Readers: if you are getting bored of posts like this, just leave a comment below, but I cannot get enough of the US Airways call center when it comes to booking a complex international award tickets. Here’s how my last call went:
Sue: US Airways Preferred Desk, this is Sue.
Me: Hi, can you help me with a new award booking?
Sue: I sure hope so!
Me: This is a rather complex booking to Cape Town and back from the Seychelles. I think it would be best if we go flight by flight to construct the itinerary.
Sue: That sounds fine. What is the first flight?
Me: Atlanta to Frankfurt on July 19th
Sue: Hmm, I don’t see it. Is that a US Airways flight?
Me: No, I wish you guys flew from Atlanta to Frankfurt, but your partner Lufthansa does. I am looking for one I-class seat on flight 445, LH445.
Sue: Thanks. Sure enough! There it is. I’ll grab it in the I Class. What’s next?
Me: Frankfurt to Prague, also on Lufthansa.
Sue: Prague, that sounds like fog! Hold on here, one moment here…They shoulda given us some geography training here. As you might tell, I have no idea where you are going! I shoulda listened back in school!
Me: That’s okay.
Sue: Where’s your destination go be? Europe?
Me: Cape Town in South Africa
Sue: Oh yeah, you mentioned that already. See I told you I wasn’t very good at this. Where’s South Africa?
Me: It is at the tip of Africa.
Sue: Africa huh? That’s a big country I hear.
Me: It’s a continent actually—there are over 50 countries there.
Sue: Where’s your destination again? CPT. Oh yeah, you told me that already. One second and we’ll finish up what we’re doing.
Me: But the outbound isn’t complete yet. What flight did you book to Prague?
Sue: To fog? Can you give me that code?
Me: Papa – Romeo – Golf. We’re looking at LH1394 to Prague leaving at 10:10a
Sue: Just hold yer horses…Here it is just as bright as day. Okay, we’ve got to get this baby held.
Me: Are you afraid the reservation will time out?
Sue: Yup. What’s the passengers’ name? And Dividend Miles number?
[info provided]
Sue: Oh no, I lost everything. Shoot! What did I press? We’re going to have to start all over again. I’m so, so sorry.
[we rebuilt the itinerary]
Sue: Okay, now note down this confirmation number. We’re going to work off it.
[PNR provided along with the quip “8s and Zs used to look the same to me until I got my new glasses.”]
Me: Great. Next is a flight from Prague to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.
Sue: Istanbul. Is that IST?
Me: Right. Good job! Istanbul, Turkey.
Sue: See, I am learning!
Me: We’re looking for TK1768 from Prague to Istanbul at 12:05p.
Sue: I don’t see it. Is that on LH?
Me: No, no—now we are on Turkish Airlines, TK for short.
Sue: I got it! There’s the flight, just like you said. I love a man who knows what he wants, when he knows where he is going.
Me (laughing): I’m glad you like that.
Sue: It’s like a challenge to me, a jigsaw puzzle around the fire. I’ve learned so much from you. I just learned that Prague is in Czechoslovakia [sic] and Istanbul is Turkey! See, I just love people like you. Now what?
Me: Now we’ll go down to CapeTown on Turkish, TK flight 40.
Sue: It’s TK right, Turkish?
Me: Right.
Sue: See, you didn’t even know you were a teacher?!
Me: You get non-rev benefits right? Have you been to Europe before?
Sue: Nah. I’m a new hire. No chance to travel transatlantic.
Me: Did you find the flight? It’s a direct flight that makes a stop in Johannesburg, but hopefully it comes up in your system.
Sue: Yes it does! Oh my goodness. Wow. I’ve gotta get my book out and make a note of this.
Me: We’ll we’ve got the outbound now. Have you ended the record?
Sue: Yes sir! Everything is saved.
Me: Great. The return will be from the Seychelles: the code is Sierra – Echo – Zulu
Sue: Where is that?
Me: That’s a little country north of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
Sue: North of where?
Me: Madagascar. That’s another country in Africa.
Sue: You must be gettin’ exasperated with me by now.
Me: Not at all. So from SEZ we will be going to Alpha – Delta – Delta, Addis Ababa.
Sue: That’s a funny name.
Me: It is the capital of Ethiopia. We’re looking for Ethiopian Airlines, that is ET flight 878 on July 29th in I – Class.
Sue: You are so good. You are very good! I’ve got it.
Me: Next is from ADD to Frankfurt, Germany also on July 29th, LH flight 599 in business class.
Sue: There is, just as plain as day, just as you said. This is so interesting. So interesting. I can’t even tell you how, how great this is for me.
Me: Next is…
Sue: Oh nuts! I lost it. I’m sorry. Was was that flight again?
Me: LH599.
Sue: Lufthansa! Lufthansa! One day I’ll learn this and you’ll say Thank the LORD, she finally done it! Thank the Lord, Thank the Lord, Thank the Lord!
Me: Just in time for the new system once your merger with American Airlines is complete!
Sue: That’s right. Hmm, I can’t get this flight to stick.
Me: Are you able to end the reservation?
