Customer service up in 2008 for airline industry

Tulsa World reports that all 17 airlines have improved their customer service ratings in 2008 from 2007, which was the worst-ever performance year for airlines. One reason for this is the reduced traffic and capacity cuts due to the deteriorating economy. However, this did lead to improved services such as better on time performance, baggage handling, denied boardings and fewer customer complaints. Hawaiian Airlines ranked #1 for customer service, and Southwest continued to have the fewest number of customer complaints.

Top 10 airlines in quality rankings:

2008 Airline ranks

1. Hawaiian
   
2. Air Tran
3. JetBlue
   
4. Northwest
5. Alaska
6. Southwest
7. Frontier
8. Continental
9. American
10. US Airways

How about some good old fashioned customer service?

In a post on The Marketing Minute, the discussion of customer service came up. Are they bored with your service? As customers, we are used to ok service as a standard. Even bad service has been accepted into our society. So as marketers, why do we let it slide? Always trying to find a way to keep the customers coming back is the perfect example of why customer service should be more of a priority. Once someone innovates a little and sees that all good customer service takes is being genuine and generally caring about the people who buy your product, the value of your product will go beyond why the customer is buying it, they will keep coming back because of what you’ve done for them in the store.

A current industry dealing with customer services issues is the airline industry. The New York Times wrote an article on this. With most airlines cutting back on leg room, food on board, and even free entertainment options, one airline is striving to be different. Midwest Airlines’ tagline is “The Best Care in the Air.” It’s not hard to see why when according to their website, they were ranked #1 in a variety of categories in the Condé Nast Business Traveler Awards of 2007: #1 Domestic Airline, 2007 (Single Class), #1 Seat Comfort/Legroom, 2007, #1 Food, 2007, #1 Cabin Service, 2007. In a struggling industry, they’re finding a way to give the customers the service they want. Good customer service goes a long way when it comes to attracting and retaining your customers.