WestJet apologizes for asking customers to record its flight attendants

WestJetis shelving a tacticthataskedfrequentflyers to recordin-flight serviceaboard the airline and itsrivals a strategyunion officials condemnedas "unacceptable,"warning that secrettaping of flight attendants would bea violation of privacy rules.

The Calgary-based airline made the request of afew guests who regularly fly with WestJet and its competition, asking them to capture their experience.

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According to details posted on a WestJetinternal online forum reviewedby CBCNews, the feedback was gathered via an app that letrespondents type comments, snap a photo or record video.

"The ask was aimed at understanding the elements of their journey that stood out and/or impressed them, as well as understanding where we can do better," wroteamember of WestJet'sresearch and insights team.

"This type of feedback is very valuable when it comes to product development and informing future decisions."

WestJet CEO Ed Sims apologizes "unreservedly" to airline employees

6 years ago

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WestJet is shelving a program that asked frequent flyers to record their flight experience aboard WestJet and its rival airlines. Union officials condemned the tactic as "unacceptable" and warned that any secret taping of flight attendants would be a violation of privacy rules.

The research team member wrotethat it was neverthe intention of the projectto record video of cabin crew members or any other WestJet employee.

Violation of privacy, union says

But the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents flight attendants atAir Canada and is trying to do thesame atWestJet, said it recently learned that WestJethadallegedly asked some customers to secretly videotape flight attendants in their workplace.

CUPE called that"unacceptable and extremely disappointing."

The union said it would bea "basic violation" of the right to privacy and a violation of WestJet policy, which prohibits the "filming, photographing, or recording images, by any electronic means, of other guests and/or cabin crew or flight crew without the express consent of the person(s) being filmed, photographed or recorded."

"It certainly speaks to the culture of disrespect at the executive level of WestJet towardthe people who have built the company up," said CUPEspokesman Hugh Pouliot.

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At WestJet'sannual meeting on Tuesday, the airline's CEO Ed Simssaid there was "absolutely no intention to upset flight attendants as a consequence of that action."

"I apologize to any flight attendants, unreservedly, for those who were upset or offended by that action," Simstold reporters.

He said WestJet would notask passengers to film inside aircraft in the future.

Passenger 'uncomfortable' with request

The issueemerged in a post on one of the company's internal forums during anexchange between a flight attendant and a member of the airline'sresearch and insights team.

The flight attendant relayed how she had spoken with a passenger who was "uncomfortable"about a WestJetsurvey that he said had asked him to record any positive experience he'd had in business class aboard another airline.

The passenger said he'd also been asked if he would be comfortable making a recording of a WestJetexperience he was not happy with.

In response, the research team membertold the flight attendant that although this type of "in-moment experience capture" is quite common in the research world,the project had been closed since the end of March and there were no plans to relaunch, "especially given how this was interpreted."

He also said that even though the app lets people record video if they wish, "at no point were the participating guests directed to 'record video.'" However, he said the instructions were left too open for interpretation.

Building a library of 'service moments'

Simssaid Tuesday the goal was to build a library of the "service moments" that mean most to its guests.

"We asked our guests to capture what is the most important whether it'sinteraction with our outstanding flight attendants, whether it's their meal service whatever those moments are that they value most, either in our service or in our competitors' services,"Simssaid.

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"We aren't looking to repeat the request to film onboard our aircraft in the future."

Air Canada spokeswoman Angela Mah saidcustomers are requested to refrain from filming or photographing its crews when asked. She said the airline does not video or photograph itscabin crew as part of the airline'scustomer service management program.

If passengers were asked torecordvideo of flight crews, it would raisepotentiallegal and privacy concerns,saidFred Lazar,an expert on the airline industryat York University'sSchulich School of Business.

It could even result in a privacy lawsuit, he said.

"It's one thing if you want to film certain things on board, before you board, [and] you're not filming people I think that's acceptable," Lazar said. "Once you're starting to film people, then you're into privacy issues."

Research not uncommon

But Marvin Ryder, an assistant professor of marketing at McMasterUniversity, wasn't surprised the airline would seek this kind of information. He said it's quite common for companiesin other sectors to solicitthis kind of feedback.

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"Although I've not heard of this in the context of other airlines, what WestJet was asking people to do is not that unusual in terms of other kinds of businesses," he said. "A great example would be restaurants."

However, Ryder suspects there wouldn't have been a great deal of video taken during the project because video is more difficult to takethan a photo.

Given that a company generally has to provide some kind of reward in return for this kind of information, "it's not a cheap way of gathering data," Ryder said.