Israir flight attendant. 'Not at all service oriented' (archives)

Israir deals with multiple customer complaints

Internal memo to airline's flight attendants, obtained by Calcalist, reveals number of complaint letters received from passengers in recent months was highest in seven years

Reuters | Published: 07.30.10, 14:47

"The number of complaint letters to Israir in recent months is the highest in seven years," the head of the airline's flight attendant division stated in a recent memo to the company's stewards, obtained by Calcalist.

"Alongside letters of praise, which arrive constantly, are also complaints," Mali Gavriel writes. "I want to express to you my concern regarding the service provided on our flights. We've had busy summers, but we've never had this many complaints from passengers.

"We're all familiar with fatigue from the flight schedule," Gabriel continues. "We witnessed a decline in service after many flight attendants left for El Al, and while we trained new flight attendants, the unusual number of complaint letters is of concern. In your pre-flight briefings, please stress service and the nature of your positions.

"Committee elections are over, and soon all flight attendants will meet with the company's vice president. Refrain from discussing the matter onboard; passengers hear everything and are aware of everything."

'Not one crew member smiled politely'

Gabriel gave some examples of passengers' complaints. "The crew is very impolite. It felt like we shouldn't even ask for a glass of water, so they wouldn't roll their eyes," one of the passengers wrote.

According to another complaint, "The flight attendants look tired, and not one of the crew members smiled politely throughout the flight."

A passenger who asked for coffee wrote, "The flight attendants were not at all service oriented, to the point where I felt like I was interfering with their reading the newspaper."

Israir stated in response: "This memo proves that the quality of service is very important to the company. Naturally, when we see an unusual number of complaints, we respond immediately. We deal with the complaint and ask the employees about it. The memo also regards the great deal of praise we have received from passengers."