VA int checkin fail. Bad luggage advice , trainee checkin staff at J checkin

[Quickstatus]

Today 28 Nov 2014 had poor checkin experience at VA int and bad luggage advice.

SYD -LAX VA
LAX-SLC-DEN DL

My 15 yr missQS was checking in for VA 1 today and the J queue was very slow. Friend of missQS was 20 minute behind when we arrived in terminal joined the same queue 4 behind us.

We were at checkin desk and quickly realised that staff member was trainee or very inexperienced. She frequently had to ask for advice from supervisor who was not always there. Had to wait for supervisor to come back to attend to several queries.

This was at the Business class checkin. I think the junior/trainee was put there otherwise she would not have coped with the economy hordes.

The troubling issues are:

Why is an inexperienced staff member put into checkin duties when it was clear she was not up to task. I understand people need training but when they are very slow then they need closer supervision. Supervision was not close . We had to wait for supervisor to come from other duties.

More troubling is that the junior/trainee said that luggage checked all the way to DEN and MissQS can just pick up luggage there

As we all know luggage needs to picked up at LAX irrespective of final destination and then dropped off at Bag Drop before terminal if it has forward luggage tags.

I had to reinforce this to Miss QS. As a typical 15yr old - the old man is getting dementia and what I said was not true cos the lady at checkin said otherwise.

Anyway she finally understood. Now intransit with her friend who also had very slow checkin in J as well (sane person).

VA = failed today!

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

It does seem pretty poor that there was no supervisor with the trainee at all times particularly for the J queue. Not a good first impression for actual J pax and status/J pax would rather be in the Koru than waiting in a queue.
I have come across staff training a few times mainly for domestic transfers at Sydney international and they always have someone there walking them through the process or overseeing it.

On a side note probably not so much of a fail regarding the luggage advice as it is not unique. Everytime I check-in at Singapore, SQ check-in staff always tell me my luggage will go all the way through to OOL even when I know I have to pick it up in SYD.