Paul Soglin: Waxing America

Remembering Those Who Cared - Med Flight

As the bodies of Dr. Darren Bean, nurse Mark Coyne, and pilot Steve Lipper are returned to Madison, I am struck by how wrong it is that people who care so much die while they are helping others.  The city of La Crosse sent them back to Madison with deserved recognition. 1,000 turn out for memorial convoy:

More than 1,000 community members watched today as La Crosse County firefighters and emergency medical personnel joined by the Madison Fire Department and Wisconsin State Patrol escorted the hearses of the three victims of a Saturday medical helicopter crash as a tribute to those who lost their lives,  photo by Dick Riniker, La Crosse Tribune

On Monday when I read the lede to Dave Wahlberg's article in the Wisconsin State Journal, Med Flight Tragedy,

More than 75 doctors, nurses, pilots and patients have died in medical helicopter crashes across the country in the past decade as the workers risk their lives to transport patients in need of medical care.

I don't know the period of time that covers, but whether it is ten years or twenty years, It is too many deaths.

I do not know that an investigation can accomplish anything. Perhaps the standards and the codes regulating these flights are as stringent as is reasonably possible. But here is one instance where an investigation, a study, of all of the crashes, not just this one, could be fruitful.

Wahlberg and Patricia Simms reported on Tuesday that,

• The Med Flight helicopter that crashed into a wooded hillside near La Crosse on Saturday night, killing its crew of three, did not have night-vision goggles and terrain warning technology as recommended.

• "The fact that they did not have this equipment did not compromise their ability to perform these missions safely," said Aaron Todd, chief executive officer of Denver-based Air Methods.

• Night-vision goggles could have helped pilots take action in 13 of the 55 medical helicopter crashes from 2002 to 2005, the NTSB said. Terrain warning systems, which can alert pilots 25 seconds before an impact, could have helped prevent 17 of the 55 crashes, the agency said.

Three wonderful men who were devoted to assisting others in the most critical moments cannot be returned.  We can make every effort to ensure that they and the 75 others who have died are not joined by other caregivers and patients.

Everyone deserves some answers.

United Airlines Flies Away Customers

I took a flight to the west coast last month on United Airlines (UA). The trip went smoothly; very well in fact.  Earlier this week I checked in to see if my frequent flyer miles were credited.  They were.

I decided to check the kids' accounts to see how they were doing towards a free ticket. It turned out that on April 30th one of them with alomost 35,000 miles lost all of them for inactivity. I called United to see what could be done.

First I was told that UA sent out numerous emails warning customers that inactivity would lead to loss of miles. After a back and forth discussion that sounded like something out of "Who's On First' it was established that 'numerous' did not refer to the emails I might have received, but to the millions that United customers received.

I received an email in November and forgot about the miles expiring in April.

Then came the question of restoring the miles. It could be done. By paying $199 and flying in the next twelve months. The $199 is not applicable to cost of the ticket. It is a service fee.

I emailed United to see if something could be done. These were the miles my daughter had accumulated since her childhood.  So far no reply from United.

I could have used as few as 500 miles on restaurant vouchers and saved the day.  Oh well.

In the meantime I pointed out to a supervisor that it was not worth it for United to lose our family's business over 35,000 miles.

I pointed out to the supervisor that I had over 500,000 miles on the airline; that Sara and the kids probably had another 100,000 miles. I went through the hell of flying through Chicago, the cancelled and delayed flights. The buses and car rentals back form O'Hare. The broken promises about improved services.

We all know the drill.

She did not say anything, but I knew what she was thinking.

It is worth it in the grand scheme of things to lose you and your family as a customer.

When United deducts the tens of millions of miles, a few upset customers like me are calculated into the planning. They do not want to lose our business but it is a small price to pay compared to the millions of dollars of liability for those frequent miles that they wipe off the books.

Anyone have Northwest's phone number?

Last Night's Dream: Bus Driving in Seattle While Lost

I woke up this morning with one of those recollections of a dream as clear as reality. I was a bus driver. In Seattle.

I was lost and could not find the route. I drove around the city trying to get on course.  Every time I passed a bus stop with large crowds, they grew angry when I failed to stop and pick them up.

I wanted to alter the destination sign on the front of the bus but did not know how to operate the gizmo that would allow me to change it to "Not in Service." There was no radio so I could not call the dispatcher to get help.

Seattle was very hilly with narrow streets and the bus kept getting wedged in between the buildings.

This dream and the bowling alley dream seem to stand out.

Two armies were fighting a war in a bowling alley. But they were not bowling against one another. They took turns bowling and lobbing the balls down the lane at the opposing army that stood in front of the pins. The soldiers on the defense had to stand in front of the pins and dodge the bowling balls.

The bowling balls were bombs.

