Re: IP: -- this is unacceptable and should be illegal -- Newly "federalized" screeners ask for *TIPS*!

[David Farber <dfarber () earthlink net>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Adams <larry () bluemartini com>
Date: Sat, 09 Mar 2002 12:57:26 
To: farber () cis upenn edu, jane.costello () wsj com
Subject: Re: IP: -- this is unacceptable and should be illegal -- Newly 
 "federalized" screeners ask for *TIPS*!

Let's not jump off the deep end here.  One sign was sighted at one
security checkpoint at one airport.

I have to take issue with the assumption that service will decline under
federal regulation.  I have only taken one flight since the feds have
taken over, but I have never been so impressed with the general
cordiality of the screeners.  It seemed to me that they are under a
directive to improve their relations with the public based on my
experiences Thursday and Friday of this past week.

When entering the security area of Chicago Midway, an older woman with a
mic and speaker was providing information regarding their bag screening
requirements.  Individuals posed questions to her, and she announced the
answers for all to hear.  The process was very smooth, despite a large
number of travelers.  Screeners made an effort to be pleasant, wishing
us safe journey's etc.  This has never happened to me prior to this
trip.  I experienced a similar level of service at DFW.  Several of us
were selected for random screens at both airports, the screeners were
understanding of the inconvenience, and didn't make me feel like I was a
burden to them, as I have felt in the past.

There will be transitional pain during this process, but we should
recognize improvements in security staff when they do a good job.  The
tipping sign was probably the work of one person, the buck stops with
him or her.  From what I have seen, the majority of screeners are more
service oriented, and serious about their jobs than in the past, even
without the tips.

