To Serve (a) Man: Customer service observations...
The coolest thing about flying Air Canada is that they have in-seat entertainment systems in coach. It's like having your own personal a miniature version of On-Demand. Very cool. (I watched Cloverfield -- discussed below). Awesome way to pass the time. Also the seats seemed cushy and comfortable and had a reasonable amount of legroom for coach. I'm liking Air Canada. Good on ya, Canucks.
Contrast that to American Airlines which has just announced that they are going to charge for every checked bag. If you fly American Airlines your checked baggage allowance has gone from 2 to 0 in less than a year. This means boarding the plane will become an eleven letter word beginning with 'cluster' as everyone tries to wedge as much as they can into the overheads and under the seats to save money. American has officially ceased to be a serious airline. They may survive, and perhaps eventually turn a profit, but they should be deeply ashamed at the course they have taken. Two-bit is the best description for them.
Eddie Bauer, on the other hand, just got me as a loyal customer for life. While in Newfoundland I found myself in dire need of a windbreaker/rain jacket. So I stopped in the Eddie Bauer in St. John's and picked one up for $69. In the course of my trip -- actually in the Toronto airport on the way home -- the breast pocket zipper got snagged and pulled right off. After cursing the hateful universe for my fate, I figured I'd just stop in the local Eddie Bauer in Ann Arbor to see if they had a repair service. They don't, but they replaced the jacket on the spot, no questions asked, and even gave me a refund for the price difference of $25 (it was way cheaper here at home). Amazing. I walked in hoping to not pay too much for a repair, and I walked out with a completely new jacket and $25 in my pocket. And they will win in the long run, because Eddie is going to get my default business for just about any products they may carry from now on.
