Budget airline blues
My latest visit to Phuket was very pleasant despite the on-and-off rainy season showers. Walking on the busy streets and beaches there, I had no sense that it was the low season. But what impressed me the most was the hospitality of the local people, from massage therapists to people on the streets whom I asked for directions, and the waitress at a wellknown coffee shop.
I wish I could say that getting to and from the island also put a smile on my face but that wouldn’t be true. As usual, I opted for a low-cost flight and didn’t expect much in terms of service for the small sum I was paying. I chose one of the largest low-cost carriers in the region but compared with other budget flights I have experienced, the service was disappointing. The only thing that was free was a glass of water. Can’t complain, though.
I arrived at Don Mueang International Airport half an hour before the departure time so I was in a bit of a rush. With no luggage to check in and my boarding pass stored in the email on my phone, I asked a staffer if I could go directly to security screening and she said yes. An earlier experience with Singapore Airlines told me that I shouldn’t need to print out my boarding pass.
Wrong. A few moments later I was I directed back to the airline counter to print out mye boarding pass. Luckily enough, I told myself, there was no queue there. While waiting for my pass to be printed, I told the staffer that Singapore Airlines had let me use an emailed boarding pass to go through immigration and onto the plane.
I was about to remark further that not printing a boarding pass would save paper and help the planet, but I was stopped short by a counter staffer who said: “Singapore Airlines and AirAsia are different airlines.” Her face told me she wasn’t trying to be funny. Yes, I know they’re different, and clearly not many airlines are in the same league as SIA anyway.
The return trip from Phuket airport went smoothly at check-in and security, but my unpleasant experience was not over yet. When I went to put my carry-on bag in the overhead bin above my seat, it wouldn’t open. I asked the attendant in front of me if it was full, and she simply said “yes” without even turning her face to me. It’s not as if she was busy with other passengers. Everyone else was seated, so a smile and eye contact wouldn’t have killed her. Not a good impression.
I couldn’t help recalling the report I saw recently that Singapore Airlines had been named the world’s No.1 airline for 2018 in the annual World Airline Awards published by Skytrax, knocking off 2017 winner Qatar Airways.
SIA is always near the top in global passenger surveys but this was its first overall title since 2008. It also took the awards for best first class, best airline in Asia and best first class seats.
The influential Skytrax awards are based on surveys of more than 20 million travellers who rated 335 airlines. This is the fourth time an Asian company has won top honour since the annual award was established in 1999.
Asian carriers dominated the list with seven of the top 10 airlines this year, including All Nippon Airways and Cathay Pacific. Gulf-based Qatar Airways and Emirates took second and fourth spots. Thai Airways International ranked 10th and topped the list for best economy class.
Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted noted that “a key ‘wow’ factor for customers is consistency and this proved to a real asset for Singapore Airlines, which scored highly across both products and services.”
SIA in mid-April was also named the world’s best airline in the Travelers’ Choice Awards among users of TripAdvisor. Air New Zealand and Emirates came second and third respectively.
I have had experiences with many airlines and honestly, I do not have high expectations for budget carriers because I understand that we get what we pay for. But for those working in the service industry, keep in mind that your hospitality is a key to customer satisfaction, and not only the price. Be willing to help them with a smile on your face and the satisfaction that job you are doing is enough to keep customers coming back for your services.