English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

We (AirAsia) are proudest of the fact that we've made the world a smaller place through our motto, "Now everyone can fly". And every day, we look for new ways to make the traveling experience better. If you were in charge, how would you improve the travel experience of low-cost carrier passengers?

2007-05-07 23:19:38 · 101 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel Air Travel

101 answers

Dear Tony,

If I were in your position of operating a low cost carrier, I would do the following to improve the flying experience for my customer.

1. Comfort (Hospitality and Boarding arrangement)
The first thing customer notice is the level of comfort provided by the carrier itself, as a low cost operator, customer will not demand too much regarding the size of seat pitch but would definitely enjoy the hospitality of friendly air crews and ground staff. Proper etiquette training are required to improve the standard of customer reception in airport and on the plane. Many customer might think that seats should be pre-allocated to maintain order, but i think this is unnecessary as pre-allocated seats required more resources and could only solve a small problem. The main problem of broading arrangement lies with passengers who carry a lot of hand luagage and takes time to put them into the luggage compartment above them. This is inevitable for most passengers. Hence the only rational way to increase boarding efficiency is by allowing passenger without hand luggage to board the plane first. Then when they are seated properly allow family travellers with elders and children to board orderly, finally the rest of the passenger.

2. Timeliness (Building an honest image that eliminates misunderstanding and miscommunication)
Many passengers have experience delays in their recent trips, some would blame the carrier for its inefficiency, others simply rants. From my experience as a passenger, i found out that delays are most frequently cause by two factors, bad weather and poor ground terminal coordination. As nobody can control the weather, we should not blame the carrier for its delay. But many passengers stranded at the airport are unaware of the situation, they are not informed duely and this cause misunderstanding and displeasure. I am sure if your ground staff can informed passengers regarding the real situation, it should be acceptable and protect the image of your company. As for ground terminal coordination, I refer to unexpected queue of delays from terminal operation sometimes cause by late check in or in other times cause by miscommunication from ground staff. This is something that can be minimized through proper planning, and I believe your company has done its best so far.

3. Convenience (To get to where you want to go the easiest way)
I realized that convenience means a lot of things to different people. Some prefer the effectiveness of technology, such as internet booking, some like good amenities and facilities in terminals. But above all, as a low cost carrier and not really a terminal operator, I believe the best policy for convenience is how you can provided easy access to the planes that carry them to their destination. By that I means transportation from cities to airport. I realized that this is complex issue to tackle with but I believe airasia has already taken the right step such as providing the skybus ferrying passengers from KL sentral to LCCT and maybe providing couch bus to singapore from senai airport. But if this type transportation arrangement can be implement in economically and effective way to airports where airasia have landing rights, I believe more will be eager to travel with airasia.

4 Customer Loyalty (Flexible pricing for business and leisure travelers)
I know that most passengers travel airasia because its very cost effective. But as more and more budget airline is competing in this region, customer will find choices harder to make. Although airasia enjoys an excellent brand name, it will face competitors that try to clone their success. To consolidate on its success, airasia need to provide innovative packages to boost customer loyalty. I give a few examples here.
(a) Create season pass for business travelers. As season pass means business travelers who fly frequently maybe like once or twice a month every year can apply for season pass tickets that set standard low price instead of fluctuating air fare that rewards earlier bookers. The reason for this demand is simple, business travelers need flexibility in time management, so it would help them get cheaper fare anytime to any place would be a big attraction to them. They might not need to lowest fare but they need a good rate that makes them comfortable to travel with you as a loyal customer.
(b) Group Booking for leisure travelers is a important element if your airline wish to attract them. Many leisure travelers do not travel alone, sometimes they feel that if they do group booking as they do in travel agents they save cost. Although group booking is available offline, why not make it more convenient as an online services. Other marketing program such as hotel booking can be treated together with group booking to attract leisure travellers. Customer loyalty cannot be done overnight, but if you try to understand customer needs and serve them appropriately, you will always be their first choice.

