If I owned an Airline...

I fly a lot, I also book corporate travel a lot & put a lot of great people in a lot of seats. I also have a website which recommends travel deals and this adds a lot more people in a lot more seats, which got me thinking “If I owned an airline”

Firstly, I would go back to basics. Every industry is built on their customer relations. Every company individual that deals with the public, represents my airline. In the airline industry it starts with the person taking reservations over the telephone. My company would not charge my customers to call my company to spend money with my company. Nope! No Sir! We would enjoy taking your credit card information with an “Enjoy your Flight”. It will not cost you one cent.

Next, my company would make sure my ground employees remember each & every day exactly who is paying their salary. My customers!!! If the person is standing in my airline’s check in line & not in my competitors line, you get to keep your job! So smile and look like you want to be checking in my customers. Don’t keep them waiting unless it is unavoidable. Make some polite conversation. Most of my customers are going on vacation and it starts with you. Charging to check in my customers bags, would never occur to me nor would charging for a few extra inches of seat space. I would include all fees in my prices and not add another one!

On my airplane, I would not charge you for peanuts or drinks or food or earphones. I would charge my advertisers, in my foods, in my magazines, my napkins, my seat back covers, their ads showing on my in-seat TVs, products in my on-board toilets, logos on my staffs uniforms. I would employ happy people who take care of their appearance to welcome you on-board. My airline would add free goodies for the young ones, an upgrade for the honeymoon couple, a kind word for the elderly. I would throw out the canned announcements and rewrite them with humor. I would add giveaways during the flight from my sponsors. Why? cos I can. It’s my airline!

So, how would I make money on my airline. For a start, I would fly all my executives in economy across country for a night away, in the middle seat, with 2 stop overs, each way! They would then realize the changes that we have to make from a customer point of view. We would ask our employees what they needed to do their jobs better. We would make sure that the amazing job our employees do each day, of getting people plus their baggage to their loved ones is appreciated and rewarded. We would get sponsorships for food, uniforms, free goodies. I have a captive audience - you have a great product. Let’s make a deal!

We would build our brand one customer at a time. Our customers would be our advertising. Each & every one of them. They would promote us by word of mouth & on the internet. We would employ people to monitor what our customers are writing about us and respond. Acknowledge the criticism, it’s not personal, it will just make us better. I would streamline the system so people do not have to jump through hoops to receive compensation on flight cancellations, lost baggage etc. I would reward people for booking early by offering seat sales in all flight classes. As my flights fill up, First - Business - Economy, the price increases. With word of mouth & my great employees - we will be flying full!