Page 3 - AAA SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2013 Online Magazine

AERIAl vIEW
CONTENTS

CREDITS EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITOR
JEREMY TORR What’s the most annoying thing about air travel? The fat bloke snoring next to
jeremy.torr@gbp.com.sg
you? The wait at the departure lounge while the cleaners chat and have a smoke
ASSOCIATE EDITOR in the air bridge? Or not knowing when the aircraft will take off?
JOSEPHINE PANG
josephine.pang@gbp.com.sg
According to a report by PhoCusWright (for Abacus), not knowing what is going
ExECuTIvE PublIShER & CEO on is the worst. The report polled responses from academics, trade organisations
VITTORIO ROSSI PRUDENTE
vittorio.prudente@gbp.com.sg and airlines, as well as some 2,800 travellers from Australia, Brazil, China, the UK,
and the US. The report’s author, Norm Rose, reports that nearly one in five (18%)
COO & MARkETIng DIRECTOR, ASIA
SIVA SACHI of passengers surveyed could not fulfil the purpose of a trip in the past year (a
siva.sachi@gbp.com.sg staggering 33% in China).
ART DIRECTOR
ARTHUR CHAN In almost every market surveyed, poor communication was the passengers’
arthur.chan@gbp.com.sg
top frustration, along with irregular management. Second was the lack of
WEb DIRECTOR compensation; third was getting information that conflicted with what had been
ElMER VAlENCIA said previously; and last was having to pay extra for alternative arrangements.
elmer.valencia@gbp.com.sg
CIRCulATIOn MAnAgER If this kind of service became the standard in supermarkets, or banks, or car
KHAIRUl NAEM
khairul.naem@gbp.com.sg dealers, there is no doubt that the company would go bust in very short order. So
ADvERTISIng REPRESEnTATIvES why is it that airline operators can get away with it?
EuROPE, MiddlE EaST, SOuTh afRiCa &
SOuTh aMERiCa The survey actually reveals that over time, they may not. Especially where there are
CONTACT: VITTORIO ROSSI PRUDENTE
TEl: +39 049 723 548 FAx: +39 049 856 0792 plenty of choices – as in growing markets like China. “China had the highest number
MOB: +39 335 611 9295 (35%) who stated they would ‘avoid booking the airline whenever possible’ [as a
EMAIl: vittorio.prudente@gbp.com.sg result of] irregular operations,” says the report. But the other issue highlighted is
aSEaN, PEOPlE’S REPuBliC Of ChiNa, TaiwaN, how irritated passengers today vent their spleen. No longer does their fury fall on
hONg KONg & auSTRalaSia
CONTACT: SIVA SACHI the head of the check-in chick – it goes viral.
TEl: +603 778 12903/2909 FAx: +603 778 12915
MOB: +601 2905 6825 “Globally, around 33% of travellers surveyed said they had posted comments about
EMAIl: siva.sachi@gbp.com.sg delays … on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook,” reveals the report. And
SOuTh aSia – iNdia, PaKiSTaN,
SRi laNKa, BaNgladESh & NEPal most tellingly, the majority also share their displeasure with immediate family or
CONTACT: VINOD GHANSElA friends; people that will take notice, remember, and book elsewhere. As the most
MOD: +91 9810806939 socially connected nation, Chinese travellers were 60% likely to share annoyances
COVER PhOTO fROM KuEhNE + NagEl iNTERNaTiONal ag TEl : +1 972 816-6745 FAx : +1 972 767 4442 One recent case saw a disgruntled passenger called Hasan Syed pay US$1,000
EMAIl: vinod.ghansela@gbp.com.sg
with friends and family, and 35% likely to post comments on social networks.
uSa & CaNada
CONTACT: JOSH MAYER
EMAIl : jm@mayeradvertising.com
for Twitter ads titled: “Don’t fly @BritishAirways. Their customer service is
SwiTzERlaNd
horrendous.” Within a few hours his Tweets had been seen and retweeted across
CONTACT: ROBERT ROTTMEIER
the world by some 50,000 users – all potential BA customers, lost. And all for lack
TEl : +41 216 174 412 FAx : +41 216 170 921
MOB : +41 792 104 466
of keeping Mr Syed informed about his luggage.
EMAIl : robertrottmeier@bluewin.ch
iSRaEl
As PhoCusWright’s Rose drily notes, “A passenger-centric approach requires a re-
CONTACT: TAMIR ESHEl
evaluation of irregular operations management, to enable airlines to better serve
TEl : + 972 544 508 028 / +972 989 117 92
FAx : +972 989 199 65
EMAIl : eshel_tamir@yahoo.com
buck up or lose customers. It’s as simple as that.
Global Business Press Pte. Ltd. customers and protect revenues.” That’s understating the case. Airlines need to
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ASIAN AIRlINES & AIRPORTS is a monthly publication for JEREMY TORR
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