Skyservice, Signature and Me.

[Kip Powick]

warning…this is long

Toronto – Veradero..Skyservice 384

November 2003

Airport / Check-in

As probably most of you know, in Toronto, Skyservice operates out of T-3. The last time we flew out of T-3 was in the early Spring on another southern junket so it was interesting to see what, if any changes had taken place. The first thing that caught our attention was the fact that there are “new” luggage carts available at the nominal cost of $1.00, but what has changed, along with the type of cart, is the “refund” when the cart is returned to the cart holder. No longer does one get a full refund but one now receives a “reward” of $0.25 upon the return of the cart. Not sure which company owns the carts but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was GTAA !. Now the new carts are a bit different, and have a feature I abhor. One must squeeze the handle in order for the “brakes” to release and the cart travel freely. Not really a big deal… if both brakes let go. I find the brake thing a real pain and as I watched customers in the Terminal, saw more than one impale themselves on the handles when they released a bit of hand pressure. Why are there brakes on the carts?? How many hills and valleys are there in T-3??? Is runaway luggage carts a serious problem at the airport??? I asked an airport employee about the new “reward” feature and was advised that one’s costs were offset by the fact that when one returns from their trip the carts are free in the Customs area. Being a math whiz, I figured that in order to break even, (it’s a cheap pilot thing), and as we used three carts for departure, (Snorkel 01…. sister-in-law was along) I would have to bring nine carts from Customs to the Arrivals level. Nine carts would be impossible to maneuver with those spring-loaded handles …… now I know why they have the “brake” thingy

Once again Skyservice had a good handle on the check-in lineups and they moved quickly and efficiently. The young check-in lady was very personable until I threw her a slight curve. When asked if I had packed my own bags I replied, “No”.

“Who packed them?”

“The maid”

“The maid?, You have a maid?”

“Yes, she’s standing behind me”

(At this point I should point out that Scuba 02 wears double hearing aids and was not privy to the conversation.)

Of course the next question was if the bags had ever been out of our sight to which I replied, “Yes”

“Yes?”

“Yeh, I couldn’t see them when they were in the trunk of the car”.

Finally she realized that I was “funnin’ her and away we went to Security. As you all know, your Boarding Pass and Passport are checked PRIOR to being allowed to enter the alley of tape that guides you to the door, which has the “X-ray” setup on the other side. Now as soon as you are at the X-ray machine you have to dig out your Passport and Boarding Pass again and show it to the individual prior to being allowed to have your carry-on baggage “nuked”. I asked the fellow why he had to see the documents again. He said he didn’t know, but he had to make sure the Boarding Pass was “the real thing”. I guess the persons at the beginning of the line are not qualified to ascertain the “real thing” or a “fake”. Because of his limited skill with the English language I knew there was no point in discussing the issue. Scuba 02 was pulled aside because of a set of tweezers in her cosmetic thing, (she got to keep them), but I breezed through with a 12 pack of AA batteries taped together for the cameras, strobes and dive computers.…go figure…..It was a right turn and we were at Gate C25.

At the Gate

Everyone knows just how lousy airport terminal PA systems are and the one at C25 was no different, however, Skyservice has to share some of the blame. To be blunt…if you are going to have gate agents making PAs it would behoove the operation if the agents could at least speak passable English. This was not only evident at C25 but also at C26, which we could hear. There was not one PA that did not have the customers asking one another what the hell was said. Now, in fairness to Skyservice, one agent, of Asian descent, came to C25 and gave a brief announcement about a gate change for another vacation group and his PA was impeccable, it was slow, clear, and well annunciated.

Are you familiar with the form called API ?? It is the Advanced Passenger Information form and I would assume it is printed by Skyservice as the form has a serial number of SSV 00026. Emblazoned across the bottom in big black letters is Passengers Entering Canada. OK…we’re leaving Canada so I would assume we have to fill this in prior to “disembarking the aircraft” when we return to enter Canada..Wrong….this form has to be filled in prior to leaving Canada and must be handed in to the crew prior to getting off at your “out of Canada” destination. This form is easy to fill out but very difficult to comprehend. I guess it is another facet of “Big Brother” watching all of us.

