Fly MayBe - wot a shower

[Ten West]

I took it up with the supervisor at the ticket desk, who unsurprisingly was of little help...

Isn't it funny how people are always "Unhelpful" when they're telling you what you don't want to hear?

[Final 3 Greens]

Rusty 443

Let me remind you that you the airline industry is a service business.

Customers are frustrating, but they pay the bills.

[Final 3 Greens]

FF2

You're told under no circumstances can something be allowed. You're told under no circumstances contact a higher authority to discuss the matter on behalf of a customer as the rules must be adhered to. You pass all this on but the customer goes over your head and gets a result even though you have done exactly as instructed.

So it's the customer's fault for getting the result he wished for?

Sounds to me like an inconsistent business.

Frustrating for the staff? yes, but then no one forces them to work there. If the pain is greater than the benefit, they can pursue other options.

I work in the service sector and my customers frustrate me all the time - its part of the game, get over it or get out of it.

I've even arrived at Paris to deliver a seminar, to be told the venue has been changed to Marseille and we are sorry we forgot to inform you. Back into a taxi, buy hideously expensive ticket and fly to MRS.

As I say, its all part of the game.

[ajamieson]

frontcheck Why is it that Ryanair has a good strategy but no flexibility whatsoever but Flybe are seen as unhelpful with no customer service if they adpot the same policy?

Because Ryanair is:

1. on time
2. cheap

...and FlyMayBe could never hope to be either.

The difference is that Ryanair is much better at its job. I can forgive the discomfort on board and the scrum at boarding because it never promises anything else. I cannot forgive FlyMayBe for repeatedly charging £6 for allocating seats only to ignore the selection and then refusing to give a refund because of an escape clause in the T&Cs.

My favourite delay was a three hour hit on EDINQY (pretty normal for FlyMayBe). The airline had rescheduled the flight to depart three hours earlier, to the obvious inconvenience of all the passengers. Unfortunately no one had changed the crew roster, with the result that we could only depart once the crew arrived for work. This is the same airline that is so quick to punish the same customers for making mistakes as per the OP and his baggage allowance.

[Capot]

I take West Lakes' point about the airline normally being represented by an agent except at its home base, perhaps. But it is within any airline's power to ensure that its agent carries out its policies; if one of those is to empower check-in staff to make sensible decisions on the spot on the airline's behalf so much the better, provided that the agent trains them properly to do that. My course, many decades ago, was 3 months of very hard desk work to learn the business thoroughly, then a year under supervision, but that was in the days when customer service was a well-understood concept.

As for Rusty 443's offering, may I thank her or him for proving my point

let alone being able to think and act sensibly, they often seem not to understand even the basic elements of airline operations.

And it is infinitely depressing that someone who appears to work in the same business as I do can use a puerile phrase like "cart tart" in a semi-literate post lathered with those damn smilies.

[frontcheck]

Final 3 Greens, you state that no-one forces staff to work in their position ,and yes this is true , however no-one forces the customer to buy a restricted ticket, they could quite easily purcharse a flexible fare and change their itinerary until the cows come home , but like most people the fare is the deciding factor. You pays your money and you makes your choice.

[Final 3 Greens]

Frontcheck

I am really sorry, but I don't get the thrust of your last post.

A passenger who asks for a schedule change, that is not permitted within the fare rules is asking for a variation of contract.

The airline is at liberty to accept or reject that request; if it accepts the request, it may choose to levy a charge or to vary the contract free of charge.

There is no point of law that forbids a customer requesting a variation of contract and if one set of employees are overruled by another set of employees, then that is an internal matter.

A customer is perfectly at liberty to escalate the request and in Captonian's example, the personnel at head office decided to vary the contract, free of charge.

If the employees are humiliated or frustrated by being overuled, then they are perfectly at liberty to resign.

[Rusty443]

Rules

Three greens, They would not be frustrated if they read the rules or understood what we do?

With airlines trying to cut costs and Handling Companies feeling the squeeze with not enough staff to cover the tasks, the personnel also get frustrated?

Personnel on Holiday, sick etc, probably why the other desk is empty?

NOT A EXCUSE A FACT!

Many of the staff are multi-tasked and normally have to load the flights as well.

Yes the customer pays for a service but can not expect to take extra weight because they have decided to bend the rules to suit them?

I know of an airline who used to let people do this, the pax flew to thier destination, but due to the aircraft type, fuel and RTOW and so many over weight bags the baggage used have to go on other flights due to that was more frustating especially for people who had connecting flights as they would not see their bags for a week after or longer.

This caused extra work again screening retagging and asking the next crew to accept the rush bags? if they said no then this has to wait for the next flt and so on. Thats frustrating!

My main point is if your not happy paying for you ignorance then stick to the rules.

I fly regular and never have any trouble, not just with this airline.

[Final 3 Greens]

Rusty

I am rendered speechless by that incoherent rambling, I'm not even quite sure what your point is.

Nonetheless, as long as a service company has customers, they will try to work the system.

Get over it.

[Rusty443]

Sum It Up?

Final Three Greens

Sum it up:

Rules, Ignorance, Bums!

[clareprop]

If the employees are humiliated or frustrated by being overuled, then they are perfectly at liberty to resign.

A rather arrogant and unrealistic piece of advice given the current economic climate. People have mortages and other bills to pay and it's not exactly a jobseekers market out there. Unless of course, things look so much better from more lofty perches.

[RevMan2]

Lexxity's right, of course.

Someone at the airline decrees that it's 20k checked and 10k cabin.

