Quality product and allegiance to mainline
09-15-2007, 10:30 AM
#1
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2006
Position: A320 Right
Posts: 219
Quality product and allegiance to mainline
I don't want this thread to offend anyone especially my friend up there sitting reserve in MKE, however. It is my observation and any criticism is welcomed.
Every time I ride on Skywest UAL out of ORD the only time is see or hear UAL is in the magazine and on the side of the airplanes, and some times the airplane doesn't even say United. Clearly SKW provides a quality product with very nice crews, good MX, and clean airplanes.
However, I wonder why I never hear, "Thank you for flying United" or "thank you for flying United Express operate by Skywest Airlines" Many of the F/A announcement are "welcome aboard Skywest Express flight ****" "Thank you for flying Skywest"
I understand that pride in a company is very important, but where is the allegiance to mainline. After all they are giving you the flying, and the pax didn't buy tickets to ride on Skywest.
Comments? Maybe I'm a little bent out of shape. Perhaps I am. I just feel that quality product is fly the plane land soft and thank them for flying U.S. Airways, because as an express carrier no one cares who you are.
Every time I ride on Skywest UAL out of ORD the only time is see or hear UAL is in the magazine and on the side of the airplanes, and some times the airplane doesn't even say United. Clearly SKW provides a quality product with very nice crews, good MX, and clean airplanes.
However, I wonder why I never hear, "Thank you for flying United" or "thank you for flying United Express operate by Skywest Airlines" Many of the F/A announcement are "welcome aboard Skywest Express flight ****" "Thank you for flying Skywest"
I understand that pride in a company is very important, but where is the allegiance to mainline. After all they are giving you the flying, and the pax didn't buy tickets to ride on Skywest.
Comments? Maybe I'm a little bent out of shape. Perhaps I am. I just feel that quality product is fly the plane land soft and thank them for flying U.S. Airways, because as an express carrier no one cares who you are.
09-15-2007, 10:38 AM
#2
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Posts: 439
I guess it is getting company name out there.
I have seen alot of business travelers that realize that it is not united, but some regional carrier. There have been many that know the difference between skywest, gojet, tsa, or mesa. I am not sure where this practice came from. I would think that the regionals would want to use their name in connection with the codeshare name to be visiable to the public as a good carrier in hopes that their name is known, and if my flying becomes available, then the codeshare says, hey these are good guys let see if they want more flying.
Just a thought
Reevs
I have seen alot of business travelers that realize that it is not united, but some regional carrier. There have been many that know the difference between skywest, gojet, tsa, or mesa. I am not sure where this practice came from. I would think that the regionals would want to use their name in connection with the codeshare name to be visiable to the public as a good carrier in hopes that their name is known, and if my flying becomes available, then the codeshare says, hey these are good guys let see if they want more flying.
Just a thought
Reevs
09-15-2007, 10:45 AM
#3
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: ERJ
Posts: 211
I think it's to get the company name out.
When I was a flight attendant for Skywest, our announcements were supposed to say "Welcome aboard Skywest Airlines flight XXXX, United Express/Delta Connection service to XYZ", and at the termination of the flight it was "Thank you for flying Skywest, hope to serve you again in the near future." Sometimes I would throw in UAX or DLC in there, but we weren't required.
When I was a flight attendant for Skywest, our announcements were supposed to say "Welcome aboard Skywest Airlines flight XXXX, United Express/Delta Connection service to XYZ", and at the termination of the flight it was "Thank you for flying Skywest, hope to serve you again in the near future." Sometimes I would throw in UAX or DLC in there, but we weren't required.
09-15-2007, 10:49 AM
#4
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2006
Position: A320 Right
Posts: 219
Thank you for that information FL600. I know that here at AWAC some of our business models are changing and soon our F/As will have AWAC uniforms and we may be saying the same thing. I was just curious what people think about it.
09-15-2007, 11:11 AM
#5
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 40,410
I think it's to get the company name out.
When I was a flight attendant for Skywest, our announcements were supposed to say "Welcome aboard Skywest Airlines flight XXXX, United Express/Delta Connection service to XYZ", and at the termination of the flight it was "Thank you for flying Skywest, hope to serve you again in the near future." Sometimes I would throw in UAX or DLC in there, but we weren't required.
