Sunday, June 6, 2010

Antiquated systems

I read an article recently about the airlines starting to make some improvements on the computer systems their agents use and TOR thinks it's about time.
How the hell do airlines manage fleets of thousands of planes, hundred thousands of crew members, millions of pieces of luggage, cargo and passengers plus all those bags of peanuts when their entire life-support involves agents are looking at computer with green lettering? Somehow almost every other industry has been able to at least incorporate windows into their process but for some reason the airlines have decided that they don't need the 21st century. Think about how long it takes an agent to switch your seat or look for another flight when you get rerouted. I believe that they have made the entire concept of flying so incredibly arcane with their ticket-types, fare rules, seating assignments and inflexibility when it comes to changing flights that it allows them to have claim they are a victim of their antiquated systems and thus make any change so mind-numbingly complicated regardless of the size of the change that passengers just resist asking for anything.
Now they have added the kiosks for check-in and the ability to check-in online but try to do anything more complex and your staring at huge fees or a maze of total mumbo-jumbo.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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