Delta Air Lines is bringing back the Red Coats, and it hopes they'll make more than a sartorial statement on Hartsfield-Jackson International's terminal and concourses.
Red Coats are the "best of the best" airport agents with top customer service skills and the power to resolve problems on the spot, said Gil West, Delta's senior vice president of airport customer service. The agents now tote electronic handheld devices to resolve problems and print boarding passes, meal vouchers, Sky Club passes, travel passes and other coupons.
A key role for Red Coats will be re-booking passengers and handling other problems when Delta's operations at their worst during thunderstorms or other events. Delta had the highest rate of consumer complaints to the U.S. Department of Transportation in the first quarter.
"Stuff happens, unfortunately," West said. "It's very important that we have agents that can help customers on a more real-time basis rather than just steering them into lines."
Atlanta-based Delta started the Red Coat program in the 1960s but ended it in a cost-cutting move in 2005. The program is back in Atlanta this month, but the red jackets are still on order. Until around July 1 the roughly 135 Red Coat agents at Hartsfield-Jackson will wear regular uniforms with buttons as identifiers.
Delta also plans to re-introduce Red Coats at other hubs over the next two months, with a total of 600 of the agents. Red Coats reappeared at New York's Kennedy International Airport in 2007.
Agents who moved up the ranks at Delta often say being chosen as a Red Coat was among their proudest moments, West said. Red Coats get an extra $275 a month in pay.
"I grew up in Atlanta as a kid, so I remember the Red Coats - that's kind of my first impression of Delta," West said. "It's in the DNA of Delta."
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