Anyone know what is going on?

Understanding Cuba, the United States and the Embargo

Few nations that have joined Cuba on the list on countries that the United States does not recognize. There are no countries that have suffered the economic devastation Cuba experienced as a result of the embargo.

The fundamentals of United States policy towards Cuba are premised on three factors:

1. Since Fidel Castro's ascent to power, there have been no free and democratic elections in Cuba.
2. There is no free speech in Cuba and there are serious human right violations including imprisonment and execution.
3. The Cuban government expropriated foreign-owned privately held property, especially that held by companies like United Fruit and the corporations that owned the hotels.

If the United States were to use free and democratic elections as the standard for diplomatic recognition, outside of Western Europe, we would have to sever relations with over half of the nations of the world. In any case, prior to Castro's assent to power there had not been democratic elections in Cuba for two decades.

Tragically, there are far too many nations of the world that mistreat its citizens. Whether it is poets and journalists, gays or political dissenters, the list of nations who do not tolerate those who are different and outspoken is much too long. And we recognize and extend trade to most of them. Just ask the Chinese. There is no long line clamoring to boycott the Olympics in China.

As for the expropriation of property, whether it was Germans taking the property of Jews, or the Chinese taking everyone's property, that has not been a standard for U.S. diplomatic recognition. More importantly the United States is in denial as to how that property was originally acquired. The property owned by non-Cubans seized by the Cuban government was often acquired by coercion and bribery following the Spanish-American War.

Since 1960, the U.S. treatment of Cuba has been illogical and unfair. Cuba made great advancements in improving health care and educational systems despite the U.S. embargo.  The economy of the nation is in ruins because of that embargo. There is no question that Cuba has engaged in human rights violations. U.S. policy has only exacerbated conditions for Cubans.

(I visited Cuba in 1975, 1976 and 1978. On two of those trips I had the opportunity to meet with Fidel Castro.)

Call Centers, Speaking English, Knowing More Than Me

I just had another experience with an agent at a call center.

This was different than many of my recent tormented calls to call centers involving airlines and financial service institutions.

I called Northwest Airlines about a problem involving frequent flyer miles not properly credited. It took about two minutes.

• I logged in the ID number and the pin. I was stunned when the agent came on line and we went right to work to solve the problem. I was not asked to repeat everything or provide my mother's maiden name and the birth date of my oldest child.
• The agent spoke English - fluently and clearly. This is not a requirement. But in too many instances I cannot understand the person who is suppose to help me.
• The agent understood the problem and knew more about the subject than I do.
• A synopsis of recent experiences:
  • Fidelity Investments: You always get someone who is knowledgeable and takes care of the issues. Solid
  • Dell Computer: A mixed bag. When they are bad, they are horrible; some issues take, not just hours, but days to resolve. If you are not under warranty, you might as well throw the equipment out; your time is more valuable than waiting for a person who can help you in one of the worst telephone prompt systems on the planet. You always have to go back to 'GO,' the disconnects are horrid.
  • American Airlines: The agents are just fine, but their internal communication system using both email and telephone sucks. When the agent cannot get the correct person at AA, you lose.
  • United Airlines: Horrible is the kindest word I can use for the agents assigned to handle ordinary people. They are difficult to understand, they know less than most travelers, and the time wasted is monstrous. Tip: The last time this happened I cheated. I called the number reserved for elite travelers, begged for help, the agent solved it in less than five minutes. I had wasted over an hour and half with two people in the call center in the Philippines.
  • Northwest Airlines: Frankly I do not like the reputation of this airline for the way it treats its employees but these agents are, overall, the best in their business.
  • Washington Mutual: I like these folks a lot. The fees are high but you get appropriate service.
  • M&I Bank: I may be miffed with my bank's role with WMC, but when it comes to service they are top notch whether it is a problem with a misplaced check, a check card, or a credit card.
  • ATT: Not bad. I dislike what they did on the Wisconsin cable bill, but overall their prompt system and their agents work well.
  • Charter Communication: I have not had the problems many of my friends mention but I hate their prompt system. When my Internet service goes out I know how to reboot the computer and the modem. I would like to get past those prompts and get right to the agent.
  • Any company that does not have a call center and expects you to send in an email to which they might respond in a week: screw you.

Secret tip of the week: (maybe not so secret): when you are tortured by the endless prompt system, many of those systems can be defeated by simply repeating the word "agent.'

American Airlines - Customer Service Plunges To New Low

With all of the horrible options for customer service in industries ranging from communications and computers, from travel to financial services, American Airlines (AA) just won the award for worst service. Ever. And the competition is stiff.

I will spare you the chronological turmoil that began Monday, January 7, 2007 and continued over four calendar days as I attempted to retrieve a lost bag. The bag was misplaced Monday night between Chicago and New York's JFK.

