The three morning flights scheduled to leave Mumbai for Delhi at 6.30, 8.e0 and 8.45 a.m. were delayed due to fog in Delhi. The first two were rescheduled for 9.15 a.m. in the hope that by then the weather would improve. At 8.30 a.m. the passengers were asked to proceed for security check and await departure call. An announcement at 8.50 a.m. requested passengers on the second flight who were waiting in the lounge on the ground level to board the aircraft. Those who were booked for the first, waiting on the first floor lounge heard this announcement. Anticipating a similar announcement for them, they moved gradually to the gate. The movement of the staff through the aerobridge and to the telephones gave the impression that something was wrong. But the gate did not open. At about 9.15 one of the staff was asked the reasons for the delay. He replied rudely that they would be boarding within five minutes. At 9.30 a.m. another traffic assistant also said within five minutes. The passengers were getting restive. When the same answer was given by another assistant, the passengers got infuriated. They also felt that the staff was not doing their duty and that the delay was avoidable. Within another five minutes they were asked to board the aircraft. When all were seated, the pilot announced that the weather in Delhi was still bad, and that the next report was expected after 30 minutes and the breakfast would be served on board. From the air hostess, the passengers came to know the passengers of the second flight were also boarding only then This incident could have been communicated periodically. The announcement about boarding the flight was misleading. The traffic assistants perhaps themselves did not know the real situation when they had said five minutes. This situation further aggravated by further delay due to late arrival of a politician who was also travelling to Delhi. The parting greetings were given to the passengers “Hope you enjoyed the Flight” just before landing at Delhi. As if this was not enough, the passengers had to wait for one more hour for luggage clearance.
Questions:
i)Â Â Â Â Â Which were the critical interactions and which were not?
ii)Â Â Â Â Did all the airline staff and the passengers exhibit technical and interactive skills? Elaborate.
iii)Â Â Â What were the reasons for the delay at both the airports?
iv)Â Â What steps could have been taken to rectify the situation as a service recovery strategy?
v)Â Â Â What kind of an image did the parting remarks convey to the passenger? If you were the passenger, how would you perceive the quality of services rendered by the airline?
55 Comments