How One Airline Failed and Then Succeeded at Resolving My Guest Experience Issue

From a surly ticket agent to false reassurances from a flight attendant, this airline nearly lost my business forever. But good customer service reinforced my loyalty.

A few years ago, I flew to California on my favorite airline, the main airline I booked for vacations, mainly because it offered a number of nonstop flights to San Diego, from where I could drive to my favorite nearby beach town.

On this particular trip, nonstop flights from Kansas City, Missouri, to San Diego were sold out. I looked for other airports near my destination and booked my flights instead for John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana/Orange County.

Even though I had to change planes once each way, I didn’t mind too much. These were short layovers, so I hoped that changing planes would go smoothly. The outbound flight was on time, along with the connecting flight to Santa Ana. I was confident that my return flight would also go smoothly.

However, it turned out that I couldn’t be more wrong.

Shortly after we took off from Santa Ana on a plane packed with cranky kids and empty stomachs, our plane seemed to be flying in circles, not towards Phoenix, where I was to catch a connecting flight back to Kansas City.

A few minutes later, the captain announced that we’d be in a holding pattern for a while. After at least an hour, he announced that we needed to land in Las Vegas briefly to fuel. But that wait on the hot tarmac lasted close to a couple of hours.

Eventually, we took off for Phoenix, but time would be tight to make my connection. Then our flight was in a holding pattern again due to “weather” in Phoenix. The 8 a.m. flight that was supposed to take only 45 minutes had become nearly a six-hour ordeal, all on an empty stomach.

A flight attendant announced that since there were so many passengers headed for Kansas City, the airline would hold the connecting flight to accommodate our late arrival. But when we all raced to the gate, we got a surprise. The door to the plane was locked. Airline employees at the terminal had no idea what we were talking about.

We’d have to book another flight, they told us. As I waited in the long line at the airline ticket counter, my hopes for a connecting flight that night dimmed, as passenger after passenger argued with the ticket agent before storming off in a huff.

When it was my turn, the agent informed me that I couldn’t catch a flight that night. Since the delay was caused by “weather,” the airline also had no obligation to put me up for the night at a hotel.

My “best” option was departing from Phoenix at 7 a.m. Sunday morning, connecting in Los Angeles and then again in Chicago, arriving in Kansas City at 2 a.m. She also offered another unappealing option.

I could fly to Omaha, Nebraska, arriving at 2 a.m., but the airline didn’t offer flights from Omaha to Kansas City that night so I’d be on my own to get home. I could rent a car and drive for three hours to get back to Kansas City. I took that option.

By the time I got home on Sunday morning, it was nearly 8 a.m. I’d traveled for nearly 24 hours. After my travel nightmare, my loyalty to my favorite airline was skidding along a slippery tarmac.

Here are the things that airline staff did to ding my customer loyalty.

• The flight attendant lied to us — or at the very least, failed to communicate his promise to hold the flight to the gate agents, damaging trust in the brand.
• The ticket agent showed zero empathy. Her “we’re not responsible since the delay was due to weather” explanation came across as unaccountable and uncaring.
• The agent couldn’t resolve my problem or offer reimbursement, so I had to call the airline’s customer service department.

On Monday, I called the airline’s customer service department, this time getting the answers I wish I’d have gotten back in Phoenix.

The customer service agent credited me with enough points to cover the return airfare and sent me a voucher for the rental car. She was polite, friendly, empathetic and helpful enough to turn around a bad situation so I’d continue to fly that airline.

I understand that the airline was in the midst of a customer service nightmare due to delayed flights. But they failed me and many other passengers by not having a plan in place to address the situation in a way that could appease us enough that we could shrug off the inconvenience.

I received reimbursement only after calling the customer service number. But how many other passengers didn’t know to call and instead just swore to never book that airline again? How many told their family, friends and coworkers about the airline’s awful airport response and false reassurance from the flight attendant?

I still fly this airline on nearly every trip, only because the airline made a gesture to show me I’m a valued customer. But you can bet that many others on that flight will never fly the airline again.