completely wasting your time, effort and money.

What do you think? Leave me a comment.