Dear management,
First, congratulations on your workers winning 2019 person of the year from The Daily Herald. Nice one, but we are only in February and I have to ask what happened?
On Tuesday, February 4, the American Airlines landed from Miami at 4:15. There was a group of about 10 or so Statians on board who were booked on the last flight to Statia. No problem there, as check-in starts at 4:20. There were other persons who had connecting flights too but that’s not the story here.
We get through security and are waiting on the luggage. Not sure if they were on a go-slow in the back but luggage started dribbling out 15 to 20 minutes later. One by one bags came out on the band, literally one by one.
Finally got the luggage, checked in and got through a security check. At immigration, there are two persons working. As if there was some secret signal, the gentleman from the KMar abruptly got up and just walked away leaving only the guy from St. Maarten to check passports for a line that was quite long.
The flight is called at 5:20pm. Passengers are waiting to go to the aircraft. The Winair agent goes to get a bus for the passengers and comes back in saying, “He says he is done working for the day.” They call for another bus. Bus driver #2 pulls up and as the agent is walking to the bus with us he shouts out, “I done, I done,” while making that universal sign of slashing motions across his throat.
Then a third bus pulls up as the passengers are still standing there. While the agent is inside for a minute, an agent for St. Barth’s commuter passes our group and boards the bus with his passengers. Bus driver number #2 calls out to our agent that she better take that bus if she knows what’s good for her because he is about to be done too.
Bus driver #3 waves us forward to share the bus as the St. Barths Commuter agent is telling us, “No, no, no, you can’t come in the bus.” Their flight has to leave before sunset.
We board anyway because the bus driver tells us to. An argument ensues upfront.
A French passenger also telling us we can’t come on the bus only started another argument. Never mind that they were dropped off at their plane first.
Now, as locals, we have experienced some shocking service but there were 7 or 8 tourists on the flight who must have been wondering wth?
But seriously, what is going on at that airport? Is nobody scheduled to work after 5:00pm? Is it that they are not given overtime or any time back? They were not just saying they can’t do it, they were being very rude about it. In front of passengers.
I understand nobody wants to work after their 8 hours are up but that was quite something to behold. Management needs to either do better scheduling or teach some of the workers what customer service is all about.
Some passengers, including myself, were travelling from 1:00 or 2:00 o’clock that morning and were really not in the mood for the drama and bad attitudes. Hats off to the Winair ladies for keeping it together and still smiling throughout.
A lady on the plane did remark that when the airport was still in the tents, service was top compared to this. I am still wondering what happened from last year to now?
J.L.A. Berkel
