For Immediate Release:
Dateline: Chicago,
IL
Friday, December 13, 2013
Some airports have greater chances of loss
26 Million Checked bags go missing while the airline industry rakes in over 3 Billion Dollars in checked bag fees. Anyone that travels knows how flights have become challenging. With the merger of airlines, the weather, and holiday volume it is a known fact that more luggage will be misplaced, damaged, or routed to the wrong destination. Normally it is a minor inconvenience but during the holidays the bags often contain gifts. The mounting battles for the overhead space, the TSA rules about what can be transported, and the need for better baggage handling technology still seem minimal when you understand that over 400 million bags are ‘checked’ each year on domestic airlines. From a stressful flight, increasing baggage fees, and crowed seating, a misplaced bag becomes a major issue for the affected passenger.
As you can imagine the baggage service at the airport gets some of the most irritated, angry, and downright nasty passengers. What can be done? How can you deliver a quality passenger service experience? What can we learn and apply it to our own businesses?
In my book, D-A-T-I-N-G Your Customer I often reflect on the first chance to make an impression. D equals DAZZLE. Today that is difficult because most passengers feel it is their right to complain about everything from uncontrollable weather delays to lost or misplaced luggage. Think about it for a minute. 26Million lost for 400 million transported. That’s not a bad record?except if you are one of the passengers that paid checked baggage fees and now find that your bag is not at your destination.
The good news is that the additional airline fees have ramped up the level of interest in both our government and passenger awareness. Now there are smartphone apps, bar codes, and other ways to track bags at every stage of the trip.
Do you feel like the matador or the bull?