Says it all really, and rather eloquently.
It’s all so sad and unnecessary; surely the time has come to ring-fence some of the profits to secure the airline’s future and then invest the remainder in improvements to the basic day-to-day operation.
As a small example: the way we treat our wheelchair users is a disgrace. Third-party providers are consistently failing to deliver an acceptable service. For about £2m per annum we could do it ourselves and become recognised as market-leading in this regard.
Virtually every other area of the LHR operation needs more staff. The catering offered to premium passengers is an embarrassment and I feel sorry for our cabin crew who have to apologise for it (or lack of it).
The irony is that the general public are on our side and realise that it’s not the fault of the staff at the coal-face. They desperately want us to succeed but also want to see a vast improvement in the whole “customer experience”. Yes; lounges and aircraft seats are being improved but that doesn’t make up for chaotic data breaches, IT failures, lost bags and being told that you can’t have the chicken because another passenger has taken the only one and by the way we’ve run out of bread rolls too. Don’t get me started on waiting for stand guidance and stuck chocks!
I used to be proud of working here but now I keep quiet unless I get asked.
I’m not a business man and fully accept that I’m probably missing something but I do find it strange that our management can’t seem to grasp these basic concepts. How much profit is enough?