When I was a flight attendant for Skywest, our announcements were supposed to say "Welcome aboard Skywest Airlines flight XXXX, United Express/Delta Connection service to XYZ", and at the termination of the flight it was "Thank you for flying Skywest, hope to serve you again in the near future." Sometimes I would throw in UAX or DLC in there, but we weren't required.
09-15-2007, 01:16 PM
#6
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2007
Position: 744 CA
Posts: 4,772
When I was an AE FO, I use to even throw in the "we appreciate that you have choices with your travel dollars and we thank you for choosing to spend them with US"...US was always intended to mean both AA and AE but then we were in the situation most "regionals" arent and that is that mainline fully then and fully now owns the airline.
09-15-2007, 02:58 PM
#7
La Familia Delta
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: B-717 FO / C-17 AC
Posts: 2,467
maybe f/a's just find it easier to only say skywest. when mke first opened, they tdy'd f/a's and pilots from all the other domiciles. so every other announcement went like this: "welcome aboard skywest flight xxxx, united express/delta connection uhhhh i mean midwest connect service to xxx"
can get very confusing for an f/a that has to remember whether he/she is on a ua, dl, or midwest flight after theyve been saying the same thing over and over for months at a time
can get very confusing for an f/a that has to remember whether he/she is on a ua, dl, or midwest flight after theyve been saying the same thing over and over for months at a time
09-15-2007, 05:24 PM
#8
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,818
LoL
It certainly gets the SkyWest name "out" in the new markets here in the East...
Out West especially, travelers I've found know that they are flying SkyWest rather than another Regional, and are somewhat loyal to the brand. In SLC, for example, not only do the signs that point to our gates say "Delta Connection," but they also say "SkyWest" as well. SkyWest is building the loyalty here now.
And yes - Savvy travelers are beginning to notice the difference between TSA/GoJet/Mesa/SkyWest on Express-service...!
I think it's worth noting that a quality regional, be it AWAC, SKW, RAH, or XJet, that provides a quality service should make sure their passengers/customers know who they are flying on...It may mean the difference between them coming back to fly a ----- (insert one of the above here) Express flight again or not. IMHO it only goes to provide better service to both the customer AND the Codeshare...
It certainly gets the SkyWest name "out" in the new markets here in the East...
Out West especially, travelers I've found know that they are flying SkyWest rather than another Regional, and are somewhat loyal to the brand. In SLC, for example, not only do the signs that point to our gates say "Delta Connection," but they also say "SkyWest" as well. SkyWest is building the loyalty here now.
And yes - Savvy travelers are beginning to notice the difference between TSA/GoJet/Mesa/SkyWest on Express-service...!
I think it's worth noting that a quality regional, be it AWAC, SKW, RAH, or XJet, that provides a quality service should make sure their passengers/customers know who they are flying on...It may mean the difference between them coming back to fly a ----- (insert one of the above here) Express flight again or not. IMHO it only goes to provide better service to both the customer AND the Codeshare...
Last edited by ExperimentalAB; 09-15-2007 at 05:48 PM.
09-15-2007, 05:41 PM
#9
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: 737 Left
Posts: 828
You bring up very interesting points- and you're right.
At Colgan our flight attendants say...
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome aboard US Airways Express operated by Colgan Air. You're now aboard US Airways Express flight 4816 with service to Hartford, CT. Federal Reg......"
That is the ONLY time Colgan Air is mentioned- other than the placard on the side of the aircraft.
This is mandated by US Airways.
At Colgan our flight attendants say...
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome aboard US Airways Express operated by Colgan Air. You're now aboard US Airways Express flight 4816 with service to Hartford, CT. Federal Reg......"
That is the ONLY time Colgan Air is mentioned- other than the placard on the side of the aircraft.
This is mandated by US Airways.
09-15-2007, 07:48 PM
#10
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2007
Position: E170 FO
Posts: 686
RAH has a card on the 170s that has our name on it and explain the "features" of the 170 vs other regional jets. Supposedly builds passenger loyalty to the E-Jets. I do know several friends who travel for business target 170s when possible for their travel. They are extremely popular with the (albeit few) discriminating pax.
