Top Services That Make a Passenger Happy While Flying

Pick your “what’s wrong with airline travel” mantra – lost luggage, cramped spaces, delays, overbooking, dreadful food, etc.  So, what desired services might enhance flight passenger experience?

The airline industry is monitored by agencies that track its performance on multiple levels.  Companies like Skytrax study the problems, customer satisfaction, and services that set each airline apart from its competitors (for both bad and good reasons). Let’s look at some of the qualities and services that make passengers happy while flying.

Pre-flight value

The flying experience begins before the passenger ever leaves the ground.

• Technology improvements - do-it-yourself travellers want technology improvements that enable them to compare airfares. They want access to flight information in realtime, and ticketing, check-in, re-booking – all easily accessible on mobile devices through apps.

• Problem resolution – technology can’t resolve all problems. Passengers still want (and need) human assistance when flight problems arise. It is estimated that about 49 percent of airline complaints and issues are unresolved. Studies suggest that airlines can increase their customer satisfaction standings by empowering their airline agents with the knowledge and tools needed to solve problems.

• Customer intelligence – the needs of business, leisure, and economy travellers differ. 

• More travellers would prefer some re-bundling of services such as food and beverage services, Wi-Fi, boarding order, and baggage fees. Shifting ancillary fees to all-inclusive fares with a la carte items could better serve the different travel segments.

• Disclose fees in advance – hidden fees are always unwelcome surprises. Passengers are asking that airlines be required to disclose those extra fees like baggage, seat assignments, and other services at point of sale.

The quality in-flight experience

Let’s look at some of the services and amenities today’s flyers value.

- Entertainment – passengers are looking for expanded in-flight entertainment options. Airliners like Virgin Australia feature state-of-the-art 9-inch touch screen systems.  Emirates provides a wide selection of on-demand video and music selections and even some live television services.

- Comfort–seat comfort rarely seems to improve on planes; it is one of the more frequent passenger complaints. Companies like Thai Airways provide ample space for their passengers, including the economy section travellers.

- Cleanliness - while airlines have cut expenses every way possible, one unacceptable cutback for many companies has been cabin cleanliness. All Nippon Airways and Singapore Airlines are notable exceptions: both score highly for the cleanliness and condition of their cabins.

- Efficiency –travellers want service efficiency in every aspect of their air travel. Some airlines now offer social media-based customer services that assist travellers in re-booking flights, or making other flight-related changes.

- Meals – many airlines have reduced or eliminated food services; others have stepped up to provide greater meals quality through more sophisticated menus and healthier food choices. Virgin America includes a Protein Plate on its menu; Japan Airlines, South African Airlines, and Thai Airways offer generous and delectable meal selections.

- Courtesy– few things go farther toward creating a positive flying experience than when passengers are treated with courtesy, respect, and a smile. Customer satisfaction scores are consistently higher when airline staff greet each passenger with a smile and a “Have a good flight.”

- Wi-Fi – highest on many passengers’ wish list is reliable, uninterrupted Wi-Fi service. Passengers are apparently willing to sit next to a crying baby for an entire flight, give up seat space, and even forego bathroom privileges in order to stay Wi-Fi connected.

What does and doesn’t change

Air travel remains a mixed bag of negatives and positives for many passengers.  Some airlines have become much more responsive to their passengers’ interests and needs – offering greater in-flight services, amenities and overall flight reliability. Other airlines have yet to catch up or seem indifferent to their passengers. 

Building customer loyalty goes beyond keeping track of baggage and arriving on time. It means developing customer intelligence, and then offering the services and amenities that meet the needs of 21st century travellers.