By Keith L. Alexander
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
With complaints rising, United Airlines is hoping to placate passengers with the Nordstrom treatment.
The airline has partnered with Valtera, a Chicago-based customer service consulting firm, to help it hire 4,000 workers capable of brightening travelers' experience on board. Valtera has worked with famously customer-friendly companies such as Starbucks, Ritz-Carlton and Nordstrom. It has helped United design interview questions based on those used by Nordstrom and Ritz-Carlton.
As Randy Rotondo, United's managing director of human resources puts it, the airline wants employees who have "customer service in their DNA."
And for good reason. Of the nation's 18 largest airlines, United in February had the second-most complaints (after US Airways) filed with the Transportation Department about customer service, flight problems and lost bags. February complaints about the airline increased 27 percent from February last year.
To improve the crop of candidates, United has restructured its hiring format and tapped outside consultants and schools that specialize in finding the right employees.
Rotondo rattled off a list of qualities United is seeking. "We're looking at their work ethic. Their ability to interact with and advocate for customers, those that are highly skilled at resolving problems and those that own problems as their own and look for solutions," he said.
United is expanding the screening process by adding two rounds of interviews. Candidates initially must answer dozens of questions found on the airline's Web site, where applications are also available. Questions include: "Do you believe that bending a company rule is ever OK?" and "Is it always necessary to be as candid as possible when explaining a situation to a customer?"
Rotondo won't say what the correct answers are, but a candidate's reply gives insight into "how an individual will respond for you on behalf of the customers."
If candidates pass the online questionnaire, they then meet with representatives from Valtera. If they get past that stage, the candidates sit down for a third and fourth interview with a United recruiter.
For executive-level jobs, United is canvassing for candidates at top business schools such as the University of Chicago, Northwestern University and the London School of Economics. To find "confident leaders," United is working with an outside firm that specializes in identifying former military officers who are looking to join the corporate workforce.
Before emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January, United cut about 26,000 jobs during three years of court-supervised restructuring, leaving the airline with about 80,000 workers.
The airline plans to base a majority of its 2,000 new flight attendants at Washington's Dulles International Airport, United's East Coast hub. The airline said demand for those jobs has been unprecedented, with some 50,000 candidates applying.
Although United has hired former airline employees, Rotondo says the carrier is also interested in those without aviation experience. Those workers are easier to train in airline customer service, he says, and require less deprogramming. Applicants who have worked at other carriers "may come with some baggage," Rotondo said.
United Rescinds Fare Increase: United yesterday rescinded its $50 fare increase it implemented Friday on last-minute business fares. The airline eliminated the price rise after competitors failed to match.
Airline Performance Declines: Passengers have fewer gripes about service on low-cost, low-fare airlines than they do about treatment on traditional carriers, according to a survey released yesterday.
In the 16th annual Airline Quality Rating of the nation's 17 largest airlines, JetBlue emerged as the most favored carrier based on customer complaints filed with the Transportation Department in 2005.
Behind JetBlue, the top airlines were all low-cost carriers: AirTran, Independence Air and Southwest.
The study ranked the airlines in baggage handling, customer complaints, denied boardings and on-time arrivals. The University of Nebraska at Omaha's Aviation Institute and the Wichita State University School of Business produce the ratings.
Independence Air, ranked third, folded in January after just 19 months in business.
Southwest had the lowest overall rate of consumer complaints. US Airways fell to 15th place, from 12th in 2004.
United Airlines ranked fifth overall, making it the best-ranked traditional carrier. Alaska Airlines dropped to ninth, from fifth place the year before.
JetBlue had the lowest rate of bumping passengers from overbooked flights. AirTran had the best baggage-handling rate.
The biggest source of ire among passengers was lost luggage. Complaints about mishandled bags increased 17 percent in 2005 from the previous year.
And while JetBlue was ranked first last year in customer service, the airline's on-time performance has declined in recent months. From November to February, it had the highest percentage of late flights each month.
The survey came out the same day the Transportation Department reported that only 75.3 percent of flights arrived on time in February, down from 78.8 percent in January. The airlines are also canceling more flights. They cancelled 2.1 percent of their flights in February, up from 1.7 percent in January.
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