Finally to wrap things up, not everything i said over here are concern with the flying experience itself, but as a customer, I believe that user experience must be parallel to what your project in your publicity program. If you deliver as what your promise you gain creditability and that is all that matters

If you like more customer feedback email us and arranged a meetup, many will be eager to attend. Thanks

2007-05-09 08:01:56 · answer #1 · answered by Gene Lim 1 · 0 1

Are you looking for managers ? heh ! heh ! Well for a start, it is a low cost flight. Can we expect MAS treatment ? I suppose MAS is considered a high cost flight ? Not all your seats are so cheap that people in the low income group can fly all the time. In fact there are still poor people who cannot buy any cheap ticket even. Strangely even, those in the high income group fly in your plane. I once used your plane and for that day and for that time, your ticket cost more than MAS ! I bought it because there were no more seats in MAS. I and other passengers do not like the delays, cancellations and what not; especially on official work. Will my boss accept my reason; that Air Asia or FAX has cancelled the flight ? I wish you could allow an immediate check in system and not have to wait for 2 hours before departure time. The luggage can be heavy. It would be better if you do not have free seating. Concerning the LCCT, it has to be expanded because there are too many people. The toilets are dirty. You should have a transit hotel so that passengers can wait in the privacy of their own room. Your planes need improving. I saw some of the cushion parts coming off. Even the emergency jacket used for safety briefing demo is all coming off. Not all the seats have the required brochures. Some of the items mentioned in the menu are not up to date. And your planes are light compared to MAS. I could feel more vibrations as compared to the national carrier. Is your computer system really secure because I suspect it can be hijacked. The reason why I compare your airline with MAS is that we need some form of benchmarking and MAS is all that we have. Then your office in KL Sentral definitely needs a lot of improvement. We have to wait for so long before our turn come. Even though you provide laptops, you still find potential passengers asking so many questions when they come to the counter and all the bargaining that is going on. Don't be surprised that some of these passengers are from overseas. May be you should visit your offices and see for yourself. Make a spot check. Your staff is great. They are very patient and explain in great detail. But they forget that others are waiting and waiting and waiting. And supposing you take into consideration our suggestions, may be all these will incur more costs. Therefore your next question may be " how much should a low cost carrier ticket cost " ?

2007-05-08 03:11:07 · answer #2 · answered by Ranania 2 · 0 0

1

2017-01-20 08:00:43 · answer #3 · answered by Albert 4 · 0 0

Good Afternoon, Mr.Fernandes,

I have not flown for years on end but by going through the news and papers, we always read about all the negative aspects about air travelling, the recent being the airport at Terengganu.

To me, basically i feel that 'people' are our assets and ambassadors. Your planes can have the best of everything or none at all, but if the people that work for or with you do the best that they are trained for and on top of this, go the extra mile to ensure that a passenger or for that matter, anyone asking a question and gets a reply that's pleasant, even if there's nothing connected to the job or business, goes a long way. You know, your pilots are most of the time very tired and look forward to 2 things: rest and someone to welcome them after a long flight,( like an air concierge). He/She could be someone who'll also guide your passengers (if the need be) to the exit point or to the plane. That person will ensure that security checks on baggage are thorough and fast. And, before you gaet a chance to ask, he/she'll have told you the result of the latest football game or Formula1. Another important aspect is SERVICE and, service is all about ANTICIPATION, which in return is born of experience. One should always be calm and have (if possible) the ability to second-guess the needs of pilots and passengers alike.

Sometimes i feel, instead of calling the men and women air-steward or stewardess, you should call them Air Concierges or Ground Concierge (what do you think...?), i've always liked to be a doer instead of a follower. I have learned always to reward talent. Even if someone is hired to do one thing, if they have good ideas, or can handle something else, just let them do it. This is why i always walk around asking people's advise in the street, etc. It's true what they say, that the man in the street often has more commom sense than many big bosses. The main thing is to have fun. Don't waste time, grab your chances and have a posituve outlook on life. As Richard Branson would say, "Have fun, live life to the full, love your family and the money will come". This should be applied to everyone!! Keep your word. When you say "now everyone can fly", literally mean it. Put family and the Team First. Be loyal and face problems head on. Be polite and respectful, do the right thing, keep your good name and be fair in all your dealings. Money is for making things happen. Most importantly, pick the right people and reward talent.