Sue: Yes, I can’t end it. I’ve tried. Sir, I’m so sorry. Hold on. Lordy, Lordy!
[she put me on hold for five minutes]
Sue: Hold on sir. You’ve just been absolutely precious. I was talking to a fellow worker. Keep working at it, she said. I hate this….There it is. Okay.
Me: You’ve got the space?
Sue: Now I do. What’s next?
Me: Just one more flight, Frankfurt to Atlanta on July 30th on L…
Sue: Lufthansa right?
Me: Right. LH444.
Sue: Oh bless you, you’re so sweet! Yes, there it is. Oh bless you darling. You’re so good to me!
Me: I’m so happy we were able to build the record!
Sue: It’s a challenge here, because you’re not working with any of our airlines. I’ve got to put the name and address here one flight at a time then end it then retrieve it, then add the next address.
Me: I see. Well, I think we are good to go. Are all the flights showing HK?
Sue: God bless you, you know this lingo better than I do. Yes, everything is HKed and you can make any kinda change you want in the next 72 hours.
Me: Thank you Sue.
Sue: This was such a fun call. Thank for calling!
Me: The pleasure was mine.
* * *
I have started to transcribe these conversations as they progress, to ensure that I report them properly to you and more importantly, to make sure I do not forget any hilarity. The incompetence is breathtaking, but it is a kind of good-natured incompetence that does not bother me nearly as much as the sort of close-minded ineptitude displayed by so many Delta agents. A half-hour I will never get back, but humorous nonetheless.
I actually love reading these. Keep it up!
Yeah honestly, as incompetent as she sounded at times, she seemed plenty eager to help, which I’ll take over some “know-it-all” any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
Priceless. Recently booked a USAir 90K NAsia and a 100K Europe award. I put the itineraries (NAsia is 9 flights/5 airlines) together to ‘assist’ the agent. Worked. You are fair to state ‘good natured’; I would much rather have a person like Sue than some of tough dragons who are ‘competent’ and have that one word from that credit card commercial ‘no’. I never had any trouble with USAir when it came to booking awards despite geography handicaps. They were polite and friendly and got the job done as you yourself have shown in repeated examples. That’s what counts! Will it change post-merger? Also recently booked UAL MP award over phone and no problems. Delta? Have flown them twice in all my 50 plus years – and there’s good reasons for that low count.
Hilarious Matthew – looks like Sue spent most of her shift on your award ticket. This was classic:
Me: It’s a continent actually—there are over 50 countries there.
Love these!
You clearly should have had her price it in the wrong zone…
Hahah, I absolutely love these kind of posts, especially the last one you posted!!! Please keep them coming!!! I still can’t get over ‘ Are you sure your name isn’t Sherri’ !!
Are you kidding? These are fantastic!!!
Offering and promoting rewards is marketing. It gets the $$.
Delivering rewards is a cost center. It doesn’t get the $$
I love these posts too. But please don’t forget who is making the decisions to hire geographically ignorant people and to not train them to do their jobs competently.
OMFG….LOL.
Matt you should go work for US Airways in training.
These people sound so eager to learn Geography.
Don’t stop posting them! This is making my day.
Love the US Airways call center. I had a very peppy Preferred Desk agent a few months ago who thought Lufthansa didn’t fly to Berlin-Tegel… turns out she thought I wanted to fly Vermont. In fairness there IS a Berlin VT with an airport, but its entirely general aviation. (I knew something was up when she suggested I fly into Burlington on US Express!) Once we sorted out that snafu she was able to book my requested flights all in I class. Finally was able to try pmUA BusinessFirst (being a CO guy from before the merger it was entirely new for me)!
I think it was good that she was willing to learn and accepting her lack of knowledge
At the end of the convo I was seriously thinking to myself, “How does Matt remember all these details?” I was picturing you holding a recorder up to the phone receiver on your end. So funny!
Nonetheless a great read.
I am not sure how she got Czechoslovakia? It is almost 10 years
These are great. Keep ’em up!
@Kevin: I literally now transcribe the conversation in Word as it is going on. I picked up immediately that this would be an interesting call, so I got everything down.
Yesterday, I booked a trip with an agent who just could not understand the concept of leaving Tokyo at 00:05 and arriving into Los Angeles the previous day in the evening. I said something like, “Let’s just pretend this is time travel” and he agreed…
20 years actually and I never mentioned the name, so she must have some rudimentary knowledge of geography!
I like these posts too! Problem with res call centers is that they have a lot of turnover and a lot of them work from home which limits the opportunity to interact with other co-workers during breaks or after their shift to interact and learn from each other. When I worked at the airport I learned a lot from more senior agents when it came to complex ticketing situations, you don’t get that kind of interaction when you work from home.
LOL!! I hope we will have it going after the merger, keep them comming
Had a meeting in Prague in 2009 with some government officials, and the map of Europe they had on their powerpoint presentation cover slide had a united Czechoslovakia and a divided Germany. So US Airways agents aren’t the only ones who struggle. 🙂
Czechoslovakia? I’m surprised she didn’t try to book your Turkish flight through Constantinople.