Larry Adams

Dave Farber wrote:
> http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,4287,SB1015265066543268200,00.html
>
> Screener's Request for Tips Spotlights
> A Customer-Service Bind for Airlines
>
> By JANE COSTELLO
> THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE
>
> Airline passengers may not be inclined to tip security personnel for a job
> well done, but that hasn't stopped some screeners from encouraging
> travelers to share the wealth.
>
> On Feb. 11, Sean Mendis, an aviation consultant from Atlanta, saw a
> handwritten sign that said "Tips Are Appreciated" at the security
> checkpoint at Terminal 9 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New
> York. Mr. Mendis mentioned to the security screener that he didn't think
> the sign was appropriate. The screener, an employee of Worldwide Flight
> Services, bristled at the criticism -- and proceeded to question the
> validity of Mr. Mendis' American Airlines e-ticket.
>
> "My initial reaction was 'You've got to be kidding,' " Mr. Mendis says.
> "Something like that is totally inappropriate for someone in a security
> function."
>
> Other travelers report having seen the sign as well. (It's no longer
> displayed.) Mr. Mendis fired off a letter of complaint to the airline,
> which says -- as does Worldwide Flight -- that it didn't know about the
> sign.
>
> But the real problem with this rather curious case is that American
> Airlines no longer has immediate recourse to deal with the issue -- or with
> any other -- regarding the personnel who screen their passengers. On Feb.
> 17, the federal government assumed responsibility for airport security;
> passengers who have a complaint or concern about a policy or procedure must
> now call the new Transportation Security Administration's "Security
> Hotline."
>
> It's no secret the airlines are relieved to be out of the
> security-screening business, which is expensive to administer and fraught
> with potential for liability. But along with the relief comes concern about
> relinquishing the responsibility for customer service to the government.
> After all, a negative experience in a security line or at the checkpoint
> can reflect on the airline, even if it's the TSA that deserves the
> criticism. And an airline worker who refers an irate passenger to a hotline
> number may be perceived as just another stumbling block, instead of as
> someone who tried to help.
>
> "We will pass along the information that the front screening gate is
> controlled by the TSA and any complaints should be forwarded to the correct
> government contacts," American Airlines spokesman Kurt Iverson says. But,
> he adds, the airlines will be "eager to fix any difficulties that might
> develop for our passengers at these gates."
>
> "We are still responsible for our customers and will be working on ways to
> make their airport experience as hassle-free as possible," he says. "We are
> trying to provide as much screening information as possible through our Web
> site, and our customer-service representatives are updated on any screening
> issues that might arise."
>
> In the viewpoint of one consultant, such an approach is a must to avoid a
> potential debacle.
>
> "If they get in a canned-response mode, that will be bad for business,"
> says Robert Mann, an airline-industry consultant from Port Washington, N.Y.
> "Airlines need to demonstrate that they're still in charge of the overall
> process -- passing the buck will only promote more frustration on the part
> of passengers."
>
> The Tipping Point
>
> In the case of the JFK tipping sign, the buck stops several places.
> Representatives of both American Airlines and Worldwide Flight Services,
> the company with a short-term contract to provide security at JFK until the
> TSA takeover, say that tipping constitutes a violation of security policy.
> TSA spokesman Jim Mitchell says that tipping is a "no-no," and that the
> government will not allow the practice to continue. Encouraging tips for a
> security-related service sends a message to passengers that they may be
> able to receive preferential treatment at the checkpoint.
>
> "All passengers are supposed to receive an equal level of service," he
> says. "It's not professional to take tips."
>
> By the end of 2002, all screeners will be federal employees, and security
> firms will no longer provide the service. The TSA will have on-site
> security managers who will oversee the process at the airport. Moreover,
> Mr. Mitchell says that the agency is in the process of hiring an
> "ombudsman" who will oversee all complaints received by the hotline. There
> will be a staff of people whose responsibility it is to research and
> resolve customer-service issues.
>
> But the future is not now, and Mr. Mendis's experience demonstrates the
> potential for passenger confusion over who's responsible for problems at an
> airport. At the moment, the government is contracting with the same firms
> that provided security to the airlines prior to Sept. 11.
>
> "This is going to be a very bad transition year," predicts David Stempler,
> president of the Air Travelers Association. By passing a law that set a
> deadline of mid-February for a federal takeover of security, the government
> forced itself to turn to the same companies that the airlines used,
> resulting in no immediate change or improvement in the quality of personnel
> at the checkpoints. Security firms that once reported to an airline now
> report to a newly created government agency struggling to hire tens of
> thousands of employees by the end of the year.
>
> "It was the best of a lot of bad choices," Mr. Stempler says, but he adds
> that "until the TSA employees are in place, it's going to be a difficult
> time."
>
> The Melting Pot
>
> While acknowledging potential difficulties ahead, airline officials remain
> optimistic about the industry's ability to weather the transition period
> and process passengers in a timely and effective manner.
>
> "The security checkpoint has always been a melting point of interests,"
> notes American Airlines' Mr. Iverson. He points out that there have always
> been representatives from the airport, law enforcement, security firms and
> airlines operating simultaneously in the terminals, and believes that
> adding federal employees to the mix shouldn't be all that difficult.
>
> But while passengers may not have to worry about packing enough loose
> change to grease the palm of greedy security screeners, the industry is
> still left with the challenge of having to work with the federal government
> to provide customer service to its paying passengers.
>
> "Right now, you're in this alone -- the airlines can't do much of anything
> and they won't," says Terry Trippler, a travel-industry consultant from
> Minneapolis, Minn. Once the federal employees are in place, Mr. Trippler
> thinks the airlines should stage an "all-out PR campaign" to communicate
> that they are in favor of the new system, but not at the expense of
> customer service.
>
> "The airlines need to give the impression that they will embrace the new
> security," he says. "But if they screw up, the industry has a lot of
> lobbyists and people in Congress and the media who can create lots of
> problems for the TSA."
>
> By the end of the year, the government is supposed to have assembled a work
> force of well-paid screeners who will report to TSA managers on site, and
> the transition of security from private to public should be complete. In
> the meantime, passengers will need to adjust their expectations and
> recognize that the airlines no longer control the process. Nor are the
> airlines necessarily in a position to soothe a passenger who has had a bad
> experience at the hands of a TSA subcontractor.
>
> "In the past, the airlines could hand out freebies and vouchers and things
> to appease passengers," says Mr. Stempler. "Now if a person is rude or
> inappropriate, they're going to tell people to take it up with the
> government. It's one of the trade-offs we've made to get better security."
>
> Write to Jane Costello at jane.costello@wsj.com1
> URL for this article:
> http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1015265066543268200.djm,00.html
> Hyperlinks in this Article:
> (1) mailto:jane.costello () wsj com
>
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