The person who carries out these instructions is either a) a lowly employee of the airline or b) a lowly employee of the handling agent and they know EXACTLY what will happen if they turn a blind eye and get caught. Which is what WILL happen, because the airline will monitor revenue streams.
(This is if the DCS will even ALLOW them to check in more than 20k without an Xbag transaction.)

They're in the same position as the WH Smith clerk who HAS to ask me if I'd like to pay 1p for a plastic bag after she's just rung up my bill of £60 for a pile of books and magazines that I'd otherwise have to juggle all the way to the gate.

There's no point in arguing the toss with the folks at the coalface and you won't get far at corporate, either.

Live with it.

[Avman]

"live with it"

No! I don't want to live with it! If we (the public/consumers) all made enough noise about it, instead of being defeatists like RevMan2, corporations would be forced to rethink their policies and provide the consumer a decent SERVICE.

[RevMan2]

corporations would be forced to rethink their policies and provide the consumer a decent SERVICE

I'd say that 20k checked and 10k cabin in economy is a decent service.

It's not as if they're changing their minds at check-in and charging you for something that was promised for free.

People (those who are functionally literate, anyway) are aware of the policy and if they want to try it on, fine.

But don't start yelling "Unfair" if the airline doesn't want to play ball.

And for goodness sake, DON"T SHOUT AT THE STAFF

[Skipness One Echo]

It would seem undeniable that in the real world this is a set of rules which is seen to upset a minority of passengers leading to underpaid staff with few prospects and no discretion being abused. This is deemed acceptable to management as the revenue it brings in is seen to be quite high and staff are the handlers problem and can be replaced anyway.

Therein is the problem. flybe don't give a damn about this policy as it is designed to generate incremental revenue from people who don't read terms and conditions. In the real world that's most of us. Legally we have no comeback.

You got stung, move on and fly with someone better next time.

[jaycee46]

Just to clear a couple of points. Tightslot - I am not using a 'blunt instrument' to put across my view, and as you are a moderator of this website, I feel that that post was out of order. Your more recent post, however is more reasoned, and perceptive.

What you airline folks out there need to realise is that the counter to your indignant defence of poor service, inane procedures, berating customers for not reading t&c's, etc etc, is being made by the people who actually pay your wages, the passengers. I do not need to be berated for holding a different view.

A couple of little points to make, I bought my ticket as part of a package holiday, not direct from FlyBe, so had no sight of the t&c's - ignorance is no defence, I know - Maybe FlyBe should co-ordinate with the travel companies they sell seats to, a bit better, and actually confirm the allowances to their customers. Remember not everybody has access to the interweb!

And then as Skipness 1 Echo says:[quote]

Therein is the problem. flybe don't give a damn about this policy as it is designed to generate incremental revenue from people who don't read terms and conditions. In the real world that's most of us. Legally we have no comeback.

I guess they are not as good at it as FR/EZY/etc

You got stung, move on and fly with someone better next time.

Amen to that, and I have!

[Boing7117]

Jaycee & Finals 3 Greens

Having followed this post for some time - yet to comment - I'll make it short n sweet...

As a FlyBe employee myself - keen to continue to have my wages paid by our fare paying passengers.... and to get back to the original title of the thread.

What would it take from FlyBe to get the two of you back as a fare paying passenger?

I'm mean for all the gripes and the issues you've expressed, the backlash and comments you've sent / received here - what's it going to take to get you folks in particular back using the service again?

Can't help but think that if the two of you returned and used the service once more we might get some more passengers back who are not using this forum.

[Ancient Observer]

20kg is enough for anyone.....

My personal view is that 20kg is enough for everyone, aside from those with v young children. As for 10kg in carry-on, who on earth wants to lug that around?
I start from the belief that most of us have too many possessions. Having them is unnecessary, lugging them around is peculiar.

[Final 3 Greens]

Hi Boing 7117

I appreciate the tone of your post and to answer your question, either

1. Flybe is the only carrier operating a route
2. The alternative carrier(s) competing on a route really mess up big time and I decide to give Flybe another go

Best wishes

[jaycee46]

Boing7117 - your considered tone suggests to me more than an 'employee' of the airline?

In response, I'm afraid my business is lost to you on the lucrative GLA / BHX full fare route. The train is an altogether more pleasant experience. I would also hold the same view, even if an alternative carrier was available, so this is not a purely FlyBe thing. I do accept that part of the crapology associated with air travel in the UK currently is not entirely the fault of the airlines, but, the whole package turned me, and I am sure many others, to seek an alternative.

I agree with Final 3 Greens, if there is no practical alternative by land or sea, or alternate carrier, it would have to be FlyBe.

I'm not being pedantic here - some may disagree, which is fine - just pointing out how much of my business that used to go by air, is lost to the industry. My schedule last week and this, involved a London trip, which is still by air (BMI to LHR in this case, but BA to LCY is normally considered too). York at the weekend, which would (assuming it is still operating, as I did not check) be GLA / LBA, and ground transportation to York - went by train 1st class under £100 return, on time both ways. Finally this week, two days in the Birmingham area - obviously, by air, would be FlyBe, but, due to baggage, I'm taking my car - yes, I admit baggage on a train is a pain, too!

I feel that I have made a point on this thread, and while it would be nice, I do not, and, I would not expect everybody to agree with me - blunt instrument or not - but it would be nice if, particularly the airline people would accept that, among the paying public, there is an alternative view to theirs, and the experience offered is currently not wonderful.