CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose only qualification for his job is who he shares his bed with, had a warning for the airlines before the holiday travel season. “Take care of your customers,” he said with a wagging finger.
If you sell tickets for a flight, you’d better have a crew ready to operate it. The airlines were told to have contingency plans in place to make sure customers weren’t stranded. This all came after the Southwest Airlines meltdown a year ago. It was caused by… fog in Chicago. When flights couldn’t get it, there were no planes for the scheduled flights out. Their reservation system was overloaded as customers tried to re-book. Already full flights had no extra seats. It took more than a week before the system re-set.
Well, no such problems this year.
I flew during the holidays: A Thursday flight from CWA to Orlando, and a return on New Year’s Day from Tampa to Chicago to Wausau. And I’d like to wag my finger at Mr. Buttigieg. “Take care of the taxpayers… who fund the domestic aviation system that your Department of Transportation oversees.”
My fight from CWA to Orlando was delayed an hour. Why? All 189 passengers were buckled in on the aircraft waiting for takeoff. The pilot explained we were under a ground hold because the FAA’s air traffic control center is understaffed, and can’t handle all the planes bound for Florida airspace.
On my way home, my Wausau to Chicago flight was also an hour late. Why? The plane that would take me home originated as a Toronto to Chicago flight. One member of the cabin crew told me that the inbound Toronto flight is always late. We don’t have enough immigration officers at the airport in Toronto to screen everyone in a timely manner, so customers are always late getting to the plane.
Mr. Buttigieg: Southwest Airlines has a customer service inventive to do what it can when flights are canceled because of the weather. Last year they failed miserably. But our federal government has no customer service motive to staff up with the right number of air controllers and customs agents. These are good-paying jobs. How about hiring the right number of people? Or maybe hiring back some of the people who were fired for refusing to take their COVID shots. When I travel, I expect the travel infrastructure to have the right number of people and to work efficiently. Apparently, our unqualified Secretary of Transportation doesn’t get that.
Chris Conley
PS – My flight from CWA to Orlando was on the new Avelo Airline. Here’s a quick review.
You’ll never miss a Diet Coke and some mini pretzels so much as a flight on Avelo. The super-low-cost carrier doesn’t serve in-flight snacks or drinks. The meager food service that the other airlines offer really does break up the monotony. Avelo has only water, and you have to ask for it, plus no onboard entertainment or wifi. The 3 hour flight to Orlando seemed interminably long.
Avelo flies a big plane, all 737s, with seats that have the thinnest cushions ever invented. It was like flying on a city bus.
I get it. If you’re a family trying to get to a theme park in Orlando, there’s no cheaper way to fly there. I suspect Avelo will soon be offering flights to Vegas too. Less money spent on travel – more money at the blackjack table.
There is something shady that Avelo does that’s a very poor business practice. If their flight is canceled, which is rare, they offer you credit on a future Avelo flight. Most customers don’t know that in most non-weather situations, they have a right to a cash refund so they can re-book on any airline they wish. Avelo, which only flies two days a week out of Central Wisconsin, should be more transparent about refunds.
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