Business History Books » Business Plans » R.T.A. in the Wall Street Journal
R.T.A. in the Wall Street Journal
Question:
I remember last summer I got an email from a WSJ reporter who contacted me and several other rta regulars to get comments for a story. He and I played phone tag (I was out of town at the time)—we never got together but I did leave a message on his answering machine apologising for the difficulty in getting hold of me and that I would be more than willing to help him out in the future if he had a story that he needed some quotes for. Maryanne
Response:
> I remember John Austin too. He was a nice guy. Perhaps he moved on > from NW?
It should be Jon Austin not John Austin.
Response:
> I can tell you of at least one senior management type for a certain > airline that is rather large that reads this forum.
SO, it is ether UA (your preferred carrier) or Qantas (your national carrier). 
As far as CP is concerned: my bet is that "Captain" works for CP’s customer relations dept.
Response:
> > I can tell you of at least one senior management type for a certain > airline that is rather large that reads this forum. > SO, it is ether UA (your preferred carrier) or Qantas (your national carrier). > > As far as CP is concerned: my bet is that "Captain" works for CP’s customer > relations dept.
Probably not customer relations, but I think he’s already admitted some connection to CP, hasn’t he?
Response:
I can tell you of at least one senior management type for a certain airline that is rather large that reads this forum. No, I won’t tell you who because that isn’t fair to him.. suffice to say that they’re out there and I honestly believe they do take the negative with the positive (like the article said) and it’s good to see that perhaps just by airing your views and/or experiences it may actually help in unexpected ways. I remember John Austin too. He was a nice guy. Perhaps he moved on from NW? cheers, richard — Richard A. Muirden, UNIX Systems Administrator and aviation nut! Cybersource Pty. Ltd. – Systems Administration and Windows/UNIX Integration When flying I prefer Boeing aircraft, and carriers of the Star Alliance
Response:
>> I can tell you of at least one senior management type for a certain > airline that is rather large that reads this forum. >SO, it is ether UA (your preferred carrier) or Qantas (your national carrier).
It’s obviously United. Richard is one of these self-loathing Aussies who detest Qantas and everything Australian. Not only that, he is in complete awe of everything American. "If it’s American, it’s gotta be great" is Richard’s credo. You’re Canadian, so he considers you inferior. Actually, he considers you inferior for another reason first, and secondly because you’re Canadian (non-American).
Response:
>SO, it is ether UA (your preferred carrier) or Qantas (your national carrier).
Shows what little you know JF. I also know a few Ansett people who read the ng’s. Over the years I’ve had email from all sorts.. pilots.. fa’s… engineers… managers.. and not just for the airlines I fly, but others.. yes inc. QF. >As far as CP is concerned: my bet is that "Captain" works for CP’s customer >relations dept.
Or maybe he flies for them. Who cares? It’s good to see people out there trying to give news. It’s a pity they sometimes get jumped on (like the poor UA CSR from MSP I think, and the NW person.. not to mention Michelle @ LH, and Tadjir(sp?)… let’s face it guys(and girls, and anonymouses)… lots of people from all works of life read newsgrou;ps.. it’s only natural that, as more and more people get connected, they’ll get into this kind of thing.. and it’s also fair to assume that they’ll gravitate to areas relating to their work and/or interest.. So I’m sure many airline management type people as well as the front line staff, and other "background people" like IT people in the airlines, engineers, whatever will read. Having said that it’s a pretty brave senior person who would admit it publically. All they need to do is spend a week to see the usual "boycott airline X" thread, or more venom than a room full of vipers. That’s why I apprieciate people like Jon Austin (thanks H. Andrew for that correction) and others who did make themselves known, and fairly accessable. I’m sure Jon’s mailbox was a night- mare at times from just being involved here. All IMHO, richard (proudly Australian) — Richard A. Muirden, UNIX Systems Administrator and aviation nut! Cybersource Pty. Ltd. – Systems Administration and Windows/UNIX Integration When flying I prefer Boeing aircraft, and carriers of the Star Alliance
Response:
>I remember John Austin too. He was a nice guy. Perhaps he moved on >from NW?
No, he still works for NW. I think he’s gotten a couple of promotions since he was active here, tho. During the NW pilot strike last summer, I think he was one of the company reps that the press talked to. — Written online using slrn 0.9.5.4! The Theorem Theorem: If If, Then Then.
Response:
> Didn’t John Austin, the p.r. guy at NW occasionally reply to messages > on r.t.a.? Either that or the Compuserve travel board. I remember > having him post a reply to a message that I posted several years ago.
