Changes to Luggage charges on Swiss (and a rant)
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Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Switzerland
Changes to Luggage charges on Swiss (and a rant)
First, in the case this stops anyone getting caught out: for tickets booked after 1 August 2011, Swiss are charging Euros 50 (GBP 44) for a second checked-in bag even if the combined weight of bags is less than the 23 kg limit.
I got caught out with this yesterday at LCY - to me, given that the weight of both bags together was within my allowance, I couldn't believe they were charging - perhaps I'm naive, I thought this was something only low-cost airlines did.
But I was having a bad day with them generally (now for the rant). I was on yesterday's 1840 flight LCY-GVA (LX 447); when the hostess came round with the trolley, I asked for a red wine and a Coke. She gave me the wine and then served the people across the aisle; when she'd finished, I politely reminded her about the Coke, which provoked the response "The flight is bumpy and I need to serve everybody. If everyone asked for 2 drinks, I wouldn't get to the end" in a tone you would expect from a particularly supercilious primary school teacher addressing a naughty 6-year-old. Of course, being a typical Brit, my kneejerk response was to apologise for having troubled her! But a few minutes later, the lady next to me exclaimed "That was SO rude! They have no idea about customer service. I'm tempted to call her back and ask for something else, just to see what would happen..."
I know it's trivial, but I'm still cross the next day. If I'd managed to see her name I'd have dropped Swiss a line suggesting she might benefit from some further customer training, but I didn't, so I'm reduced to ranting on Pprune. I'm just intrigued how some people in customer-facing roles make it through an entire career (this lady was in her fifties) apparently without the key skills necessary for the job. Do their line managers simply not notice?
Anyway, I feel better for that...
I got caught out with this yesterday at LCY - to me, given that the weight of both bags together was within my allowance, I couldn't believe they were charging - perhaps I'm naive, I thought this was something only low-cost airlines did.
But I was having a bad day with them generally (now for the rant). I was on yesterday's 1840 flight LCY-GVA (LX 447); when the hostess came round with the trolley, I asked for a red wine and a Coke. She gave me the wine and then served the people across the aisle; when she'd finished, I politely reminded her about the Coke, which provoked the response "The flight is bumpy and I need to serve everybody. If everyone asked for 2 drinks, I wouldn't get to the end" in a tone you would expect from a particularly supercilious primary school teacher addressing a naughty 6-year-old. Of course, being a typical Brit, my kneejerk response was to apologise for having troubled her! But a few minutes later, the lady next to me exclaimed "That was SO rude! They have no idea about customer service. I'm tempted to call her back and ask for something else, just to see what would happen..."
I know it's trivial, but I'm still cross the next day. If I'd managed to see her name I'd have dropped Swiss a line suggesting she might benefit from some further customer training, but I didn't, so I'm reduced to ranting on Pprune. I'm just intrigued how some people in customer-facing roles make it through an entire career (this lady was in her fifties) apparently without the key skills necessary for the job. Do their line managers simply not notice?
Anyway, I feel better for that...
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 3,423
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From: world
Do their line managers simply not notice?
A simple letter with the date, flight number and the facts will suffice.
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 190
Likes: 12
From: Geneva
Thanks for a fine rant, Octopussy2 - gave me a good laugh. I have had similar experiences on Swiss, although I should in fairness say they are the exception rather than the rule. Still, there is a selection of Swiss ground staff and cabin crew that are of, shall we say, a certain age and who I suspect are ex-Swissair, who fit exactly the description you give:
In fact, whenever we encounter rude, supercilious or arrogant (non)service anywhere, my wife (who is a native of Switzerland) mutters "must have been to the Swissair customer service school".
As for the baggage charge, this is typical of Swiss flip-flopping between full-service and LCC models. Are they charging for meals and refreshments this week? It seems to change all the time. They can't make up their mind what kind of airline they want to be.
And 50 Euro for a second bag? If it had been me, I would have stalked off to buy a roll of packing tape and taped the two bags together to make a single piece.
a particularly supercilious primary school teacher addressing a naughty 6-year-old
As for the baggage charge, this is typical of Swiss flip-flopping between full-service and LCC models. Are they charging for meals and refreshments this week? It seems to change all the time. They can't make up their mind what kind of airline they want to be.
And 50 Euro for a second bag? If it had been me, I would have stalked off to buy a roll of packing tape and taped the two bags together to make a single piece.
