A tweet reads “#Delta 9 hours wait on hold is this a way to run an airline”. This tweet is just one of many frustrated customers as domestic travel demand picks up in the US. Unfortunately, US airlines are struggling to keep up with disgruntled customers. Their call center operations are overwhelmed as airlines try to increase manpower and upgrade technology.
After more than a year of staying at homes, there is an apparent pent-up travel demand. Among the most popular destinations include Florida, Montana, and Wyoming. And along with improved airline booking include frustrated customers. Many are frustrated during their booking process.
It is also estimated that by July, there is a chance that airfares and capacity could normalize to their pre-pandemic levels. However, a problem that needs to be addressed is the smaller manpower. Three major US airlines decreased their manpower by 20% last year.
Frustrating Process That Requires Call Centers
Now that the CDC lets people who completed their vaccine doses remove their masks in most situations, many are now confident to travel. Unfortunately, one of the most frustrating things about using your travel credits or changing your flights is that you need to go through a call center. Unfortunately, airline call center operations are struggling to keep up.
Delta responded to this by adding more staff and overtime. They are now hiring temporary summer contract workers, adding fast-tracking tech, and even offering self-service options. According to Delta’s spokesman, “Our wait times are not currently where we’d like them to be”.
John Grant of flight data specialist OAG warns that US domestic airline traffic is possibly “overheating”. However, the good news is that there are budget airlines and startups that could potentially help improve domestic capacity. Grant believes that this is “good news for all airports of all sizes across the United States in the next few years”.
