Continental: Getting Less for More
Written: May 06 '06 (Updated May 07 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good itinerary, reasonable price
Cons: Poor service, inefficient processes, uninterested staff
The Bottom Line: In terms of "average" for U.S.-based airlines, Continental serves as a poster child for the ills of the industry.
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| DAnneC's Full Review: Continental Airlines |
Airfare is a necessary evil for those of us who insist on traveling abroad. I love my international travel, and I’ll not give it up willingly—not even in these days of high oil prices—though I do wish there were a better and more affordable means to get from here to there.
My Air Travel “Druthers”
When I travel, it’s what happens on the destination end that I value most. To be honest, I hate paying a fortune merely to get “there”—wherever “there” might be. So quite frankly, I look for bargains. I surf the Net, look for special fares, and attempt to save most of my limited resources to spend in the places I’m actually traveling toward. In the past, that’s meant some good experiences with the Atlantic crossing and some not-so-good experiences. I’m not particularly happy to report that in providing my transportation back and forth for my most recent trip to Scotland, Continental Airlines managed to align itself more squarely with the latter than the former.
Choosing Continental
Despite my thrifty approach, I consider more than just price when I select a transatlantic flight. In choosing Continental, I considered the itinerary. As published, the itinerary provided two modest layovers in Newark, one each way, for a total one-way travel time of about 8 hours, start to finish. These days, a bargain fare often includes very long layovers, and I had the option of choosing cheaper flights with 10-12 hour layovers in London or Amsterdam. Ten hours in an airport is a long time—a long, numbing time—and not an experience to be freely chosen.
I considered available seating. I don’t mind occupying a middle seat when traveling with Himself, but if I’m alone, I want an aisle seat. I’d rather get up to accommodate other passengers needing the lavatory than ask them to move. My Continental flight itinerary offered aisle seating for both Atlantic crossings and for the return from Newark. I could live with one short flight (to Newark) in which I likely wouldn’t need to disturb my seatmates.
I also considered how full the plane was when I actually booked my flight. Based on past experience, I’ve learned that a full flight is more stressful and uncomfortable than one that is partially empty. Choosing a less-than-full flight is not an exact science—any given flight can fill up after your own reservations are made, or a flight cancellation can send a long stream of travelers to occupy what would have been empty seats. Indeed, my careful planning netted me one for two in this regard. My flight eastbound filled to the max at the last minute, but on my flight west, I drew three adjoining seats all to myself. Hence my flight to Glasgow was characterized by the extreme form of New-Age steerage—a packed flight—whereas the flight back was merely steerage with a bit more elbow room.
Check-In and Boarding
Stateside. Check-in and boarding were relatively standard—which in these days of e-tickets means increasingly impersonal. Nowadays, even passports can be verified through self-service check-in. “Circuit-rider” agents roam the check-in area to assist passengers having difficulties. Some circuit riders are pleasant and helpful, while others are gruff and lecturing. It’s the luck of the draw. You pay your money, and if you need help, you hope for the best.
Stateside boarding at the Continental gate was not handled efficiently. A wheelchair-bound passenger received too little help in completing his early boarding. The gate agent seemed to lose interest about halfway through the boarding process and stopped announcing seating rows. Passengers proceeded to board at will, no matter where their seats were assigned. In the cabin, this made for more congestion and confusion than need be—and indeed, more than is usual. This was, after all, a full flight.
A long delay on the return connecting flight was also poorly handled. Despite hours of waiting by some passengers, information was scarce and updates were few and far between. Unfortunately, this sort of gate-area service is all too common, and most passengers just coped.
UK-side. Check-in for my flight leaving Glasgow was far more personal than what I’ve become accustomed to for flights originating in the United States. I was greeted by real people at every turn—a real person to conduct my pre-flight security interview, a real person to check my itinerary and issue my boarding passes, and real people to provide me with updates about delays and to update my itinerary and boarding passes accordingly. So much personal attention!! I’ve become so accustomed to handling these processes for myself that I wondered if I were suspected of something!
A long delay before take-off resulted in a familiar sense of frustration in the gate lounge, but boarding was handled far more efficiently than on the Stateside of Continental’s pre-flight operation. One just couldn’t help but notice that more real people were involved with gate operations than is the norm in the States. Anyone who thinks that personnel cuts don’t make a difference in the quality of service isn’t paying attention.