By Wednesday I determined the following:

• The bag was probably not in Chicago.
• The appearance, labeling, and the contents of the luggage was clearly described to baggage agents over the phone.
• That there were over 500 misplaced bags at JFK, left over from the Christmas holidays.
• The many agents I spoke with reiterated that no one at AA at JFK was responding to the emails or phone calls they made on my behalf.

Wednesday, faced with the fact that JFK baggage was not answering the phone and that no one had searched for the bag for three days, I attempted to escalate the matter. Wednesday's calls focused on convincing superiors to go up the ladder to their management who could then contact supervisors at JFK and work down to baggage.

I was told, politely, that was not an option. I called again Thursday morning, call number 13, and still no luck. At noon I knew that these were desperate times and called for desperate measures.

The challenge was to make a credible and nasty threat without going to jail or being placed on the 'no fly' list.

Call number 14, noon on Thursday:   I said, "If the bag is not recovered by Friday night, I am going to fly to JFK at a cost of $411 (true), call all the network stations in NYC (true), speak with my three friends working at the networks (false, I know no one), and invite them to meet me at the AA baggage office and have them accompany me as I find the lost bag (true, if anyone of them were to show up).

Call number 15, 4:00 pm on Thursday: "We have good news for you Mr. Soglin, the bag was found and is on its way."

Fixing Madison's Bus System By Reversing Backwards Decisions

Rule One: The more passengers Madison Metro carries, the more money it loses.  If you have trouble understanding that, then do the math.

It the city loses a $1 for every rider, then a half million riders results in a $500,000 loss. A million riders results in a loss of $1,000,000.

Rule two: There is a sweet point for maximizing revenues for the system. Assume it is a fare of $2.00. If the fare is under two bucks, the system is leaving revenues on the table (or in the passengers' pockets). If the fare is over two dollars, the increased fare does not make up for riders who abandon the system because the bus ride is too costly.

Rule three: Subsidizing bus ridership makes economic sense. There are countless studies that have proven time and time again that:

In an efficient pubic transit system, the cost of subsidizing bus rides is more than offset by the savings in reducing congestion, not building additional street lanes and parking spaces, and maintaining those streets and parking spaces.

Rule four: To reduce waste in a transit system, consider adjustments in routes, using different equipment in non-rush hours, and maintain vehicles. Do not consider overall reductions in service, particularly during the rush hours.

Rule five: When fuel prices go up, increase bus service; do not reduce it.

To put it bluntly the city of Madison is handling its present transit 'crisis' ass-backwards. As The Capital Times reported last month:

Two years earlier, Metro eliminated Routes 11 and 10 on the east side - its second and fourth most productive routes, respectively. Both lines operated nine months a year, getting students and university employees from the isthmus to the University of Wisconsin campus via Johnson Street quickly, bypassing the Capitol Square, where riders now have to wait for several minutes before continuing their route.

Here are additional critical factors from the story:

• Mayor Dave Cieslewicz acknowledges that "we got a lot of heat" for the route cuts. But he says high fuel costs created budget pressures that made them necessary.
• Rising fuel costs make for an annual budget crisis. Last year's shortfall amounted to $878,000, and Metro's contingency fund - $2.5 million in 2003 - stood at $130,000 this year.
• Since 2000, the maximum fare on a Metro bus has been $1.50, while the cost per passenger is $2.89.
• But bus service makes for a thorny political issue, given that Madisonians ride buses at numbers far above the national average, not only for economic reasons, but because of environmental concerns.

But the real issue was articulated by Madison Mayor Cieslewicz : "And the iron triangle was three bad choices: In the face of these rising costs you can cut services, you can increase fares or you can dramatically increase the support from city property taxpayers. And none of those are very attractive choices." 

No, but it gets uglier if you make the wrong ones.

The city of Madison went through a similar dilemma in the 1970's. With the oil embargo, the percentage increase in fuel for both automobile drivers and Madison Metro was even greater. The city expanded services, especially rush hour express services, increased fares, and enjoyed increased support from the taxpayers while effectively lobbying both the State of Wisconsin and the federal government for more transit aid.

Anyone committed to a less auto-dependent community, sound environmental policies, and the overall economically efficient solution would do the same today.

Madison Metro saw an increase in ridership of 6% in the first nine months of 2007  because of the increase in the price of gasoline. Imagine what that increase might have been with expanded routes and a good marketing plan.

Airlines Plot Against Customers - Passengers Joyfully Share Airport Comforts

Passengers may grumble but they know that flight cancellations are the best outcome with conditions are not safe for air travel. Whether it is mechanical problems or inclement weather, it is best to stay on the ground.

That said, it is clear that the airlines are largely responsible for this year's major delays and cancellations. In the rush to show profits the airlines took two flagrant steps which compound the problems created by weather and a congested system.

