How would you rate your airline experience?

During a recent trip to Texas with my family, my daughter expressed her irritation with something that had happened as we walked off of the plane. I also noticed this example of poor customer service but because this is part of my business, I shrugged it off; I notice these sorts of things all of the time. My daughter’s exact words were, “Mom, does it bother you when people say things that they don’t mean?” I didn’t understand what she was referring to until she described why she was bothered by what just happened.

During this trip we flew Continental. Their customer service on the plane is typically so-so. I can’t say I have a great understanding of their brand, unlike Southwest who can be known for their humor during the flight, but they were pleasant enough. On the way off the plane, two flight attendants were in the same row separated by the aisle saying “thank you” to the passengers as they exited off the plane. The part that offended my daughter was the conversation they were carrying with each other, and each “thank you” or “goodbye” that came out of their mouth seemed like a disruption to their conversation. My daughter told me, “if you don’t want to say goodbye or don’t mean it, then don’t say it”. She actually was made to feel that her leaving the plane was interrupting their catching up with each other from a long day. It reminded me of shopping in a low-end grocery, retailer shop, or gas station and having to interrupt the clerks from their conversation so I can make a purchase. The disappointing part was that this was not a low-end grocery, retailer shop, or gas station—this was Continental! If this annoyed my 13 year old, I could only imagine how many other passengers were left with this negative impression.

Have you experienced a similar situation and chosen never to patronize that business again?