Comments on: Superior Air Power: How the Airlines Can Win

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:52:03 +0000

If the airlines want to make me happy they need only get me thre on time. That’s it.

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:01:20 +0000

Barbara – I can imagine! Thank you for the suggestion.

By: Barbara Phillips Long

Barbara Phillips Long — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:17:15 +0000

If an airline wants to make me happier, they could provide me with a pair of paper slippers to wear through the security checkpoint. I don’t like walking on bare floors in bare feet or in hosiery in public places.
The last time we went overseas, a couple of Asian passengers in their 20s were wearing flip flops. The young women were very unhappy when the security folks in Atlanta made them take off the flip flops.

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 10:26:45 +0000

Yeah, that is brilliant. Have the execs forced to fly coach once per month with no special treatment at all.
It is kind of the like the old CEO of SouthWest who would regularly do front line jobs (e.g., fly attendant).
Maybe the execs could work the front line and fly their airline. That would focus the mind.

By: Travis Isaacs

Travis Isaacs — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:03:32 +0000

Cam, LOVE this! Nice work.

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:53:43 +0000

Rick -
A taste of their own medicine, eh?
It couldn’t hurt, but I suggest that the execs be subjected to it along with them.

By: Rick Short

Rick Short — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:20:11 +0000

Here’s an idea to improve airline performance:
Make EVERY airline employee work at a location that they have to fly to, every day, using their own airline.
Imagine the issues that would get resolved:
- on time
- experience quality
- cleanliness
- information sharing
- equipment maintenance
- crew availability
- and more

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:26:40 +0000

Cam, you are a Marine, do not just tell them, TELL THEM.

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:32:14 +0000

Paul -
I’ll tell them, but I doubt they’ll listen.

By: Paul McEnany

Paul McEnany — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:55:00 +0000

I’m loving it. Now, if you could stop delta, american airlines, etc. from sucking everywhere else, too…
Ahh, I can dream, can’t I?

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:36:49 +0000

Wilson -
Thank you for keying me onto Edward Tufte. He offers some courses that I may have to check out.

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:29:03 +0000

Chris -
I love Tom Fishburne’s work. Thank you for sharing that link. Very appropriate for this discussion, and your conclusion is spot on.

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:59:27 +0000

Cam, absolutely, a thousand baby steps.
And as you said, Chris, it will take time and the culture of the companies will change.

By: wilson

wilson — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:56:11 +0000

Just printed a BA boarding pass for a house guest who was headed back today. Looked a lot like your draft.
Think you have a good point. It’s a Tufte moment.

By: Chris Wilson

Chris Wilson — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:29:08 +0000

Cam and Neil,
For an existing, I think it has to happen incrementally. It is an industry that depends on majority of front line employees to function properly. You can’t just wake up one morning and decide the company needs to change the customer experience. If you did it would look a lot like this: http://www.tomfishburne.com/tomfishburne/2008/07/the-organizatio.html
It has to become something that the airline dedicated to and then makes it happen over time. Each step forward is a signal to employees and reinforces the dedication to a new culture of flying.

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:02:49 +0000

Neil -
Chris mentioned that right now it’s death by a thousand cuts. I wonder if it’s possible to bring life with a thousand little baby steps…

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:03:27 +0000

BTW, Cam, I like your ticket idea. There is a saying that a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.
I say if the airlines started taking some small steps it would add up to something good in due time.

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:00:50 +0000

Cam,
I do believe that Southwest has good management, they are profitable, and their employee morale truly is high. Hence the warm smiles are genuine.
What I love about them the most though is that when people board they have a way of saying, “stow your damn bag, sit down, we are leaving” without offending anyone. They must be trained in this art.
With other airlines I take a seat and it seems like it takes absolutely forever to get everyone seated.
That said, Southwest is not for everyone. It is festival seating and no frills flying. I would not call it luxury travel but that is not what I go in for.

By: Cosmixxx

Cosmixxx — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:01:54 +0000

Very interesting approach.

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:24:26 +0000

Alan -
I’m trying to remember if Southwest was one of those clamoring for federal takeover of airport screening, but I can’t. Even through the fear of flying commercial that gripped us all after 9/11, they should have seen that coming.
Anyway, that cat is out of the bag now, and as with any government program it would be extremely reluctant to get back in.
So in the meantime, they must improve the passenger experience where they have the most control. No interaction is too small that it doesn’t deserve consideration. As I said, a warm smile goes a long way.
That’s not something you can really fake, though, and with a problem as deeply rooted as this, fixing it is going to require excellent leadership (even if they start with the small stuff).
P.S. I love that you’re monetizing David’s name… Maybe you can swing it so that he can’t even use it without paying you a nickel.

By: Alan Wolk

Alan Wolk — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:39:02 +0000

Cam:
Great thinking. The airlines just seem to beaten down. And set in old ways of doing things.
Rather than spend money on TV commercials about the joys of flying that are clearly umm, not true, an Armanovian Micro-Interaction®™ like a cleanly designed ticket would make so much more of a difference. I mean even without the contest element it says “hey passenger- we’re thinking about you.”
It’s especially nice since most airlines give us the option of printing our tickets ourselves, at home, and so we’d leave for the airport with this nice, easy-to-read memento in hand.
I know Southwest gets raves, but even they are helpless in the face of long security lines and overburdened airport flight schedules. If the airlines would just admit it’s a problem, that flying can be a hassle and that they’re doing the best they can, it would go a long way to making people feel better about them.
Then of course, they have to stop doing things like this: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/business/29lounges.html – shutting down their first class lounges and removing yet another amenity from the list.

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:06:16 +0000

Hi Dawn -
Thank you for your feedback.
As I said, this doesn’t fix any management issues they have, but I reject out of hand the notion that we should not do something if we cannot do everything. In fact, if this exercise teaches us anything, it’s that companies can and should be looking for ways to improve the customer experience from every touchpoint — both big and small.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:55:08 +0000

I agree with Lewis. The airlines have a lot more problems to fix than their tickets.
I liken it to putting a Bandaid on a broken leg: doing SOMETHING that solves NOTHING!

By: Dawn

Dawn — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:54:57 +0000

I agree with Lewis. The airlines have a lot more problems to fix than their tickets.
I liken it to putting a Bandaid on a broken leg: doing SOMETHING that solves NOTHING!

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:32:30 +0000

Yes, Southwest has a simple formula and it works.
I will save the good meal for when I arrive at the destination. Planes are transportation and, if they do that well and with good cheer, they get my greenback vote.

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:11:44 +0000

Neil -
I don’t know what all the stats are for on-time departures and arrivals, so I can’t really speak to percentages.
At any rate, there are things that can make getting to the right place on time more pleasant. You mentioned some of these.
I guess passengers can forgive a lot if only those two requirements were met, but not everything.
A warm smile, however, can warm cold hearts. That’s always a good place to start, and it costs nothing.

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:05:17 +0000

Forex – I’m sure it doesn’t meet the literal definition of a cage, but go a couple thousand feet in the air and you want to get out – where else are you going to go?

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:03:44 +0000

Paul – Thank you for the smile!

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:53:09 +0000

Just hope that Southwest expands.
Focus on the reason you fly: point A to point B or C on time. Period.

By: Forex

Forex — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:35:00 +0000

Airlines just keep getting worse. Pretty soon we’re going to be put in cages when we fly.