Delta asks customers if they would pay to have calls answered in U.S.

The Associated Press

ATLANTA — Financially troubled Delta Air Lines Inc. has surveyed its frequent fliers to see if they would be willing to pay a fee to speak to a customer service agent in the United States rather than have their call routed to outsourced centers in India.
Meanwhile, it was announced Wednesday that one of Delta’s three call centers in India is shutting down. Delta would not say if the decision was related to the survey sent earlier this summer.
The question about the call fee was contained in an online survey sent to select frequent fliers. Delta is seeking to cut costs and raise additional revenue to avoid bankruptcy.
Spokeswoman Peggy Estes said the airline has no plans to charge customers who prefer to talk to U.S. representatives instead of those in India. She could not say, however, if it is something Delta might do in the future.
‘‘In today’s environment, we continue to look at all areas of our business,’’ Estes said. ‘‘We are looking at many things, and asking a lot of questions.’’
The fee idea didn’t fly with some Delta frequent fliers.
‘‘That’s just one step above charging to use the lavatories on airplanes,’’ said Bruce Schobel, a Delta frequent flier from Princeton, N.J.
Outsourcing some call center functions — which saves Delta about $25 million a year — is rare among major U.S. airlines, industry observers say.
Chicago-based United Air Lines Inc. has call centers in Mexico and Ireland, but workers there are company employees. <-->