The key to a successful business is to provide outstanding customer service.  It's no wonder, then, that various carriers in the airline industry have such a hard time staying in business.  On a recent trip across the country, my wife and I flew a major carrier that we hadn't flown with in quite some time.  And it didn't take long to remember why we chose not to use their services.

While the staff at the check-in desks were friendly while attaching the luggage tags (which is the extent of the service they provided - the kiosks did the rest), the flight attendants were the most rude, arrogant, and disinterested bunch I've ever experienced -- on all four legs of our trip!

While people were being seated prior to take off, they would stand in the middle of the aisle and gossip about other flight attendants, making the most inappropriate comments in front of the passengers.  When one passenger had an issue with the person behind them, the flight attendant proceeded to verbally berate the passenger for making "silly complaints" and wasting her time.

It's incredible that this type of behavior can exist in a service industry.  Thanks to this reminder of this airline's disinterest in serving their clients, I will be patronizing my usual carrier from now on - regardless of the "great deals" they provide.

The very best customer service should always be strived for - in the airline industry or the real estate industry.  It is those loyal patrons that keep us in business and honor us with their referrals.