The problem is the Company’s continuing inability to sensibly resource the operation with enough contingency to cope with any disruption. In this particular case with the Cabin Crew, as part of the latest round of firefighting, it was announced by Commercial that 4 longhaul and 4 shorthaul services would be axed. Customer Service and Operations responded by using the Business Response Scheme to send people away on unpaid leave and voluntary severance.
Commercial then realised that the market wasn’t as bad as they thought and decided not to cancel those services, leaving the CS & O short of crew. Their response was to implement the Attendance Monitoring Programme to prevent people going sick, taking leave, seeing their families or having a work life balance.
If this is beginning to confuse you with faceless bureaucracy and incompetence you’re in good company. You’d be amongst a growing multitude within this Company who are frustrated, in despair, and who see this once great airline slipping from our grasp. The problems are manyfold, and are deeply engrained into the corporate culture of this civil-service-esque leviathan.
The solutions include:
A revolution in Customer Service and Operations, including the departure of its Director. Throughout his tenure, we have witnessed a continuous failure to effectively manage operations at our main base, despite numerous maladroit reorganisations and short term measures. This must address the TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE management of Terminal 4, the wholesale attack on the standards of customer service delivery and onboard product. We can no longer subject our premium customers to the 40 minute post arrival delay for stands, and the 40 minute waits for baggage. As for the in-flight catering, we should remember that you can only take so much cheese off a pizza, before it‘s no longer a pizza. We must remember that customers will not pay for a product that promises much, but delivers little.
The operations culture which is completely unsuited to today’s fast changing aviation environment. The situation at T4 is largely because the stand plan was prepared yesterday and they won’t make adjustments for today’s reality. It’s like the Soviet Union and the Five Year Plans, and no more successful. You have to play the game on the day, watching the ball, and playing the right strokes.
The beancounters must realise that contingency is not waste. We cannot have an operation that will fall apart the moment one batsman is out. (To continue the metaphor). It’s not a shortage of employees in BA, by Golly it’s not, but we have critical shortages in key areas of front line staff. It’s the same age old problem that we have consistently failed to address.
For our long suffering customers, I can only apologise unreservedly for our current performance. Please understand that we the staff are doing everything that we can to bring about change within this airline. Some of those measures may seem suicidal to you, but it has forced senior management to face up to uncomfortable realities in some key areas. You have to understand the numbskulls that we have to work with, they will not listen to reason, and they are certainly not interested in hearing anything ‘off-message’. Like a poorly housetrained dog, their noses have to be rubbed in it before they learn.
I’ll take on the opposition anyday. It’s my management I can’t beat!