In the BizSci Spotlight: Airline Service (part 2)
BIZSCI IN
BRIEF
Southwest and JetBlue constantly work to
understand the expectations of their customers, then quickly make
their businesses a menu for meeting those expectations. As a
result, they have been able to focus their service models,
generating higher customer satisfaction with simpler, more
efficient business design.
Finally, a Flight That Meets Expectations
Of course I was sad to leave Grande Lakes Orlando. It's a beautiful property and I had completely missed every opportunity to enjoy it for three days as I attempted to prepare a budget and meet with suppliers.
Just before checking out, I realized I had booked a slow connection through Raleigh when there was a better direct flight to Baltimore. I had arranged the trip late and too quickly picked the first flight after my last conference session. Now I realized my seven p.m. flight would land only minutes before a later direct flight. So, an hour before check-out, I began to consider the possibility of a warm dinner (and even a dip in the pool) and changed my flight. Fortunately I had flown Southwest and was charged only a small fare difference (max fare was just $70 more). Changing the flight and checking-in online (from my room) was fast and uneventful. I saved my boarding pass as a PDF and e-mailed it to myself. I then put on a swimsuit, grabbed my conference dinner ticket and made optimal use of my momentary time windfall.
Ninety minutes later, dry and fed, I checked out of the Ritz. I had expected to use a PC or printer near the front desk to print my boarding pass, but the system was locked. There was no access to webmail or direct access to the printer. Unfortunately, the hotel and I had been out of sync all day (a first). Earlier that day, the cleaning staff had mistakenly disposed of all my personal toiletries and then hid my wireless headset in a drawer. After discovery, I had to make two calls and wait two hours simply to get a replacement toothbrush & shaving kit from the front desk. Cutting my losses, I skipped a five minute walk to the business center and jumped in a car for the airport.
Attempting to circumvent a stand in the Southwest ticket line, I sought help from a kiosk agent with a brief attempt to explain that I had printed but did not have a boarding pass. The kiosk agent didn't understand my situation (or so I thought) and pointed me to a kiosk as if I hadn't checked in yet. Knowing that it is easier to show than to explain. I inserted my credit card expecting a quick check-in failure and a Go Directly to Counter Agent card. Instead a virtual button appeared on the screen titled "Re-Print Boarding Pass". As soon as I touched it, the boarding pass fluttered into my hands. I looked up to see the nicest, "we know our stuff" expression on the kiosk agent's face.
That brings me to today's topic.
There may be just two U.S. domestic airlines that really get domestic passenger aviation: Southwest and JetBlue. More...
In the BizSci Spotlight: Airline Service (part 1)
BIZSCI IN
BRIEF
Many U.S. domestic air carriers still
struggle to stay one step ahead of bankruptcy, despite the examples
of standouts like Southwest and JetBlue. These airlines have yet to
fix holes in their service infrastructures that result in frequent
unmet customer expectations. Until these airlines inventory all
customer expectations and ensure they are met at each customer
touch point (ticket counter, web, call center, gate, and aircraft),
their businesses will continue to suffer.
What's
Broken?
It's 11:30 pm. After a two hour delay, I had
finally boarded a commuter plane at Atlanta's Hartsfield
International en route to Dulles and home. Instead of taking off,
it seemed that something was very wrong. Although the passengers
had been asked to take their seats, fifteen minutes had passed with
no one to close the door. Worse still, the flight attendants looked
like anxious parents at a child's birthday party hoping it
really was a good idea to reserve a clown just returning
from rehab.
Lemmings Can Stay Seated
A meticulously
dressed business woman in the isle seat to my right was more than
concerned about the delay. She first asked and then demanded to
know what was going on. I paused my iPod long enough to determine
she was not armed, and continued listening to an audio rendition of
Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. Twenty minutes later, I noticed
the passenger had returned, her black pumps slightly wobbly and her
matching skirt slightly wrinkled. She was quietly saying something
with an expression that begged attention, so I paused my wireless
headset again. With a tenor that could have been a sob if her tear
ducts were working, she quietly heaved,
"They said I have to leave the plane. ..... Was I
threatening?"
A woman behind her, seemingly fully occupied with the tag team
effort to subdue a two-year old lifted her head and offered, "Yes,
you were rude."
The Entertainment Arrives
Before the
passenger was removed, she had been successful with short words to
gain an attendant's assistance in "allowing" her to remove her
seat-belt and pose a question to a person in-charge. She had then
walked to front of the plane, unfortunately finding the person in
charge was the same efficiently listening attendant. Incredulous
that there was no pilot or co-pilot AND that she was
expected to sit indefinitely without explanation, I surmised that
she began making quiet demands ... first that someone call to find
out what the !*_k happened to the pilots and then that someone tell
the passengers when the !*_k they would be departing.
I didn't hear her directly, but the next two announcements told the
story. Three minutes after she left her seat came the first
announcement,
"This is the flight attendent. As I am sure you have noticed our
departure is delayed. Unfortunately, our pilots have not yet
boarded the plane, but they should be arriving shortly. Thank you
for your patience."
Five minutes later came the second announcement,
"I am pleased to announce that our pilots have arrived! After a
short pre-flight checklist, our plane will depart
momentarily."
Based upon the short time between the arrival of the pilots and the
ejection of the passenger, it seems the pilots must have been
greeted by the same senior attendant, requesting authorization to
immediately remove a disorderly passenger.