tele-checkin goofup

The sad service levels of Jet airways continues... Here is one more such experience: I had called Jet for tele-checkin, and requested a window seat. Since they offered only a non-reclining in the front of the aircraft, I told the agent to give me something way back, so that I could get in and out of the aircraft easily from the rear entrance. She assigned 30F to me, confirming that it is a reclining seat. However, to my horror, I found that the seat assigned was, indeed a non-reclining seat in the last row! I begged the attendants in the aircraft, but they won't do anything!

Chaos while checking in

Jet has a brand new terminal in the Delhi airport. However, it is a mess. The premier and Platinum members have a separate area to checkin. However, the customer service in this section is pathetic. There is total chaos there. There are several lines. People go to a "special" counter and jump the queue. The agent there doesn't care about who is ahead and who is jumping the queue. They accommodate people who are not flying premier nor platinum members. When customers complained, the agents and their supervisor didn't do ANYTHING! One thing that the Jet folks do is apologize, but when it comes to action, they are nowhere...

Recently, when I took a Jet flight from Bangaloer to Mumbai, the day before the flight, I got an SMS saying the flight I had booked on was cancelled and I was automatically moved to the next flight, which was late at night. I was obviously not happy, and called them to ask if they could move me to the previous flight, and how they were going to compensate me. They moved me to the previous flight, but no compensation. At the time of check-in, I asked them about upgrading me to business as a good gesture (I am in their Platinum tier, mind you). The manager profusely apologized saying he can't do anything, but will have their customer service dept get back to me within 24 hours. I am still waiting....

I just don't understand what this airline is thinking - why would they piss off one of their frequent fliers in their topmost tier? When their business class seats are going empty, why wouldn't they offer it to their customers who have been inconvenienced? They need to learn how to keep their customers...

Why this blog?

Being the number one airline in India, one would expect Jet Airways to offer a pleasant flying experience. But I have been extremely disappointed to note that it is quite the opposite. I have been flying Jet Airways for the past two years, and due to my frequent travels, I am a Platinum member - the highest level you can reach in their frequent flyer program. In spite of being a "valuable" customer that has given them a lot of business, what I get in return is crappy service. I have tried complaining to their management - more than once, but all I got were replies that amounted to something like "this is how we are, sorry you don't like it. Take it or leave it". So, I thought I'd share my experiences in this blog, and help other souls like me. Let's see where it goes...