SUGGESTION for SIGNATURE…Put the form in the vacation package along with the tickets/luggage tags/entry cards etc. so it can be filled out prior to leaving home and be sure to include specific instructions…or…have Skyservice change the wording on the form.

Boarding

I have been fortunate in my travels to see many methods of the sequential boarding of customers on an aircraft but at this point in time I have yet to see any Canadian Company do a really great job. In this case, the aircraft being an A320, the order of boarding was rows 1-3 first !!! This means that 18 persons get on the aircraft and effectively block, (milling about, putting bags away etc.) the remaining passengers from proceeding to the rear of the aircraft when other rows are called. The only logic I can see in boarding rows 1-3 first is that Row 1 is usually afforded to handicapped and families but on a charter flight to the Caribbean one does not normally find 18 handicapped persons or that many complete families with infants, in fact our flight had none. Skyservice then boards the customers starting from the back to the front, which seems logical but I don’t understand that Rows 1 –3 first thing. Herein lies another problem. I would say that perhaps 75%, or more, of the customers do not know, in relation to the aircraft configuration, where their seats are and it is a well known fact that most customers do have some degree of difficulty even reading and understanding a Boarding Pass. A suggested solution is so simple.

1) Color code the boarding passes, ie RED are rows 25-30. YELLOW are rows 20-24 etc. and the agent merely has to call a color and check it as the customer goes by or,

2) Number code the boarding passes with a LARGE WRITTEN number across the front, ie SEVEN is for rows 25-30, SIX is for rows 20 -24 etc. and once again the agent merely calls out a number and those that have that number go past the agent.

3) At the gate counter have a large schematic of the aircraft configuration with row numbers and seat letters on display, orientated toward the entry door of the aircraft, so that customers have an idea where they are going. I have seen customers stopping at the first few rows trying to find Row 26 because they have no idea of how the aircraft is set up.

Now this may sound very wishful but I have seen these methods work with different airlines and boarding becomes a breeze and much more efficient.

On Board

Just prior to pushback the Captain introduced himself, gave a very clear and informative PA, updated destination weather, advised that the flight would arrive on time due to good winds and took the time to introduce his F/O and give a reasonable explanation as to why we were a few minutes late. (In CP it was SOP to inform the customers as to the reason for the delay if we were 5 minutes past pushback time. I do not know Skyservice SOPs but it seems to me that they may also follow this “rule”.) The reason given for our delay was a small problem with the Gen Dec. The F/A PA was well done and the “Director” also introduced his crew in a courteous and informative manner.

Pushback commenced 7 minutes past Sched time.

Taxi out was smooth and the pre takeoff safety video was standard fare. A rolling takeoff was commenced at the runway and we were airborne. (Not sure why but the 320 engines at T/O power always remind me of my younger days when we would clothes pin a piece of cardboard to the wheel strut on our bicycle and listen to the cardboard as it was hit by the passing spokes). Once we reached cruising altitude, the Captain gave a brief and informative PA concerning points on our route of flight, the latest weather and our estimated arrival time in local time and the fact that there was no time change..

To put it mildly, the “meal” on the way to Cuba really sucked. It was probably the worst meal I have ever had on a Canadian carrier and really sub par for the number of times I have flown on Skyservice. It was called a Bistro Box and that is what it tasted like…a cold piece of cardboard. I think the F/As were even embarrassed in having to serve it. Now about liquids…… I don’t have a problem with being charged for soft drinks, alcohol or wine but I get a little perturbed when one of the necessities of life has a price tag on it. Anyone who flies quite often as well as aviation medical practitioners will tell you that the last thing one should drink in an aircraft is diet drinks, coffee, tea or alcohol as they all are diuretics. It is recommended that one only drinks juice or water during a flight. Skyservice now charges $1.00 for a bottle of water and to me, on a charter, that is really nickel and dimeing the customer. I don’t think customers should get a whole bottle free but why not have large bottles of water on board and give a “free” glass full to those that want to have it. Yes, I understand that economics play a big part of costs now days but Charter service should be an exception…add a dollar to the ticket for the water, Lord knows there are enough taxes on flights now but who would balk at buying a ticket if the $1.00 meant drinkable water. A small point, I will agree, but as Max Ward said, “meals are the cheapest part of a charter operation and it also keeps them coming back” Airlines in Canada are now reaching the low levels of service provided by American carriers and that is a damned shame.

