Northwest Airlines - Kinder, Gentler Incompetence
Written: Jan 08 '01 (Updated Apr 19 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: direct flights to Detroit
Cons: chronic lateness, screw-ups a plenty, forget about decent customer service
The Bottom Line: Technology and humans combine to make your experience as much of a hassle as possible.
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| c-option's Full Review: Northwest Airlines |
Since moving from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Boston in October, I’m a commuter girlfriend. I spend my weeks in Boston, and nearly every other weekend in Ann Arbor with the old ball and chain. This jet-setting lifestyle has necessitated intensifying another relationship in my life, the strained one I’ve always had with that pariah of major airlines, Northwest.
Now I’m a pretty low maintenance traveler – I book online, check in electronically when I can, always fly a route that doesn’t require a connection (years of being stranded in Detroit due to missed connections when I lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan taught me a lesson), and have only checked a bag once on Northwest in the last two years (which explains why I’ve only got about two weeks’ worth of clothes and 20 CDs with me here in Boston). Despite being such a undemanding ray of joy, however, Northwest has still managed to inflict the equivalent of Chinese water torture on me these last three months – no major injuries, but enough little slights to collectively drive me insane.
Chronic Lateness
Supposedly Northwest has one of the best on-time records in the industry, but I find that pretty difficult to believe. Certain flights seem to be late no matter what. For example, I’ve flown the same 7:30 p.m. flight from Boston to Detroit six times since August, and I’ve never gotten out of the gate at Logan before 8:15. While not a weekend ruiner, it’s a nagging aggravation. Why not just change the time of the flight permanently if getting out on time is such a problem?
Electronic Check-in – A Great Innovation, When It Works
One thing I do like about Northwest is that they’re fairly innovative in finding ways to minimize the need for their customers to interact with their humanoid types to carry out the business of flying. Their electronic check-in system can be a huge time saver, especially since the lines at the Northwest counter move more slowly than those of nearly any other airline. The only problem with electronic check-in is that it can be pretty unreliable. I always try to use the electronic stations when I get to the airport (Detroit even has them in the parking structure, which I love), but about one out every three times I get a message that I need to go to the ticket counter. Usually this happens because my flight is delayed, or because Northwest has changed something about my flight since I made the reservation. Grrr....
Generous Frequent Flyer Offers, Stingy Payoffs
Northwest does have a pretty generous frequent flyer program called World Perks, and, as a way of further encouraging you to avoid personal contact as much as possible (Digital Divide, anyone?), offers all kinds of bonus miles for conducting your business online. The only problem is that, even when you follow all their rules to the letter, the bonus miles tend to get automatically credited to your account less than half the time. For example, Northwest has an ongoing deal that gives you 1000 bonus miles for each ticket you book through their website. I’ve booked (and completed) four trips online in the past four months, and not one of these booking bonuses has been credited to my account (more about this in the next section). Similarly, a 500 mile bonus offered for signing up for their promotional email list, which I did over two months ago, has never found its way to my account. Strangely enough, however, the big bonus for which I was eligible, 10,000 miles for booking three trips online in three months, was credited to my account lickety split, appearing the day after I completed my third trip.
Problem Resolution and Customer Service – Friendlier, But Just as Incompetent
Even when I have a problem, I try to do as much as I can via the computer, because relying on a person at Northwest for even the simplest query can be an iffy proposition. Whether it’s at the airport, on the phone, or via email, Northwest’s customer service and problem resolution are universally poor. I’m currently on my fifth go-round (one email and four phone calls) with them about the booking bonus miles, and even though 2000 of them have finally made it to my account, I still haven’t gotten an explanation for why the others keep getting rejected (or why none of them were automatically credited in the first place). I’ve been using the website to check on the progress of this comedy of errors, and keep finding mistakes they’ve made in putting the requests into the computer and having to call back and point them out to the customer service people. As a service occupation veteran and a generally easygoing person overall, I’m not the type to fly into a rage or get snarky with someone on the phone, especially when they’re genuinely making an effort, but I feel myself on the verge of a fit of temper.
I must admit that, after all their highly publicized problems in recent years, I have noticed some heartening changes in the attitudes of Northwest staff. Whereas in the past they were out and out surly and liable to dismiss out of hand any complaints that came their way, they now listen patiently and are usually surprisingly friendly and polite. Of course, then they screw up what you asked them to do, but I guess you really can’t expect politeness and competence, now can you?
Why I Remain A Northwest Customer – For Now
After all this kvetching, you may ask why I stick with Northwest. Quite frankly, it’s a matter of convenience. With their near lock on the market in Detroit, Northwest is virtually the only direct route to Boston, and usually the cheapest fare, even though their prices are hardly fair (flights in or out of Detroit or their other hubs are often exempted from special deals). As soon as I no longer have a reason to make frequent sojourns to the Detroit area (oh happy day!) I will bid adieu to Northwest and their kindler, gentler brand of incompetence.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
c-option
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Member: Christine
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Reviews written: 36
Trusted by: 64 members
About Me:
Serving up chronic dissatisfaction since 1973.
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