The first was to lay off a significant number of pilots and other crew members. Now when there are problems, there are not a sufficient number of pilots to fly equipment that is in position.

Then there are the mechanical problems and the availability of equipment. As another storm socks Denver, United airlines is flying planes to other airports so they will "Be in position" for weekend travel. Ten years ago, United had enough equipment so the airplanes could hang in Denver with the passengers. Now United skips town, leaving the passengers stranded.

Northwest Airlines already admitted that it was inadequately staffed.

The FAA may be a government agency, but the number of planes, pilots, and crew are industry decisions. Another example of better service to you through government deregulation.

Menatime, Ma, Pa and the kids are sleeping on the floor in the baggage area, dining at the fastfood resturant near gate B24, and shoplifting $2.78 candybars since they ran out of cash long ago.

Airlines Outsourcing Maintenance, Call Centers and Your Safety

A few weeks ago I had another battle with a United States airline. I made two calls to check on an existing reservation and accomplished nothing in over ninety minutes except to discover I was speaking to people in the Philippines who knew less about airline travel and airline management than me.

Whether buying automobiles, checking on my health, or making travel plans, I find it useful to work with people who know more than me -not a very high standard.

Finally I cheated.  Years ago I was a frequent flyer so I had the special phone number they can use. In five minutes I spoke to someone in Chicago and resolved the matter.

That prompted me to see just what was the airline outsourcing situation. I read that the Teamsters Union notified passengers that United Airlines is outsourcing heavy maintenance on equipment that goes to China. In fact,In the Beijing repair station, only five of 2,179 mechanics are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Forbes Magazine recently reported that AAR Corp is a great investment. They are providing maintenance and repair services to US airlines at a reduced cost.  The article makes no mention about the quality of the work. The article tells me that AAR stock is good for my portfolio but it does not mention if it is good for my health.

Probably the most distressing is U.S. News & World Report, which published on December 20, 2007 that, The Transportation Department IGs (Inspector Generals), for example, have revealed potential safety risks posed by the airlines' outsourcing of maintenance work.

The story does not provide any more detailed information on the nature of those safety risks.

The Wall Street Journal was not shy to report that the failure of Boeing to complete its delivery schedule of the new Dreamliner,the Boeing 787, is a failure on the part of suppliers. The headline: Layers of Outsourcing Slow 787 Production;'Hostage to Suppliers'

Boeing figured it could save $10 Billion by outsourcing the supplies.

Today, the Dreamliner is at least six months late, and the goal of delivering 109 planes by the end of 2009 is threatened...Boeing said in September that it had set aside nearly $2 billion in additional research-and-development money for increasing costs associated with the delays.

That does not include future problems, delivery penalties, and the waste in fuel as the more efficient 787 goes into service two to three years late.

Disclosure: I am compensated by more than one labor union opposed to outsourcing. And I have a bazillion friends who don't pay me a damn thing that are just as vehemently opposed to outsourcing.

Madison Snow Removal Policy Makes Right Turn

The recent snowstorms revealed the weakness in the city of Madison's snow removal policies, particularly as it applies to alternative street parking. The Capital Times tells us Mayor dreaming of better snow cleanup. 

Good start.

The proposal  that allows downtown residents to have a longer window to park free in the city ramps is excellent but credit needs to be given to Alders Konkel, Rummel, and Rhodes-Conway who really pushed the idea two weeks ago, Call for Cleaning Up the Street Clean-Up Efforts

1. Downtown City ramps would be available free starting at 9:00 p.m. instead of 1:00 a.m. to ease the burden on downtown residents who already have very limited parking.
2. Madison Metro would be free, and bus routes would be given a higher priority for plowing to reduce the number of commuters using the clogged streets.

But also critical is having enough equipment on the streets. The city has not kept up, Do we need more plows? Yes we do. A better intial plowing with more equipment (and operators) will reduce the chaos that this month continued for weeks if narrow streets are freed of ice and snow quicker.

Another critical element of the new proposal is to increase fines for violating the alternate street parking ordinances.  Before anyone rushes to increase the fines, recall that the purpose is to get the cars off the streets, not issue more expensive parking tickets.

It will not be popular but the entire snow emergency zone needs review. The problem started (when I was mayor), when certain downtown alders wanted to end alternate street parking and go to the emergency zone system. The experiment did not work. It is time for review.

And there is a very good environmental reason why alternative street parking applies from November 15th to May 15th, a period longer than the snow season. It allows city street sweeping equipment to get right alongside the curb. This is critical in late fall before the snow comes and in the spring. It allows for the removal of the heavy metal, petroleum by-products and the organic matter to be swept away so they do not run down the storm sewers into the lakes.