In his annual Thanksgiving letter to United Airlines employees, CEO Oscar Munoz admonishes his employees to offer better service while thanking them for the great year.
As we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., I hope all of us in the United family find moments throughout the coming days, simply, to say ‘thank you’ to a colleague who has gone out of their way to be helpful over the course of the year. Make a point to congratulate a colleague on a time they found a special, personal way to put our core4 principles into action. Make someone know they are noticed and appreciated for everything they’ve done in 2019 to make us not only a greater company, but a genuine community.
Thanks to the sum of all those small acts of caring and effort, we are now in an outstanding place as a United team. We don’t take anything for granted, because we know what it took to get here. We did it together. That brought us closer as a team and, for all of it, we’ve emerged a better, stronger United.
As we prepare for the crowded Thanksgiving weekend, as well as the holidays that follow, let’s remember fondly the important role we play in connecting our customers to these magical moments of reflection, gratitude and togetherness.
And as we go about serving our customers – and one another – let’s serve every individual with unique kindness, mindful that their own personal skies may be darkened by clouds that, perhaps, we cannot always see. Our service can brighten this season of light.
Graciousness and gratitude; reflection and reconciliation; caring and community – these are the hallmarks of this season, and the trademark of our service in all seasons.
May your skies be clear and friendly this holiday season, and my deepest thanks to all of you.
Gratefully,
Oscar
I particularly appreciated the following line:
And as we go about serving our customers – and one another – let’s serve every individual with unique kindness, mindful that their own personal skies may be darkened by clouds that, perhaps, we cannot always see. Our service can brighten this season of light.
Graciousness and gratitude; reflection and reconciliation; caring and community – these are the hallmarks of this season, and the trademark of our service in all seasons.
Munoz is 100% correct that a kind gesture can drastically brighten the day of any experience. I was just thinking today about how an agent turned my long delay in a pleasant experience at LAX a couple years ago. Back then, I wrote:
When an agent recognizes you, especially at a busy hub like LAX, it either means you fly too much or the agent really cares. Nothing says you care like remembering a face. This agent cared and it was a beautiful start to our trip. Small gestures matter greatly.
Two years later, it still makes me smile. That incident did not just stoke my ego; it has helped to solidify my loyalty to United.
Munoz also recognizes that small gestures matter greatly. As I expect at least a few trips on United over the next month, I hope each employee will take Munoz’s words to hearts.
> Read More: A Kind Gesture at LAX Makes My Day
image: United
Oscar needs to make sure he has empowered his frontline to do what he expects them to do… most issues can be easily gate agents, reservation agents were it not for the constraints put on them by the airline itself.
United planes are flying packed to the gills.
Recently i flew them. The seatmap showed empty many seats but when i boarded everything was occupied.
Many standby/employees are accommodated at the last minute.
I will never forgive United for the stuff they did to me in years past. I don’t choose to fly on United any longer when I can avoid them because I can choose other carriers.
Oscars letter: the beatings will continue until morale improves.
I’m flying Delta with my wife and 10-month-old son to see my family on the other side of the country for Christmas. I chose Basic Economy with a lap infant because it was all I could afford. First time flying with a baby, so I knew nothing about what to expect, what to bring, etc.
I called Delta’s hotline and spoke with a kind woman about what I could and could not bring for our baby, how check-in and boarding would work with a baby, etc. With Basic Economy, you can’t pick your seats when you buy the tickets. You get what’s available when you check in or you pay $25 per seat per leg of the trip (a total of $100) to select your seats among what is left 14 days prior to departure. Not knowing all that, I was asking her about the seat pricing and where I can go online and when I am allowed to pick seats for me and my wife even if I had to pay.
I think the lady could tell I was nervous about the trip. She told me because I was very respectful to her and because she wanted me to feel at ease knowing I will get to sit next to my wife with our son and because it was our first time flying with a baby, she would bend the rules and let us pick our seats right there while I was on the phone….and it would be free of charge.
I was so shocked and thankful that I started to tear up as I thanked her over and over. Now, I plan to fly Delta whenever possible.
Your 100% spot on about the difference small gestures can make. The sort of things that cost a company nothing but generate huge returns.
I wish United would give the same status to someone who flew 1.5 million miles lifetime as someone who flew one year at 75k miles.