Finally, change the world, even if in a small way. Make a difference and help others and do no harm. Always think what you can do to help. All these, if and when applied to all your staff or as i call my staff (my extended family), goes a very long way and that's all you need to improve the travel experience of low cost carrier passengers because most times, even the big players forget these simple yet wonderful gestures.

I believe you have done quite q wonderful job so far, especially in your thoughts and dreams and surprisingly, i can relate to some of these. I was just toying with some ideas with my partner earlier on this morning, that if we could someday meet you or the Prime Minister or Transport Minister, we would like to bounce off some zany ideas of ours and here i am on the internet and came across your question this afternoon. Believe it or not, we are quite similar to you and Richard Branson, for the fact that when we see a good potential for something, we go head on first and get the project and then worry as to how we're gonna do it. We've just been given the opportunity of a lifetime to build and manage Malaysia's 1st Maze Edutainment Theme Park in M'cca and surprisingly, you are going to also start a Tune Hotel right smack near our Theme Park at Ayer Keroh.

I hope i've not taken too much of your time or whether or not you'll get to read this but i do hope to one day meet you in person.

Thank you and have a good day.

Regards,

Justin Baptist

2007-05-10 20:21:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Firstly as an entrepreneur myself, i would like to give Dato Tony and his team a huge pat of the back for giving us such a service.

Let me answer from my experience instead.

1) Car Park. The car park is very well closely positioned to the main terminal. However it would be nice to add walkways with roof terraces. Something like what some hypermarkets have. After all the first impression last the longest.

2. Air-Con. I was in the airport waiting for my flight to bangkok. Cannot help feeling that the air-con was not strong enough. In fact it was quite hot. I understand it is a low cost terminal, but its not bearable.

3. Food Outlets. Am pretty dissapointed as the most of them had flies around. Such a pity, if not condorned, would affect the overall image and the experience. Constant and regularly checks on all food outlets must be made.

4. Airport Guest Relations Officers. Would be nice to have people to come around asking whether everything was okay.

5. Check in lines. This has to be the worse experience and i must say is in total chaoticness. The officer here has to adapt to a speedier process as its takes too long. Que lines have to be also organized so as not to create confusion.

6. Walking to the plane. I had to carry my son and drag a bag to the plane. First i thought it would be fine as i could see the plane in front of me. Then i noticed the stewardess taking us towards another direction where the plane was sitting afar. In the heat it was unbearable. Cannot imagine if it had rained.

So when i look at 1-7 above, its more about the terminal then the flight experience that has tainted my experience. As for the flight, nothing much i believe can be done, its good value for money. Sorry Air Asia, Nice flights, horrible terminal.

2007-05-09 02:32:59 · answer #5 · answered by Azhar 1 · 0 0

Dear Mr.Fernandes

I think you should improve your check-in service at LCCT. Passengers of AirAsia sometimes have to wait at least 2 hours before take-off to check-in their luggage. And I think this leads to the terminal being overcrowded with not only the passengers, but also their relatives or friends. To make matter worse, some people tend to be aggresive in order to settle their check-in procedure, as they too wouldn't want to queue up for a very long period of time.

The free seating system does not help either. People jostling around trying to get the best seats and sit close with their family members or friends. This causes a long painful queue outside the plane when boarding, especially if the plane if full.

I think AirAsia should start to target more business passengers as their frequent flyer rather than people with small income. A reliable flight schedule plus a good travel exprience are two of the most important criteria to woo passengers from this class.

Hope AirAsia will continue to strive as the best low-cost carrier in the world.

