US: Why your airline says it’s sorry
The domestic airlines would like you to know that they are very sorry. Delta is sorry about the time it kicked a family off a flight and threatened to arrest them. American is sorry about the time its employee seemed to almost accidentally hit a baby while grabbing a stroller. And United is probably sorriest of all, about the time it put a passenger on a plane to San Francisco rather than Paris, about the time an infant passed out on a plane that sat on a hot tarmac and, of course, for that time a passenger sustained a concussion, a broken nose and lost two teeth when being ejected from a flight to accommodate an employee. Air carriers have become more apologetic in the wake of the viral video spawned by that last episode, but those quick regrets have not led to broad systemic change in policy toward customers. Even as customer complaints against them soar, the airlines often respond with a quick refund or voucher, an apology that grabs headlines in a local news outlet, and business as usual. Some compensation policies for bumping passengers are more generous, but the main impact on consumers has been a seemingly never-ending stream of apologies that are a catalog of customer relations gone awry. There is reason to say sorry, though. Justin T. Green, a lawyer at the New York City law firm Kreindler & Kreindler who specialises in aviation law, said apologising reduced the chance of consumers’ pursuing legal action because it leaves them feeling as though they have been honored. “An apology will go a long way to avoid a lawsuit and is a very effective and economical way to improve customer relations,” he said. Airlines don’t always apologize, however. Over the weekend when Takeoff, a member of the rap trio Migos, was kicked off a Delta flight, the carrier arranged another flight for the group but offered no public apologies, saying that he had failed to listen to crew member instructions. There is movement in Congress to set clear rules about compensating passengers who are bumped. But for now, the apologies don’t quite ease the obstacle course that routine air travel has become, we are sorry to report.<br/>
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US: Why your airline says it’s sorry
The domestic airlines would like you to know that they are very sorry. Delta is sorry about the time it kicked a family off a flight and threatened to arrest them. American is sorry about the time its employee seemed to almost accidentally hit a baby while grabbing a stroller. And United is probably sorriest of all, about the time it put a passenger on a plane to San Francisco rather than Paris, about the time an infant passed out on a plane that sat on a hot tarmac and, of course, for that time a passenger sustained a concussion, a broken nose and lost two teeth when being ejected from a flight to accommodate an employee. Air carriers have become more apologetic in the wake of the viral video spawned by that last episode, but those quick regrets have not led to broad systemic change in policy toward customers. Even as customer complaints against them soar, the airlines often respond with a quick refund or voucher, an apology that grabs headlines in a local news outlet, and business as usual. Some compensation policies for bumping passengers are more generous, but the main impact on consumers has been a seemingly never-ending stream of apologies that are a catalog of customer relations gone awry. There is reason to say sorry, though. Justin T. Green, a lawyer at the New York City law firm Kreindler & Kreindler who specialises in aviation law, said apologising reduced the chance of consumers’ pursuing legal action because it leaves them feeling as though they have been honored. “An apology will go a long way to avoid a lawsuit and is a very effective and economical way to improve customer relations,” he said. Airlines don’t always apologize, however. Over the weekend when Takeoff, a member of the rap trio Migos, was kicked off a Delta flight, the carrier arranged another flight for the group but offered no public apologies, saying that he had failed to listen to crew member instructions. There is movement in Congress to set clear rules about compensating passengers who are bumped. But for now, the apologies don’t quite ease the obstacle course that routine air travel has become, we are sorry to report.<br/>