Yeah, he used to, but hasn’t done so in years! –Helen
Response:
I think it’s good that airlines are considering this medium as part of their customer care. I expect to see this activity expand in the future, and naturally there might be a downside to that expansion too. But it’s good to hear that the airlines are taking notice. * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
Response:
Didn’t John Austin, the p.r. guy at NW occasionally reply to messages on r.t.a.? Either that or the Compuserve travel board. I remember having him post a reply to a message that I posted several years ago. tom – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > September 2, 1999 > Business Fare > Travel Executives Stop Lurking, > Start Talking to Fliers Online > By JANE COSTELLO > THE WALL STREET JOURNAL INTERACTIVE EDITION > When Mary Jo Welsh wants to know if business travelers prefer wider > seats to free drinks, she doesn’t go the airport. She goes online. > Ms. Welsh is the acting manager of Northwest Airlines’ WorldPerks > frequent-flier program, and she’s one of the first airline executives to > establish an on-the-record dialogue with business travelers online. > In April, Ms. Welsh announced her presence on FlyerTalk, a frequent > flier discussion group sponsored by the publishers of InsideFlyer > magazine. Signing on with her initials, but no return e-mail address, > Ms. Welsh uses the forum to send out queries and respond to issues > ranging from the status of Northwest’s labor negotiations to the mailing > date of elite-level "Perk Packs." > Whenever "MJW" logs on, people respond. At 11:54 a.m. on Aug. 10, she > posted a survey requesting feedback on the type of improvements to coach > class business travelers would like to see on future flights. Nine > minutes later, the first of 17 responses logged that day alone was > posted. > In July, FlyerTalkers honored her "for not just lurking, but taking > action" on behalf of discussion group members: They sent her a box of > Swiss chocolates and cookies. > "I handle what I can and forward feedback to the appropriate people," > says Ms. Welsh. She describes FlyerTalk participants as "skilled and > thoughtful users" of the program. > Her decision to publicly identify herself to others on the Internet > discussion boards "just seemed to make sense," she said. > And while Ms. Welsh has chosen to go the extra mile and identify herself > to FlyerTalkers, others at Northwest log on anonymously to monitor the > buzz in cyberspace. > "The Internet has pervaded enough of the company that people monitor > their own discussion areas — like safety, frequent flier[s] and > aviation enthusiasts," says Northwest spokesman Jon Austin. The company > employs a clipping service to monitor various discussion groups, but Mr. > Austin says Northwest staff drop in from time to time to check out the > newsgroups and respond to a posting, "especially if it’s egregious > enough."
-snip — Tom Levitan Claremont, CA 91711
Response:
Congrats Efrem Mallach, if you’re still around r.t.a.!! September 2, 1999 Business Fare Travel Executives Stop Lurking, Start Talking to Fliers Online By JANE COSTELLO THE WALL STREET JOURNAL INTERACTIVE EDITION When Mary Jo Welsh wants to know if business travelers prefer wider seats to free drinks, she doesn’t go the airport. She goes online. Ms. Welsh is the acting manager of Northwest Airlines’ WorldPerks frequent-flier program, and she’s one of the first airline executives to establish an on-the-record dialogue with business travelers online. In April, Ms. Welsh announced her presence on FlyerTalk, a frequent flier discussion group sponsored by the publishers of InsideFlyer magazine. Signing on with her initials, but no return e-mail address, Ms. Welsh uses the forum to send out queries and respond to issues ranging from the status of Northwest’s labor negotiations to the mailing date of elite-level "Perk Packs." Whenever "MJW" logs on, people respond. At 11:54 a.m. on Aug. 10, she posted a survey requesting feedback on the type of improvements to coach class business travelers would like to see on future flights. Nine minutes later, the first of 17 responses logged that day alone was posted. In July, FlyerTalkers honored her "for not just lurking, but taking action" on behalf of discussion group members: They sent her a box of Swiss chocolates and cookies. "I handle what I can and forward feedback to the appropriate people," says Ms. Welsh. She describes FlyerTalk participants as "skilled and thoughtful users" of the program. Her decision to publicly identify herself to others on the Internet discussion boards "just seemed to make sense," she said. And while Ms. Welsh has chosen to go the extra mile and identify herself to FlyerTalkers, others at Northwest log on anonymously to monitor the buzz in cyberspace. "The Internet has pervaded enough of the company that people monitor their own discussion areas — like safety, frequent flier[s] and aviation enthusiasts," says Northwest spokesman Jon Austin. The company employs a clipping service to monitor various discussion groups, but Mr. Austin says Northwest staff drop in from time to time to check out the newsgroups and respond to a posting, "especially if it’s egregious enough." There are myriad newsgroups, bulletin boards and chat rooms on the Net dedicated to travel, including FlyerTalk, the Usenet newsgroup rec.travel.air, Yahoo’s travel bulletin boards and the discussion boards at Trip.com. There also are sites developed by irate travelers to encourage others to air their concerns about specific airlines. Untied.com, a sounding board for United passengers with complaints, recently redesigned its site to mirror United’s recently revamped home page, while a slogan on NorthWorstAir.org describes the site as being "a forum for Northwest Air customers to trade horror stories about NWA’s service with an ‘attitude.’ " Although these negative forums provide an opportunity for travelers to vent their frustrations, "flaming" an airline with negative comments seldom results in the rectification of a problem. "Their credibility is weak," is how United’s Mileage Plus marketing manager, Jim Davidovich, describes the consumers who voice complaints on Untied.com. But he is quick to point out that other online forums provide him with valuable insights as to how serious frequent fliers view United’s marketing efforts. He’s an avid reader of FlyerTalk, often logging in from home to find out the latest hot topics. "I check it because I’m an airline junkie — what the customer is thinking is important," he says. "I feel more confident going into meetings and being able to say, ‘this is the pulse of the public.’ " But Mr. Davidovich says he has no intention of assigning a member of his staff to monitor online discussions of United, even on FlyerTalk. "I want people to be open," he explains. "If travelers think there’s someone there responding, it’s no longer an open and free forum." Pankaj Gupta, a computer programmer from Denver who is a regular participant in FlyerTalk, also is concerned that the presence of marketing representatives online sometimes has a negative effect on the quality of discussions. "What happens is you get lots of people asking superfluous questions — questions that should just go to customer service," he says. But Mr. Gupta acknowledges that FlyerTalk participants have an edge when it comes to problem resolution, and it makes sense for airlines and hotel chains to monitor online discussions. "I don’t see anything wrong with their being there, but they may get more than they bargained for," he says. "It shouldn’t be a substitute for good customer service." Industry executives insist that establishing an online presence isn’t an open invitation for wired fliers to circumvent traditional channels when it comes to customer-service issues. Instead, they claim it’s simply another way to glean customer feedback without having to wait for the results from focus groups or market research surveys. "It’s just another forum for people to communicate," says Adam Burke, senior vice president for marketing at Hilton Hotels & Resorts. He says members of Hilton’s customer service staff in Dallas monitor online discussions on a regular basis, and they occasionally respond via e-mail to address specific issues or questions. Mr. Burke also made the decision to "go live" on FlyerTalk back in April, and was honored along with Ms. Welsh for his decision to upgrade his status from lurker to participant. "Historically, we’ve always been very much driven by the voice of consumers, and FlyerTalk has become an integral part of our marketing," he says. Although Mr. Burke maintains that online discussions have not had any impact on any specific program decisions to date, he says there have been comments posted that Hilton has "put into the hopper" for consideration later this year. While cyberspace provides a virtual sounding board for consumers to vent their frustrations about travel in general, and airlines in particular, it is the caliber of discussion on the FlyerTalk board which has prompted travel industry executives identify themselves in an independent forum, outside the cozy confines of their own corporate Web sites. Randy Petersen, editor of InsideFlyer magazine and Webflyer, the cyberspace address for FlyerTalk, says the two-year-old discussion group gets approximately 3,000 posts per week, and that the "fanatical" nature of the participants makes it an ideal place for marketing executives to interact with business fliers. "The knowledge that’s up there is quality stuff, and it happens in real time," he says. "There’s nothing that happens without it being commented on." Discussions have been so lively and informative, he says, that InsideFlyer plans to open a "Talk Mail" section of its site to highlight hot topics and discussion threads on a weekly basis. But Mr. Petersen also notes that while marketing executives can use FlyerTalk to pick up valuable information from sophisticated fliers, airlines and hotels face the danger of promising more than they can deliver. He points out that it’s not the job of airline and hotel reps to respond to countless consumer queries beyond the company’s Web site. "None of the airlines have created this dialogue with their own consumers — they have defaulted this to us," he says. But others in the industry are willing to track down answers to technical questions for the chance to tap into the wealth of frequent-flier knowledge available for free online. "In the past year, there’s a heightening realization that this is a mechanism we can really use," says Nan Moss, an assistant vice president for marketing at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts. In July, she assigned a "Hyatt Gold Passport Internet Concierge" to monitor FlyerTalk and respond publicly to questions and concerns about the hotel’s frequent guest program. For the moment, at least, only the FlyerTalk participants warrant this kind of personalized virtual attention. And some of them think it’s about time the industry takes seriously what’s being said online. "If a company can catch these issues before they escalate, they win big," says Efrem Mallach, a FlyerTalk participant Chelmsford, Mass. "I think more companies should do the same."