Arrival

Not much can be said about what I would consider a perfect Visual Approach to Veradero. I think we turned final about 10 miles out, from a left base, I heard the auto pilot decouple and the Captain hand flew it to a landing that I would rates as a 9.8- 9.9. It was very well done. All in all, the flight down to Cuba was very well done with the few exceptions noted.

Veradero - Toronto..Skyservice 385

December 2003

Resort to Airport

This was probably the most painful part of the trip mainly because of the time sequences forced on the customer by the airline and the hotel. I think it would be very difficult to remedy the situation with respect to leaving ones resort and getting to the airport and leaving in a timely fashion. Our scheduled departure time was 9:05pm. The resort wants you out of your room by noon. SIGNATURE wants you picked up at the hotel at 4:30pm and it is a 45 min drive to the airport. Once checked in one has to wait in the airport until departure time and if there is a delay for departure it becomes a very long day. Our flight was delayed just a little over an hour.

The reason I say the problem probably can’t be fixed is probably because of turn around times for the airframes as well as the hotel requiring you out of the room in order to have the room ready for the next group of tourists. Anyhow the bus SIGNATURE uses picked us up on time and we arrived at the airport 45 minutes later. The odd thing was that the bus driver opened the luggage hold doors and then just walked away. Elderly folks looked at their bags in the cavernous hold and wondered what to do. It looked like no one was going to do anything so I crawled in the luggage hold and started tossing, actually pushing, bags out. We then walked into the terminal. Here we were with all our luggage..no luggage carts… and there was not one check-in counter open, in fact there was no staff anywhere. We stood around for about 20 minutes and I finally tracked down an employee and asked when the check in counters would be open and which one would be Skyservice . It was as if this was a whole new experience to the airport staff and 4 or 5 people huddled behind the counters desperately seeking a solution. In the end it was about 35 minutes after we arrived at the terminal that two lines were opened. Senor Perez checked us in and believe it or not he remembered us from last year. He apologized for taking so long to check each person in but apparently every detail of your main Passport page has to be entered by hand and he was a one finger typist and also said his eyes were not that good.

Over to pay the departure tax and through Security and up to the waiting room. Now I mentioned that the PA system was bad in T3 in YYZ …well it was 100% better than the one in Veradero. It comes on with a “bong” which sounds like the Concorde going through the mach and then the female voice screeches in Spanish and that is followed by , we think it was English. Scuba 02 asked me what was said, (like I was gonna know) and I merely replied that they announced that George Bell was drafted by the Blue Jays, again.

We did manage to hear the PA which stated that SVC 385 was boarding at Gate 2 but there was no one at the gate and the gate was locked. Eventually a couple of airport employees held a meeting and then motioned for the customers to come forward and the stampede commenced. The boarding procedure was first come, first serve so it was quite a mess but we finally got on the aircraft about an hour late.

On Board

The first PA, when almost everyone was seated was from the female In-Charge and she started with…quote ”Hey guys, did you hear that Saddam had been captured and the Toronto Maple Leafs won a hockey game” unquote. Not too professional in my opinion.

Shortly there after the Captain introduced himself, advised us why they were late and gave a quick overview of the route we would be flying. My opinion only, but I don’t think he was completely conversant with the route as he said we would be flying to the Florida coast and then there was a stumbling pause and he announced that next landmark would be western New York then Toronto. Not a big deal…all everyone wanted to do was get home but ……..

