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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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Commentary Following the flight of customer-focused patriotism

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, many American companies are realizing they need to rediscover “customer service” if they expect to rebuild their once-loyal base of customers. This is especially true in the airline industry.

One of the negative consequences of the Sept. 11 attacks has been the sobering economic impact on American consumers. Shocked and frightened, consumers in every sector of the North American economy have paused to re-consider whether they really need to buy that new car or take that trip to Las Vegas. Consumers are even reluctant to shop at a crowded mall or attend a stadium event where terrorists might be lurking. These are uncertain times.

For the past two weeks, millions of Americans have sat on the sidelines and waited to see what might happen next. America’s leadership responded brilliantly and our president encouraged citizens and companies to “get back to business.”

Regrettably, some business leaders aren’t hearing the patriotic music, let alone dancing to the beat of millions of flag-waving American consumers. Case-in-point are the airlines, specifically, American, United, Delta, Continental, Northwest, and US Airways.

Before the smoke had cleared at ground zero in New York City, many of the airlines’ lobbyists and trade associations were busy petitioning Congress for $15 billion in loans and financial aid to keep their companies from bankruptcy. At the same time, these airlines announced plans to lay off more than 50,000 employees. This type of insensitive move will have major consequences and further damage our fragile economy. Furthermore, this callous action has alienated once-loyal customers across the nation like myself who fly hundreds of thousands of miles annually.

Several airlines announced plans to eliminate food service in coach class on domestic flights. However, this move could prove to be a blessing in disguise, since the airline’s definition of “meal service” is somewhat of a misnomer.

The exception to the airline industry’s misdirected efforts is Southwest Airlines. In typical fashion, Southwest Airlines bucks the lemming-thinking that permeates the airline industry. While Southwest is not immune from the serious decline in passenger counts and the high operating costs required to maintain its current flight schedule, it has not announced any layoffs. In fact, Southwest Airlines is buying television airtime to advertise “nothing will stop us from flying!”

This is the spirit and leadership American consumers seek in difficult times. While consumers understand the difficult position of our domestic airlines, it appears from a customer-centric perspective that the airlines are making all the wrong moves. At a time when the nation cries out for customer-focused patriotism, the airlines have turned a deaf ear. This is why American consumers are quietly outraged at the airlines. Consumers perceive the airlines as greedy and self-centered at a time when all American companies have been asked to stand united and help their employees and valued customers get through this unprecedented period. This is a time for leadership and innovative thinking by airline executives, not a time for layoffs and service cutbacks.

Not only does it appear the major airlines have alienated their customers over the past 10 years, but worse, they continue to fly in the face of reason by resisting stricter in-flight security measures that were recommended by Congress and the FAA in the 1990s. It was nearly 10 years ago that the airline executives haggled with the FAA and successfully lobbied other federal agencies in an effort to stall many security improvements and eliminate federal sky marshals from riding shotgun on most domestic and international flights.

Now, more than 6,500 Americans lay buried under the rubble of a wheat field in Pennsylvania and proud city landmarks in New York and Washington , murdered by terrorists on our own soil partly because of bureaucratic weaklings who resisted doing the right thing under pressure from an airline industry known for its bean-counter mentality and unimpressive customer service. Before more tragedies occur, it would be smart for the corporate airline executives to put the “top line” , the safety and service of their customers , ahead of the corporate bottom line.

In the spirit of customer-focused patriotism, I would encourage the airlines to take a page from Southwest Airlines and rethink their misdirected strategies before it’s too late , and American consumers confuse their insensitive acts with corporate greed in a time of national need.

By becoming customer-focused, the airlines just might be able to regain our trust and support and get consumers like me back in the friendly skies.

Hinton is president and CEO of the Customer Relations Institute, a San Diego-based international training and consulting firm.

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