- The arriving flight is late
- The flight crew is late
- They had to find a flight crew
- Something on the plane needs to be fixed before passengers can board
- A weather pattern delayed us and now we need to get out of here asap
- I’m sure you have one or two to add
Airline travel already sucks for most people. But I really hate when airport or airline delays suddenly become the passenger’s problem…….
What am I talking about?????? Those dreaded, scolding (almost threatening) flight attendant announcements basically telling us to move our asses, get our bags stowed quickly, and get out of the aisles and into our seats. Hurry! Fast! Now! If we don’t move faster we’re not going to have an on-time departure or worse yet we may end up in a long queue on the tarmac.
Wait a minute? Time out! Whose fault is this delay? Do airlines think we want to be late? Do they think we’re not already annoyed about the delay? But seriously kids, change your tone. And I’m not the only one thinking this; I’ve heard the comments while sitting in my seat watching and listening. Maybe even throw some self-deprecating humorous blame on yourselves. Throw a little creativity into the mix. Have some fun with it!!
“You think the coffee tastes foul, well the foul smell from the bathroom we needed to take care of before letting you on was something no one should ever experience. But now that we got that all resolved let’s get you quickly seated and we can be one our way.”
“The record for getting people boarded and seated on a 737 is held by XYZ airlines. Our Captain moonlights as a representative for the Guinness Book of World Records. Let’s give him something to report to Guinness and show those folks over at XYZ that ABC passengers are the best.”
Those are just two examples quick off the top of my head. But the point is this……………………………..whenever you have the opportunity to have a little fun with a bad situation, have it! And this should be included in your training programs. Could be a great FUN group activity.
Putting undue blame, stress, or frustration on your customer when it is not their fault is not how you earn loyalty or 10’s on a survey! It’s not how you deliver a great customer experience.