Dear Readers - again, my apologies for the length of time between posts. Between my day job, and some personal dramas that seem unending, when I do find some spare time, I am exhausted. Trying to stay up with everything going on at United Airlines has been a challenge. Things are smoothing out on the personal side, and I hope to get back to writing more.
I miss the "Friendly Skies." My last trip in July was the first since September of 2017. I took some time off to go home and visit family in Colorado. I scheduled some time for myself and routed the trip through Houston; there was a flight from LAX to IAH and back that was on one of the new 787-900 Dreamliners. I will say that for the flights themselves, I was extremely disappointed. In-flight service was OK, but would not win any awards or accolades. The meals were god awful. United is preparing for the consolidation of the subUA and subCO Flight Attendant groups in October, which should bring more consistency in the level of service offered in-flight. Consistency is good; however, if United expects to improve its customer service ratings, flight attendants have to be provided with better fitting, more comfortable uniforms. They also need better training on meal presentation for the First/Business/Polaris class cabins. The chicken that was to be added to the jambalaya, paella, and salads was served on the side, cold and gray. And I am sorry if this offends anyone, but I think the captain and first officer should always be introduced and addressed by their last names, for example Captain Smith and First Officer Jones, not Captain Bill and First Officer Hank. This makes them sound like characters on a children's TV show, and this does not convey the respect the Captain and First Officer have earned. Perhaps this was the Continental way, and in-flight managers think it "fun." It is just plain ridiculous.
Now that I have vented about my last trip, I need to get on to the real purpose behind this posting. Over that last dozen years or so, I have gotten to know many of the Customer Service agents and managers at LAX. They are truly kind, caring and dedicated individuals, and I try to make extra time before my flight to be able to sit down with some of them to catch up. Time permitting on their side, they will go out of the way to make things special for me such as pre-boarding, or a ride in the Mercedes to the gate.
A couple of weeks ago, I received a shocking text from a Global Services agent that Jim Trabucco, United's Customer Service manager at LAX had been let go. Having gotten to know Jim, the news is devastating and I cannot fathom why United management took such action. Jim has boundless energy and is always positive. As a manager, he had to keep his agents and support staff motivated to provide the best customer service. With events such as 9/11, United's long ride through bankruptcy, the merger with Continental, and the recent renovation of United's terminals at LAX, Jim met those challenges head on and made sure that customer service at LAX never waned.
So, this post is going to take a little bit different direction. Below is a copy of a letter from me that is being delivered to Oscar Munoz today. In the letter you can read of my own personal experiences with Jim Trabucco. I do not know the circumstances behind his dismissal, I cannot imagine what Jim may have done so wrong to be treated so badly. If customer surveys are showing a decline in customer service at LAX, it is not because of Jim. Even with all the noise, dust and confusion from the recent construction, Jim made sure customer service agents had what they needed to take care of the passengers.
Additionally, it is not Jim's fault if the product United is providing has gone downhill. The recent decision to discontinue the non-stop flight to Singapore is a good example. Not enough passengers were paying the premium fare United was hoping to charge to make the route profitable. It is a 17-hour flight, and while United sells the front cabin as "Polaris Class," the seats are the same old Business Class seats Continental ordered for the 787's. Even though this is the only non-stop to Singapore from LAX right now, those premium customers being targeted are willing to pay more for more comfort during such a trek, and they find it with with other carriers. If premium customers were complaining about the flight, it was not because of service they received from agents at LAX.
So with this post, I am asking for your help to give voice to one person. Jim Trabucco does deserve to be treated fairly and not be made a scapegoat for the failure of other managers. I am going to ask a favor from you and ask you to take a moment to contact Mr. Munoz (Oscar.Munoz@united.com) and let him know of your concern about Mr. Trabucco's dismissal. You can also e-mail Kate Gebo, Executive Vice President - Human Resources and Labor Relations, at Kate.Gebo@united.com, or Hermes Pineda, Managing Director - Human Resources and Employee Relations, at Hermes.Pineda@united.com.
