Bureaucracy at work

As Jordanian nationals we are proud of our Jordanian heritage and what our small country has achieved so far in the region and the world, and when purchasing or using local products and services, we tend to give high priority to our national industries.

One such industry is Royal Jordanian, of which I am a customer and, as such, the highest authority on customer care and bureaucratic procedures and policies that hinder the services extended to me and other customers.

Unfortunately, I experienced RJ’s red tape, accompanied by lack of professionalism that does not become our national airline, when the quick, simple, procedure of getting my 15-year-old son an “unaccompanied minor pass” to travel to Europe took over an hour and a half and two trips to the RJ office on a hot, busy day.

I also had to get him such a pass on Air France; the process took about 10 minutes and was hassle free. 

France, where the word bureaucracy originated, obviously does not believe in or practises it anymore.

What also struck me was that when RJ processed my son’s said pass, I had to fill out two sheets of A4 paper while the RJ attendant filled out the same information on the computer.

When I asked him why I had to fill out the forms if he was doing the same on the computer, his answer was that the two sheets of papers I filled were back-up for the computer.

I was too stunned by his answer to comment, but what came to my mind was the vast treeless desert that makes up a big part of our beloved country and the dense forests France is mostly made up of.

During my 1.5-hour frustrating and unnecessary wait, I could not help but notice the lack of professionalism on the part of some RJ staff, e.g., chewing gum while talking to the customers, using their touch screen phones and the inappropriate joking around with customers.

Observing all this, I recalled the slogan RJ adopted in late 2010: “The Art of Flying”.

RJ should master its processes and customer care on the ground, before it masters the skies.

Should it not be much more basic and much easier for the company to work on its ground staff and its outdated bureaucratic processes before it sets its strategies and vision for regional dominance?

Nasouh Kadri,
Amman