Out of wedlock, American Airlines and US Airways moved in together yesterday. Wednesday August 28, was the first day USAir operated out of the American Airlines JFK Airport Terminal 8. Formally engaged but not yet betrothed, the marriage is a bit down the road pending successful outcome of some legal challenges. But for now, both legendary airlines brands are operating flights out of the AA terminal 8 in the 34, 35, 38 and 40 numbered gates.
Prior to today I had no clue
that USAir was moving from its home of about 10 years in British Air T7. I had gone to do some work
at T7 and found their normal gates empty, unlit signs and devoid of any people,
not even TSA agents taking a break in the back area. Then I checked the
Departures display and no flights were listed. Was I in the Twilight Zone? I
looked for an agent but could not find one. Instead, I went to the man who knows
all, Emmett, the shoe shine man. Of course he knew. USAir had moved last night
and Wednesday was the first of its beginning flights from T8. So, off I went to
find them and their fliers.
On the one-stop on the Air Train
I received a JFK alert on my cell stating that all USAir flights are now in Terminal
8. Thanks! Why did you wait so long? Why not a notice days before? Anyway, entering
T8 I looked for some sign of USAir and came across a new “check-in” area by one
of the front doors. It is small but works for now. Moving towards the “personed”
agent area a bold sign announced this as the area for preferred passenger
check-in.
Right past TSA Security is
the Departures signage. I skimmed down the list to Charlotte
and Phoenix.
Strangely the Charlotte departure did not have a
gate but Phoenix
was gate 40. So, I figured let me start there. It worked. After looking around
I got down to Gate 35 and found smiling agents amidst a few customers having
the typical questions prior to flight. I was thinking of doing a Vine video but
got side-tracked by two older women who looked tired and confused. They told me
they came back from South Africa
that morning and were to catch an 8:24 a.m. flight to Charlotte. But, for some unknown reason they
were told the flight was closed an hour before takeoff and they “missed” the
flight. They were told to sit and wait a while to get a standby ticket. These
two women were certainly meek and did as told. I suggested they go back up and
re-state their position to the agent. Reluctantly they shrugged and I moved on
to take photos.
As I walked around I noticed
three men speaking. It seemed they were consulting each other on the new
operations between airlines. After waiting for a pause I went over to ask if
they were from AA and USAir. They all nodded. “Can I take a photo of you shaking
hands symbolizing the merger’” I asked. They looked at each other and one said,
“Perhaps that is best for corporate. “ The other said, "besides we are still competitors",
and his made a fist towards the others and laughed. It turns out both airlines are working on two
different certificates and not able to fully merge until one certificate for
both is created. According to one of the managers, this takes some time, so as of
now they are committed but competitive. So, the two brands and liveries will remain
the same, share the terminal and go on with business as usual.
We chatted a bit then I
moved on back to the Charlotte
line now boarding. As I passed I saw the two women who called out to me. These
were the two from South
Africa. Neither two women could thank me
enough. Turns out the one agent who they spoke with understood the problem,
tore up their standby passes and issued regular flight seats on this sold-out flight.
So kudos to the agents in charge for helping them.
By this time the 10:14
flight to Charlotte
was queuing up. One immediate nice thing about their new bunking is the space.
Cramped in T7 with lines snaking around pillars and tight quarters passengers
were always confused. Here at T8, there is lots of room so the boarding process
is more organized and much less stressful. The only hitch for some fliers was
that the taxis companies brought them to T7 not realizing the change. But this
was not a big deal and most fliers had no idea that just 20 hours earlier the
whole operation was a terminal away.
.
Hopefully this merger and the willingness of agents to help people like the stranded South Africans will be sign for
good customer service to come. We all know that customer service is key in this
business. Maybe the merger of these two brands will be a boon to customers who
are tired of being confronted by unsympathetic workers.
Let’s see the New
American make positive customer satisfaction strides with its new USAir partner as they head to the altar.
