In January 2014 Delta Airlines announced a new membership policy for their Sky Clubs. In simple terms, they doubled the annual fee and got rid of some perks like spouse memberships, free access for American Express Platinum cardholders and more.
Okay, it’s their business and if you’ve ever been in an airline club in a hub city at peak time (try Atlanta at 5 pm, especially on a Friday) you’ll understand why they want to weed out some of the people. There’s absolutely no exclusivity anymore.
What I found amazing was that they gave their employees, including those working in the Sky Clubs, absolutely no advance notice of this. They got the same email blast that members got, at the same time.
Now I’ll bet Delta has spent millions on consultants to help them build teams. I’ll bet they stress to the employees that they’re not just workers but part of “a team.” And then they keep those employees who will take the brunt of the questioning in the dark.
Seems to me there was a bit too much overthinking here. Some people in the executive ranks made a decision and didn’t realize the ramifications to what the employees would face. There is a better way. Get employee input and coach them on the changes and how to handle them.
“People are like bicycles. They can keep their balance only as long as they keep moving.” Albert Einstein
