Trading brand for profit: The Story of Boeing and JetBlue

There once was a time when JetBlue stood out and above other airlines in its class. They even made some of the big companies look bad in comparison. JetBlue built a cult-like devotion from its loyal customer base. And rightfully so! They were better in every way. The cult following was nearing the loyalty of the greatest companies like Apple and Nike. But somewhere along the way JetBlue and Boeing got lost or greedy, or both. They realized that they could maximize profit by providing an inferior product because of the tremendous reputation that they had grown. This didn't happen over night. You see, smart MBA's work things in a way, over time, where you don't realize what's happening. It starts with customer service but can end with safety defects, which is the case with Boeing Aircraft. When the companies goals become mainly about profit, it will be profitability that will suffer in the long term. Boeing is a great example of this. Boeing went from an engineering base system to a financial one. It didn't happen overnight there, either. Employees (mostly engineers) noticed and brought a case against them and won. But that didn't save Boeing from itself. Eventually, it moved its headquarters to establish a new culture. A colder and more profitable one. But in hind sight nobody would give them credit for this shift, certainly not their shareholders. Some comparisons can be made with JetBlue, not in the safety realm. Not yet, at least. But how far off is that day? The truth is that nobody knows whether JetBlue would sell off more than its brand. Would they exchange money for safety? I'd like to think that they wouldn't but deceit is like a cancer, it grows until you kill it. It's a question of confidence (or the lack thereof). The perception that a company is selfish and inefficient could be enough to sink it, even if safety is never compromised. Their customer service went down hill as did their perks. What's next? JetBlue's internet based service was "upgraded" to show the customer less information rather than more. Another MBA genius will have to explain this move to us because I'm not sure how less information to the customer is of benefit to the JB shareholders. But I'm sure that some highly educated aggressive young executive made it all sound good in a board room. So the JetBlue customer service system, as it exists now when you call in, goes like this: You have to pay $25 for the real customer service and wait online line for a half hour during peak hours with an option of texting only or going on their website. If you're a veteran there is no option other than waiting or texting. So let's say you're a veteran with a problem seeking a solution. Then, most likely, you are sent to an overseas call center with very little training on airline bookings. Things get more messed up so you're escalated to their overseas team leader. That leader can't help either so you're escalated to a below average agent in the U.S.A. You think everything will be okay but then their system doesn't have much more detail than yours. For example, U.S. based agents have no reference numbers, cannot share emails and generally don't care too much about helping. An example of the poor training is with Agent Jennifer from Utah kept getting caught in untrue statements. The conversation turned into a ridicules debate. Illegally, and without the permission of the customer, Jennifer cancels the flight schedule and somehow limits the internet access of the customer out of retaliation. Not all of the agents behave like this but too many do. There are exceptions like Krista in Orlando. But she'll have to tell you that all she can do is send out some well-crafted emails to try to help you. She can't escalate the issue to a manager or even the proper department to handle the solution. It's not her fault because that's the system. In Krista's case, she really does care and would do anything to help but she can't. It's policy and systems that is defective. It is the policy makers that curse their performance. It's no wonder that so many of them don't care anymore.

So it's a system so poorly crafted that it no longer works on any level of efficiency. JetBlue leaves the customer with a feeling of helplessness and abandonment. The abandonment leads to anger. And the anger leads the customer to the competitor, perhaps Delta or United or anyone else. This is what it's come to.. So the veteran doesn't get any level of service. And doesn't even get the lip-service of "thank you for your service". He just gets an invitation to call his credit card company to dispute the charges. This forces JetBlue to finally do the right thing at a cost greater than they were hoping to pay. So what were they hoping for? For the veteran to get tire and go away? Only JetBlue knows the answer for sure. One thing is for sure, the JetBlue fans are dwindling. No longer an outstanding brand, they now have to compete on flights and destination only, but at a disadvantage. The profits are still coming in but that is a short term game. In order to survive they'll have to improve or go the way of TWA and Yellowbird. If I seem bitter it's because I was once a JetBlue groupie. And I am that veteran who never got to speak to a manager. I am the customer who flight got cancelled without notice 3 days before take off. I am so very disappointed. The brightside is that Delta was more than happy to help me get where I wanted to go. The downside is that I will have to wait for my credit card company to prove my case to a company who's system no longer works for the customer, or even themselves.

Final update: Today I was contacted by JetBlue's executive office. It seems that JetBlue reimbursed us for the double charge amount and for the canceled flight but never addressed the wrongful cancellation of the flight and the limitations placed upon my JetBlue login. This illegal and retalitory action is my biggest concern and it is not even mentioned. The compensation was much lower than the cost incurred not to mention that they never took true responsibility nor did JetBlue fix the issue internally. I fear that this will happen again and again with others because they have a flawed system. #Boeing #veterans #loganairport #jetblue #veterans #frequentflyers