The Up-And-Coming Airline
3
we’re doing it at piedmont
The extra efforts of Piedmont
employees to please customers
brought in an average of 615
compliments each month during
1980. Employees earned a total of
2,423 compliments during the
year, an increase of more than 40
percent over 1979's total.
"Our increase in customer com
pliments is a strong indication we
ran a better airline in 1980, in
addition to running a bigger air
line," Executive Vice President Bill
Howard said.
The increased compliments were
experienced in every department
of the Company.
"The 'Careline’ attitude showed
up strongest in our employees
with the most individual, face-to-
face contact with our customers,"
Howard said. "Station personnel
had the most compliments with
flight attendants a close second."
The dramatic increase in com
pliments was particularly gratify
ing because it outdistanced — by
far — the 3.6 percent increase in
complaints Piedmont experienced
in 1980, and the 4.2 percent
increase in passengers.
"There is a tendency to take
good work for granted. Often our
customers feel they are paying for
the extra effort and that they
should expect it. An unhappy
customer seems to be much more
likely to vent negative feelings, so
our employees should take great
pride in this record," Howard said.
CUSTOMER COMPLIMENTS
(Percentage Increase 1980
over 1979)
Total Compliments
+
40.3%
Pilot Compliments
+
67.1%
Flight Attendant
Compliments
+
59.6%
Station Compliments
+
13.6%
Reservations Compliments
+
25.4%
Other Compliments
+ 122.9%
Complaints
+
3.6%
Total Passengers
+
4.2%
Richard DeArmond, Tri-City,
and Doug Wood, Roanoke, have
been selected as Agents of the Year
by their executive committee at
Piedmont.
DeArmond, who has been with
Piedmont for 12 years, was chosen
as a top agent based on "numer
ous passenger assistances, his
conscientious attitude toward his
work, and his high character, both
on and off the job," Allen Perry,
Passenger Service, said.
"Last year he drove passengers
on several occasions to their desti
nations and often took care of
unaccompanied children on his
own time," he added.
For example, because of bad
weather conditions, a flight was
forced to bypass Tri-City and land
at Roanoke. A limousine returned
the passengers to TRl at 2 a.m.
DeArmond used his personal car
to drive the passengers to John
son City, Kingsport, and Bristol
before going home.
Wood, with Piedmont over 10
years, is assigned to operations-
ramp duties.
“He is always willing to accept a
challenge," Perry said, “and irregu
larities or non-standard work days
are accepted by him with the
same enthusiasm.
"Employees like Doug are the
backbone of our Company, and he
represents the people behind the
scene who maintain PAI's high
caliber operation."
Both winners were presented 10
shares of Piedmont stock, a check
for $100, an international and a
domestic pass, and a plaque by
President Tom Davis and Execu
tive Vice President Bill Howard.
Roanoke Agent Virgil Spradlin
has received Piedmont’s TOPS
Award (Total Outstanding Pas
senger Services) for November-De-
cember because of the kindness
he showed a family en route to a
funeral for a relative.
A family member said that
Spradlin not only booked all
flights for the entire family to
various destinations, but checked
availability and reserved rental
cars in different cities. He even
assisted a relative who was
stranded in another state because
of an automobile accident.
Spradlin aided these people on
his day off using his home tele
phone, and rei'used to accept the
family's offer to repay him.
Spradlin received five shares of
Piedmont stock and a plaque.
Dottie Sain, Piedmont’s most
senior female attendant, has been
named 1980 Flight Attendant of
the Year as well as a member of
the 1980 Flight Attendant Crew of
the Year. She is stationed in
Norfolk and has been with Pied
mont 18 years.
Other members of the Flight
Attendant Crew of the Year in
clude Judy Littrell, stationed in
Wilmington, and Peggy Bach, Win-
ston-Salem.
"Attendants are judged on how
well they did their jobs," Larry
Brooks, Inflight Services, said, “in
cluding being on time, appear
ance, performance, overall charac
ter, and outstanding service."
In 1980, each of Piedmont's six
bases chose a flight attendant of
the month from that base. Persons
receiving the annual award were
elected from these winners. Sain
received 10 shares of Piedmont
stock, $100, one international and
one domestic pass, and a plaque
awarded by President Tom Davis.
During 1980. 26 stations across
Piedmont's system worked the en
tire year without a single lost time
injury. Three line maintenance
stations and three general avia
tion facilities also had perfect
records.
"This was by far Piedmont's best
on-the-job safety record for our
people," Jim Swartz, Director-
Ground Safety, said.
Piedmont will be aiming for as
good, or better, performance in
1981 with a more thorough Ramp
Safety Program.
"We have developed a 12minute
slide presentation which high
lights the most common injuries
occurring on the ramp," Swartz
said, “and the program emphas
izes the safest way to accomplish
a task."
The program is available
through Swartz' office.
Stations without a lost time
injury in 1980 were (in order of
man hours worked);
Charlotte; Tri-Cities; Fayetteville;
Wilmington: Winston-Salem; Myr
tle Beach; Kinston: Chicago
O'Hare; Charlottesville: Jackson
ville; Charleston, S. C.: Tampa:
Lexington: Miami; Florence;
S tau n t o n; Bai t i mo re /Wash i ng t o n:
Knoxville: Lewisburg; Pittsburgh:
Denver: Houston; Beckley; Bkre-
field: Hickory; Columbia: and 1^-
Guardia.
Maintenance bases without a
lost time injury were LaGuardia,
Memphis, and Knoxville.
General Aviation bases without
a lost time injury were Charlottes
ville, Manassas: Roanoke: and Gai
thersburg.
These stations totaled 1.1 mil
lion man hours without a lost
time injury.