A Practical Guide to Airline Customer Service. Colin C. Law

companies to establish their own new airlines. As such, airlines are free to enter the industry and intense competitions are created.

      Customers’ demand and expectations of airlines have vastly changed today. In the early stages, safe operation was the main expectation of the customers. As many airlines have improved their safety records, customers began to expect more from an airline company. Today, other than basic safety needs, customers are also demanding for comfort and top-notch services.

      The Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has defined that an individual’s needs are segregated into multiple levels. We are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some take precedence over others. Our most basic need is the first thing that motivates our behavior and once that is fulfilled, it is our natural instinct to seek to move up the hierarchy and satisfy the other higher needs. Based on the same principle, an airline’s hierarchy can be used to demonstrate customers’ expectation of an airline.

      Figure 1-2a: Airline’s hierarchy of needs.

Airline customers’ hierarchy of needs

      Airline offering safe transportation services is the minimum expectation of customers. This is also identified as the basic needs of customers in air transportation.

      When the safety needs are met, customers’ demands are then expanded to facilities at the airport and on-board the aircraft. Customers evaluate the airline by the types of hassle-free facilities available at the airport as well as the in-flight entertainment system, seat sizes and selection of meals served.

      This is then followed by personal service or customer service. The way that customers are being served has a direct influence on customers’ satisfaction level toward an airline. This includes the satisfaction with the interaction between customers and service agents, and service agents’ problem resolution abilities.

      Once the personal service need is fulfilled and customers are satisfied with the airlines’ service, their intention for return repurchase is motivated and customer loyalty is established.

      The very top of the hierarchy extends to long-term desires. Customers establish a long-term relationship with airlines when they are unlikely to change suppliers. In this instance, they feel important as they have become a VIP for the airline. This also reflects the customer’s status within the airline company. The privilege status creates a stronger motivation for customers to return to the same company for their future travels.

      Fulfilling customers’ personal needs are not sufficient today as airlines are looking toward generating and retaining loyal customers. Loyal customers help airlines to secure and create a stable income for the company. The larger base of loyal customers generated by an airline, the better revenue it is likely to achieve. Many airlines today are putting a lot of efforts on satisfying customers’ personal need and to motivate them to move up to the ‘loyalty’ and ‘status’ portion of the hierarchy.

Applying the model

      To achieve customers’ satisfaction, it is essential to understand their expectations. An airline company is offering services to thousands of customers every day and customer has different expectations when in face with different situations, and their needs are not always the same.

      Safety

      Customers fleeing from an earthquake disaster or situations pertaining to armed conflicts expect an airline to offer a safe transportation to take them away from the affected areas. These customers have low expectations as their main travel purpose is to get to safety. Safety needs are the principal concerns and other needs are not as important to these customers.

      Facilities

      Customers travelling with their families on vacations will evaluate the type of services offered by the airline before making a decision. This is to ensure a comfortable ride. More often than not, these customers expect food to be served on their flights, some form of entertainment to be provided during the flight to keep passengers entertained, and someone to assist them during their entire journey.

      Personal service

      Customers who have been traveling with the same airline several times expect service agents at the airport to remember them by name and know their seating preferences. In this case, the standard of service offered by the service agent needs to be the same, if not better as compared to their previous travel experiences.

      Loyalty

      This applies to customers who fly so often that they decide to fly with the same airline whenever they need to travel. They make their decision largely based on their satisfaction with an airline and the services that the service agents offer. Even though there are other airlines operating similar service with a lower ticket price, customers are still willing to pay more using services from the same airline as they are very satisfied with what they are getting. They also offer recommendations to their friends for the excellent service offered by the airlines.

      Status

      These customers have gained a high status in the airline. They have flown so often that service agents at the airport and on the aircraft remember their travel details. All the service agents know their travel preferences and have them prepared in advance. These preferences include the following observations: Customer A always arrives at the airport for check-in 1 hour and 10 minutes before the flight; she has no check-in baggage; she always chooses seat 11A by the window and that she always has a Krug Champagne during her meal and a black coffee after that.

What are customers expecting?

      Air travel is becoming more common today and customers have many choices of airlines to choose from. However, the aircraft manufacturing and cabin interior industries are dominated by a few players and airlines have no alternative but to offer standardized products in these areas. As such, they compete against each other by offering similar products in terms of cabin ambience, meal service, seat design, in-flight entertainment and communication technology. To generate competitive advantages, today’s airlines are focusing on customer services to influence customers’ choice of airline.

      To win the hearts of the customers, airlines have used different strategies to keep their existing customers and attract new ones. The main objective is to ensure that the customers are happy so that they will return for repurchase and use their service again.

      Figure 1-2b: Elements of airline safety.

Customers’ expectations

      Satisfaction is generated after a customer enjoys their journey and feels the money paid is worth the value. The minimum customer expectation of an airline is supported by three basic elements: safety, timeliness and price.

      Safety is the number one priority for all airlines. This demonstrates the trustworthy of the airline’s operations, including aircraft maintenance and security procedures. Customer will choose airlines, with the best safety records. These records can be easily accessed by customers via the Internet. Other details customers look out for include personnel trainings, aircraft investments, aircraft malfunction rate, airline accident rate and the airline fatality rate.

      There are many modes of transportation for customers to choose from and the main reason for deciding to travel by air is usually time-related, i.e. customers expect to reach their destinations in the minimal time needed. Customers expect their flights to depart and arrive on time. As such, an airline’s on-time performance data is an important factor when customers decide on their choice of airline.

      Cost is another important element that determines customers’ satisfaction. This is especially so for those who travel for leisure as this category of customers are price sensitive and customers seek other alternatives when an airline charges a higher price. Many airlines today have applied the yield management approach to target different customers by offering different pricing schemes to suit the needs of different travelers. Hence, customers who are taking the same flight and on the same service