Airline Love

If you are a frequent flier on Alaska Airlines, get ready to feel the love, reports Scott McCartney in the Wall Street Journal (3/25/09). "After boarding, Alaska Airlines flight attendants deliver favorite drinks to elite-level customers when they are sitting in coach, thanking them by name for their business." Steve Jarvis, the airline’s vice president of sales and customer experience explains: "The point is not the cocktail, the point is the recognition and thanks for your business."

The gesture is part of the airline’s efforts "to improve target marketing to customers and offer more personalized service." It’s still a work in progress, but Steve says Alaska is making a priority of improving its customer service by personalizing it. "We’d like front-line employees to know we lost your bag last time you flew, but it’s just in different data sources right now." The challenge is that "Alaska has at least six different data systems housing customer information."

The goal isn’t so much to create a "luxury" level of service, just the impression that they care. Kelly Hester of US Airways comments: "I truly don’t see airlines ever getting to the level of, say, Ritz-Carlton, but that’s not what our customers tell us they want … Customers say they want a convenient, hassle-free experience rather than high-touch service, but there are definitely things we can do." Sabre’s Tom Klein thinks such initiatives could also lead to service innovations and revenue streams. "I think you’ll see a lot of experimentation," he says. ~ Tim Manners, editor.