A general strike against corporate mismanagement needed and incompetent airline management must be purged

BY STEVEN KASZAB

The past two years have been difficult for us all, but seemingly worse for those firms involved in air transport and airport management. Sure, these firms laid off thousands of their employees, which limited their flights both domestically and internationally. Any responsible firm would put their remaining employees and clients health and safety before profits right?

Many of our governments have opened up their economies claiming they are “Open for business,” so people want to travel and see the world as they once did. So what would a well-managed corporation do while they are in business-financial limbo (pandemic)? Why of course they prepared for the moment when traveling for private and business travel was approved right?

Well it seems most North American Airlines are suffering from “Corporate Brain Death,” a syndrome affecting management heads in that industry. Did they give human resources the go ahead to prepare for the return of their former employees? What about pursuing young people graduating from specialty schools/colleges that specialize in hospitality, stewardship and airline industry professions? How about putting out want ads in local papers?

Last year 18,000+ Americans graduated from hospitality and airline management programs, while 3,880 did so in Canada. Hire them!  Many of these graduates are still unemployed. Why? The pay offered to them was unsatisfactory. The wealthy corporations who had received millions of dollars from their respective governments to precisely maintain their workforce, used this money as profit, management salary up grades (pay increases for management) and advertising to drive an uncontrollable thirst for future travel among the public.

The formula had been set; promote travel, but offering low prices, fill the planes to excess, offer little added customer service at the airports and on planes. Don’t hire new employees. Keep salary and costs in check while promising much, deliver only the sub-acceptable. A formula that brought with it horror stories experienced in the airports and on board the planes.

We are told there is a bill of rights for the travelling person. We are told that “customer service” is paramount to these corporations operations. Really? Travellers are being mentally tortured by these airlines due to their limited and stressed employees. Yes there are government programs that have been created to reimburse mistreated travellers, but who has the time to wait for action? Travellers are stranded in airports, with no accommodation for a night’s stay offered, or a voucher to have a meal at least.

These large corporations have shown their incapability to function properly, and that they have no real understanding of what customer service truly means.

Perhaps it is time to show these corporations what we think of them. They have shown us what they think of us folks. They see us as sheep with wallets, nothing more. It is time for a strike to be called.

It is time to DENY the corporations their hefty profits and do staycations instead. Invest your traveling dollar in your region or nation. Many of the corporate heads of these airlines received salary raises while treating you terribly. Force airlines and their associated organizations to do better, improve their management and service plans, and hire those who will service you in the future.

Force these nameless corporate elites to reform, and re-imagine themselves and their operations. Stop flying and buying vacations in the sky. Travel and buy local.

That will surely upset them. Pressure your governments to enact enforceable laws that protect travellers and punish idiotic corporate mismanagement.