Over-Communication sends a strong Signal
We all know, getting into the main cabin unscathed can be trying, with the minimum requirement being an actual airplane, 1:1 scale, parking on the other side of the grimy jet-way. Well — the following is the original automated email trail that American Airlines sent for a flight I was booked on from Boston to Philadelphia for an important early morning meeting on April 6:
April 2, 6:47 PM: “Prepare for your upcoming trip to Philadelphia”
April 4, 9:02 AM: “Are your plans flexible?” — — Note: This turned out to be prescient.
April 4, 7:17 PM: “It’s time to check in”
April 5, 1:40 PM: “Your flight is delayed”
April 5, 1:47 PM: “Your flight is delayed”
April 5, 2:20 PM: “Your flight is delayed”
April 5, 2:32 PM: “Your flight is delayed”
April 5, 2:57 PM: “Your flight to Philadelphia — Departure Gate Change”
April 5, 4:23 PM: “It’s time to check in”
April 5, 4:43 PM: “Your flight to Philadelphia — Canceled”
April 5, 5:02 PM: “You have been rebooked to April 6 — Confirm or change flight”
Why am I telling you this? Don’t fly American unless it’s the last plane out of Kabul (and you tend to get nauseous from the smell(s) on the Orient Express)? — sure, but NO. Covid, recession or religious holidays, this stuff can and will happen with any of the legacy airlines, they all suck. Their only “legacy” is providing consistently subpar service, on equipment that ages faster than even their unionized flight attendants, and the cheerful fun they’re having with the various made-up loyalty groups that they put in front of you in an effort to delay your boarding as long as possible — then again, for massively over-paying on credit card APR one should get some decent over-head space for one’s over-sized bags. So, no — this email sequence is noteworthy because when the poo is about to hit the proverbial fan, the frequency with which large consumer-facing organizations send unrequested “updates” all but signals operational panic in the face of impending doom. In other words, while some consultant with a psychology major told the higher-ups @ AA that over-communication (rather than improving the actual service) is king (& much cheaper), when you send a flurry of terse messages frantically every 15 min, with trust in airline competency being pretty much gone since the 70s, every battle-hardened traveler simply assumes you’re inevitably about to f*uck up, big time. And boy, AA didn’t “disappoint”! — Sure enough, by the time I got hit with 4 unanswered ‘delay’ notes in less than 60 min, topped off with a charming but entirely useless gate change proclamation (as if anyone ever believes a gate # until you board, and even then, it’s mostly faith-based) it was clear to everybody from coach to first, this phantom flight would never ever take off. ‘On-time-departure’ my *ss! Good news though for my legs, as they didn’t have to contort into the subatomic ‘extra’-legroom they usually share with both, my bag and what’s left of my dignity, but bad news for my meeting next morning which of course AA couldn’t know about when they eagerly rebooked me without - minor detail - ever talking with me. Screw the hotel reservation and other now apparent scheduling ‘mistakes’ I made solely by relying on the airline, my bad. In their hastiness to appear in full control American had simply assumed that I relocated to Philly for the next 10–20 years, curiously with carry-on only, and therefore a day sooner or later wouldn’t make a big difference — much like when they lose your checked luggage. Stand by (-bye).
Anyway, I made it — went to a different airline last minute and therefore had to pay only ~$500 per ticket extra thanks to AA f*cking it up royally. Intriguingly, that new airline didn’t send a single email in the process, which, in airline parlance, meant they were bound to leave on time.
No communication = good signal.
© Tom Deisboeck, 2023. All Rights Reserved.