There was a further delay at the gate as the F/As could not agree on the head count. The total pax was between 143 and 145 but they had to count three times and each time they wandered down the aisle counting, out loud, and pointing at each customer. Again, only my opinion, but wouldn’t it be easier to know the seating capacity of the aircraft and count the EMPTY seats and subtract that number from the capacity and get the total on board????? Just seems simple to me.

I wonder about the part of the PA, which refers to the flight being “designated” as a non-smoking flight. Perhaps I am wrong but aren’t all flights, at least in Canada, or operated by Canadian Carriers, all non-smoking?? Are there some flights which are “ designated” as smoking flights ?? Wouldn’t it be easier and more to the point to just say “Smoking is strictly prohibited at all times while in this aircraft and failure to comply with this Government of Canada regulation will result in criminal prosecution to the fullest extent of the law”. The “designated” thing is rather passé…just my opinion.

Anyway we got airborne and were finally on our way. Once again we were treated to a Bistro Box but as odd as it seems it was much superior to the meal we had going down to Cuba. There was a roast beef bunwich, cheese and crackers, a very small salad and a very small container of water. Desert was a package of chocolate covered something. Very tasty and took the edge off a long day. No complaints on the way home, everyone was pretty tired but I did feel the In Charge, (not their real title, I know, but I have forgotten what they call their position), went over board with the “my pleasure-our pleasure“ phrases during the flight. ( It was a “pleasure” to welcome us onboard, it was a “pleasure” to be working with her crew, it was a “pleasure” to be flying with Captain XXX, it was a “pleasure” to announce what the in-flight movie was, it was a “pleasure” to offer Duty Free items, it was a “pleasure” to offer Bar service, it was a “pleasure” to serve the box lunch, it was a “pleasure” to welcome us to Toronto and it would be a “pleasure” to have us back on board in the future….I was really all “pleasured” out by the time we landed in Toronto, and to top it off, Scuba 02 sometimes uses a perfume called “Pleasure”. A great landing, another 9.8.

All in all, Skyservice is still the top Charter company in Canada in my books, but like any organization it could stand to review a few of it’s operational nuances.

SVC and SIGNATURE Websites

Neither SVC nor SIGNATURE pass on any info on their website with regard to the cost of snacks and beverages on board, nor do they indicate what one can expect with regard to meals…ie Bistro box etc. SVC’s website actually has a link to your tour operator for more info concerning in-flight meals etc but it is basically useless as there is no info on the SIGNATURE website. In this era of keeping the customers informed I find this rather disappointing. ( for example….. Air Canada and Westjet websites do give sufficient info re meals and beverages and the costs involved.) And for SVC, Scuba tanks are seldom, if ever, carried by divers as extra baggage….. tanks and weights are available at all destinations and I see that your website still refers to the contents of a scuba tank as oxygen, which is not true, nor do scuba tanks have pressure gauges on them.. I am sure that if SVC changed its timetable, it would be actioned immediately but the error concerning Sports equipment, (scuba), has been on the website for months.

I would like to thank a couple of AEFers who went out of their way to pass on pertinent information concerning SVC and SIGNATURE prior to our trip south. AEF is a great place and the bond shared by all aviation employees is remarkable. I have never personally met one particular individual but he was instrumental in elaborating on some fine points concerning our pending flights to and from Cuba. All of the above is strictly my opinion, is not meant to defame any one individual or any one company but merely point out that with every operation there is room for improvement.

The biggest overriding complaint I would put forth is the inordinate amount of “do nothing time” customers have to put in from the time they are told to vacate their room until they get home. In our case, with a one hour Skyservice delay out of Veradero the time from “out of the room” at the resort until arrival in YYZ was in excess of 13 ½ hours. Much too long for a 3+20 flight time. It would certainly enhance my opinion of SVC and SIGNATURE if this glitch were shortened.

Have a nice week…

Regards,

Kip

[AAS]

Brakes on baggage trolleys will be useful in the walkways connecting the new terminal to the new parking garage. There is a slope that would allow for runaway trolleys.