The nation's major airlines put new customer service plans into effect today, but don't expect sofas, foot massages or five-star cuisine when you next board an airplane. Facing a congressional crackdown, carriers pledged in September to be more forthright with their customers all the way through their travel experience. That means fessing up about the lowest airfares or cheaper travel options when people call reservation agents. It means giving them at least 24 hours to cancel a ticket purchase. This builds on the idea that information is power, and armed with that power, our customers can get better control over their travel experience and make decisions that are right for them.
Doubters still abound.
He said passengers would be better served if airlines volunteered information about a flight's on-time performance and called passengers at home when it was apparent that a flight was going to be canceled. He said airlines often give out information about delays in a piecemeal fashion so passengers won't try to use their tickets on a different carrier. The airlines developed their plans in response to criticism that followed a New Year's storm in the Midwest that left thousands of travelers stranded. Some passengers got stuck on planes for hours and others had trouble learning when they might get home. Congress drafted legislation to force the industry to treat passengers better, but in June the airlines took the preemptive move of saying they would announce plans in September for improving service.