In-Flight with Continental
Service. I don’t know how to say this generously: hospitality extended by flight crews aboard airliners continues to diminish. Each time I fly, it seems a bit worse. There was a time when the service extended by an international flight crew was unmatched for attention to detail—yes, even in economy class. No more. Gone are the relativity good meals. Gone are wine and beer as part of “free” beverage service aboard international flights ($4 per serving now), and even a full container of soda, juice, or water must be requested. Gone are the handy warm towelettes and mints that once appeared at the end of a meal. Gone are most of the beverage services that once occurred regularly and frequently to help passengers keep hydrated. Gone are the small goodie bags filled with amenities to make the long trip more pleasant and comfortable (toothpaste, pen, small note pad, socks, etc.). Indeed, gone is practically everything that once said, “Thank you for your patronage.”
Let me point out that by hospitality, I do not mean courtesy. Flight attendants still adhere to a form of courtesy, although it is now cool and practiced rather that warm and welcoming. In terms of service, it feels a bit like the difference between Wal-Mart and Harrods. At Wal-Mart, too, customers are often met and greeted as they enter, but just about any personal service provided inside is the result of a special request.
Indeed, this lack of service and hospitality seems to apply in first class as well as coach. My seatmate on the eastbound flight had an acquaintance in first-class seating who made two or three forays back for quick visits (travel in the opposite direction, by the way, was not allowed). Having paid 100,000 frequent flyer miles for her ticket, she expected more than a larger seat and free booze. She expected service. What she got was a slightly better bad meal, and slightly better cool service—but in her opinion, both the meal and the service failed to live up to economy, much less first-class, expectations. Not only that, she was herded away from her brief visits with her economy-class friend, and was coolly chastened for blocking the aisles.
The Aircraft. My transatlantic flights with Continental were aboard Boeing 757-200 aircraft. Don’t get me wrong, this is a large plane, but it is far from a jumbo jet. Seating in coach was configured 3x3, not 2x4x2 or 2x3x2 as was once de rigueur for most international travel. The smaller plane “feels” smaller, and the configuration down a single aisle adds to the sense that one is traveling in steerage. No doubt, it requires less fuel and is therefore cheaper to fly. That’s a fair consideration these days.
Legroom aboard the 757-200 was standard as far as I could tell—suitable for my 5-ft, 7-in frame—but there’s no doubt Himself at 6 ft would have had his knees tight against the seat in front. Seats in coach are cramped at best, so these were no more cramped than usual.
The onboard entertainment system left a good bit to be desired. Small monitors swung down from overhead, with two movies and a selection of CNN and Continental features shown in-flight for each direction. The monitors were too small and too far apart. The movies were current, and there were audio options for English and Spanish, as well as for music. The size and spacing of the monitors meant that viewing for many passengers was difficult. I can’t speak for all passengers, but I found the audio (or at least my reception of the audio) to be very poor. As a result, I didn’t bother, even though I really would have liked to view (and hear) one of the films. Thank goodness for my backup entertainment—a book of my own selection.
Final Thoughts
The effort required to fly coach at a fare that is truly economical has likely never been more challenging. The price of my off-season ticket has never been higher than this last one. (Indeed, this was my most expensive ever transatlantic ticket.) But in terms of service, in the true sense of the word—service has never been poorer. There are many reasons for this: the price of oil, the changing face of the airline industry in terms of job satisfactory, the growing number of travelers. Why the demographics seem to lend themselves to generally toward declining customer satisfaction is no doubt a question that is both complex and still wide open. Nonetheless, as a customer, I can’t help but feel that I don’t get what I pay for.
To me there seems something inherently contradictory about overbooked flights, with free tickets and lodging to passengers willing to modify their itineraries, and personnel cutbacks that make customer service more difficult. All these processes were readily observable during my recent transatlantic flight with Continental. I can’t help wonder why all those smart executives who run the so-called “legacy airlines” can’t find ways to increase both passenger and employee satisfaction—and provide a bit more efficiency in the process. One thing I know for sure, continuing cuts in everything but the price of the ticket will not reverse the situation. Moreover, my better experience with Continental based on their UK operations suggests that the overall experience can be, and should be, better.
Contact Information
Web Site: http://www.continental.com/
Toll Free Number: 800-525-0280 (from United States)
c. DAnneC/BawBaw, 2006
Recommended:
No
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DAnneC
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Location: Small Town America
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Loves history, travel, gardens, and words in general
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