The last J.D. Power and Associates survey showed that customers continue to rank United among the lowest, which I know has rattled executives in Chicago. Management tells us they are working hard to improve the customer experience; however, the official "Polaris" service (seats and all) is taking forever to to roll out across the fleet, meal quality has declined to abysmal, United Club's are overcrowded with one-timers, interfering with us long-time, card-carrying members. Those of us who have remained loyal keep coming back because of you all - it is front-line employees who are the "Friendly Skies." United is not going to be fixed by getting rid of those who have dedicated their lives to the company. I hope to see you soon...and Thank You!
August 3, 2018 ** Via Fedex Overnight **
Mr. Oscar Munoz
Chief Executive Officer
United Continental Holdings, Inc.
233 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
RE: James Trabucco
Customer Service Manager - LAX
Dear Mr. Munoz:
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to read this letter. For the last three years you have made it your focus to improve the product and experience for United Airlines’ customers. You came to United at a time when the product had been severely damaged by a bankruptcy, recession, and a merger wherein managers from Continental Airlines were brought in to take over for their counterparts at United Airlines. This led to a severe decline in employee morale and high defection rate of coveted premium passengers to the competition. You set out to improve the product and experience for the customers, and you recognized that standing by and supporting those on the front-line at United was a necessary first step to accomplish that goal.
As one of those premium customers valued by United Airlines, I have seen so many changes, more bad than good. I have always stood by United’s front-line employees, especially through difficult times such as the attacks on 9/11/2001; a long, drawn out bankruptcy; the “Great Recession” and then the unwelcome changes that came from the merger. Since the attacks on 9/11/2001, with every trip I take, I have been handing out Starbucks cards to the employees to show them they are appreciated by the customers. I have walked the picket lines with flight attendants and pilots as they sought to get their message out to Mr. Tilton and Mr. Smisek that they were not going to tolerate delayed contract negotiations. I started a blog dedicated to United’s employees to let them know that while management was not listening, the customers were. I have also showed up at shareholder meetings to voice my support for United and its employees.
Despite the tumultuous times mentioned above, one constant has always been the superior service provided by United’s front-line customer service associates at LAX. These are dedicated individuals who have devoted their lives to United Airlines. They listen to customers and do all that they can to take care of them. Until the merger, they were all so steadfastly proud to be a part of the “Friendly Skies.” Supporting all of these front-line associates were equally dedicated supervisors and station managers who worked hard to keep their staff motivated and wanting to come to work day after day. One of these individuals is Jim Trabucco, who until very recently was the Customer Service manager at LAX.
This brings me to the purpose of this letter. Sadly, I learned last week that Mr. Trabucco has been let go. I do not know the circumstances for his dismissal, but I think it is important to bring to your attention that this has to be a mistake. This is a man with 42 years at United Airlines; who worked his way up to become the Customer Service Manager at LAX. I have gotten to know Jim over many years, and I have witnessed him in action with almost every trip I take. Despite all the turmoil I mentioned earlier, Jim was always present with a positive attitude; and he is well-respected by so many at United, not only at LAX, but system wide. His dismissal has left so many on the front-lines stunned, saddened, and more importantly, wondering where the next ax may fall. His dismissal has also hit premium customers who, despite the ugly changes from the merger, have remained loyal to United because of people like Jim.
I first met Jim Trabucco back in 2006. That year, on September 11, the fifth anniversary of the attacks, I was taking my annual trip from LAX to JFK and back. I handed out a bunch of Starbucks gift cards to employees at the check-in counters, in the First Class lounge, and at gates throughout the terminal. This gesture was a way to show my support for the employees on what is a difficult day for them. The next day, after my late return the night before, I received a personal call from Jim thanking me for what I had done. He could not say enough about how well received the cards were, and more importantly, he wanted to thank me for my show of support every year on 9/11.
