While preparing to board a recent US Airways flight, the gate agent made a surprising announcement.
?The overhead bins on the plane are full so all carry on baggage will have to be checked as you board the plane,? she said.
This was a surprise for those of us who were in the final zone to board.? I?ve been on this kind of aircraft several times and had never seen all the bins full with so many people still to board.? I accepted an airline luggage tag and prepared to surrender my bag.
But as I walked down the jetway, a bit of rebellion began to stir inside me and I ripped off the luggage tag.? I decided to bring my bag on and see if the overhead bins were really full.? The flight wasn?t going to depart for more than 20 minutes and I figured there was nothing to lose in checking.
What I found was lots of space in the overhead bins, both over my seat and throughout the plane.
So where did the ?full announcement? come from?? Was it from the flight crew?? Nope.? They were standing in the front of the aircraft, letting passengers board.
My guess is that US Airways made this announcement based on some sort of formula.? Unfortunately, it doesn?t seem to be based in reality.
Why is this important?? The announcement affected those travelers who followed the instructions. ?When the plane landed, there was lightening.
Ground crews aren?t allowed?to unload planes when there?s this kind of storm.? So they were all delayed.? Had I followed instructions, my travel plans would have been?greatly affected.? Hopefully none of my fellow passengers missed a pickup or were unable to access something important like medication.
The airline says that, ?Customer service has always been a priority at US Airways, and we are committed to making every flight count for our valued customers.?
My experience shows a disconnection between that mission statement and reality.? The bogus announcement also overshadows much that the airline did well during my flight.
A company defines its brand through its actions.? Lying to customers undermines that brand.
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