A couple of months later I was contacted by Fru Lavilla from Global Services at LAX. I have also gotten know Fru over the years and we always visit when I travel. She had called to say that she, Jim, and some of his associates wanted to take me to lunch as a thank you. We set a date and place near my office. There were about 8 of us at that lunch, including the LAX station manager, and the Vice President for Hub Operations, who was visiting from Chicago. At that lunch they surprised me with their first “Customer of the Year” award. Jim had someone from the machine shop at LAX fashion a plaque (picture below) in the shape of the original United shield and a picture of a United 747 on the front.
It is this kind of attention and pride that Jim instilled in those he supervised. He worked countless hours doing so. On 9/11/2007, and for many years after that, Jim was always there to see me off when I left for New York. When I would return later that same evening, he always had a welcoming committee waiting for me. Jim had put in the same 14 hour day that I did.
That same year, 2007, had me traveling at the holidays to see my family in Wyoming. When I arrived at LAX, I noticed a new, somewhat makeshift PA system set up in the Economy check-in lobby to speed up passenger processing. United’s investment in its facilities at LAX had been noticeably absent during the bankruptcy, but it was Jim Trabucco who found an inexpensive way to make holiday travel a little better for all United customers.
In 2008, United held its annual Shareholder’s meeting here in Los Angeles and I took the day off to attend. United had emerged from bankruptcy in 2007 and showed a profit for that year; however, employee morale was at its lowest. After years of forced pay cuts and layoffs, Mr. Tilton had reneged on his “shared sacrifices, shared rewards” promise. After the official meeting was adjourned, there was an open question period, and I asked Mr. Tilton about United’s investment in new premium cabin seats, as well as a hefty cash distribution to shareholders, and suggested that the money would be better invested by giving back to the employees. I pointed out, as a customer, the shocking lack of empathy by management for the employees, and the rage expressed by those employees in attendance. No customer, especially a valued premium customer should be exposed to such a spectacle. Mr. Tilton responded by telling me that I would witness the same at the other airlines and was welcome to check them out for myself. The day after that meeting, Jim Trabucco called me personally to apologize for Mr. Tilton’s statement, and let me know how much the employees appreciated what I had to say.
Another story about Jim that you can relate to Mr. Munoz - the merger was put on the books in 2010, and in the years after that, things were pretty chaotic. Continental’s operations at LAX were in the adjoining terminal 6, and management was putting the pressure on to merge and consolidate both airlines’ operations into terminals 7 and 8. During that same period, management also made the decision to abandon United’s legacy reservation system in favor of Continental’s older system. The majority of customer service agents at LAX would now have to be re-trained to use this “new” older system. I know Jim was putting in many more hours under a lot more stress. This led to a heart attack and Jim was set back for several months.
After you took the helm, you recognized the value in United’s presence at LAX and began a massive renovation of the terminals. Even with all the construction chaos, when I showed up to check-in for my flights, customer service agents have always greeted me with a smile and warm welcome. This renovation has been a long process, and I know Jim had a lot to do with making things as smooth and efficient as possible for employees and customers. United has spent a lot of money making their terminals at LAX truly beautiful, and a source of pride for employees and customers; however, now that the work is done, I am puzzled by the decision to let go one of their most valuable assets.
For the last 17 years, I have been one person fighting for thousands at United Airlines. Now, I am fighting for one, and would be very grateful for any assistance you can offer. Jim Trabucco has put his heart and soul into United Airlines, just as you have Mr. Munoz (no pun intended by that statement). He is an energetic, dedicated and kind individual that has sacrificed a lot for the company, and operations at LAX will suffer because of this decision. This decision will alienate other premium customers, such as myself, who know Jim and know of his pride for United Airlines. Why remain loyal to United when they cannot do the same for their employees? This decision will also reverberate across the system, making employees question your efforts to boost morale, and question their own dedication and commitment to the company. Mr. Munoz, United cannot afford to backtrack on all the progress you have worked so hard to achieve.
My sincerest thanks for your time and for listening –
My sincerest thanks for your time and for listening –
James T. Anderson
Mileage Plus #HVC21479