2007-05-08 23:24:25 · answer #6 · answered by adie 1 · 0 0

Tony,
If I were in charge, I would seriously look into allocating seats to passengers on a first come first serve basis. Those who check in early are given seats nearer to the front and so on and so forth. This doesn't cost anything except maybe a drop of ink on the printer, or maybe not, because its thermal? As it is, boarding is chaotic and stressful.

How about on-line checking in for passengers without check-in luggage, for all destinations? This will help to minimise over-crowding at the LCCT as passengers can then go a bit later rather than hanging out at the airport with nothing to do and contributing to the already crowded place making it look like Puduraya (a bus station in the capital city KL). Alternatively, invest in some self-check-in machines, where passengers check in themselves, much like using an ATM machine, hence lowering your manpower costs. These are being used in some countries so its nothing new.

Lastly, the delayed flights...what can I say. Touch wood, on all my flights with Airasia, they were all on time! But after reading and hearing so much about delayed /retimed flights, the communication aspect with the affected passengers has to be improved on. This has got to be the most sore point for passengers involved. And it does not do any good to your brand advertising. Yeah, definitely needs an overhaul here.

Other than that, hopefully, in the future, Airasia can continue to provide affordable fares to everyone and not become snobbish just because they are getting successful. Afterall, it is the paying, and not forgetting, the investing public that has been supportive of you.

So, once in a while, reward or give a surprise to your
passengers on a flight. I can tell you, it works wonders for your branding exercise!

2007-05-09 04:19:32 · answer #7 · answered by michael w 2 · 0 0

Hi Mr Tony,

I've been a regular passenger of your airline.

I guess I have a little bit different suggestion since it's come from different point of view here.

I am a student by myself. A lot of international student fly to their hometown using Airasia here from Msia, for it is considerably affordable. However to be honest some student still think that it is not really 'inexpensive' relative to other airline that sometimes offer a great deal for student, sorry if it sound a bit 'edgy' but I really try to be objective in this case. I do believe that it's a big market out there. Thus I think it will be great to make loyalty program for student. Giving a student promotional rate, student membership or such may improve the travel experience for the scholars that using your airline.

Thank you,
a small point from some students

"Now everyone can fly"

p/s thanks for coming to Taylors Business School last time :-) cheerio

2007-05-09 03:57:22 · answer #8 · answered by wonderkid 1 · 0 0

I been flying with AirAsia for these past 5 years and since these past 2 years I think my flying experince satisfaction became worse. During the first year of AirAsia operation, of course everybody's complaining about the delay thing. Now the delay still there but at minimal rate. What border me more was the boarding process. I am getting tired standing in the Q for 30 minutes before boarding. Why?

Not like the MAS, right after the anouncement the passenger could boarding immediately. There's no long Q and no waiting.

I hope we can improve this, because when the announcement come, everybody expect to board immediately but that's not it. Wait for another few minutes first then go thru boarding pass + IC checking, then children + Senior board first then the rest go last.

Overall, I am quite satisfy with the service except the one mentioned above.

2007-05-14 22:34:57 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

The staff who are front-liners in any organisation play a big part in customer service. In general Air Asia staff are very pleasant but one thing that would improve flying experience dramatically is flight attendants who speak proper English.
No need for "mat salleh" accents, because that's just annoying, but proper pronunciation and enunciation make a world of difference.

I flew to Jakatra recently and couldnt undertand a word of the lead stewardess who was making the safety announcements. It gives a bad impression and leads confusion among passengers.What if there was an emergency and some people couldnt understand her?

Apart from that, since a happy customer is your best advertiser (word of mouth etc),why not give out small merchandise on every flight. Maybe one lucky passenger
per flight has a "gift" stuck under the seat- like a cap, t-shirt, pen, notepad etc. Just small stuff, buit i'm sure it would increase brand loyalty and brand visibility.

Keep up the good work!

2007-05-08 19:12:28 · answer #10 · answered by HotHotMamma 2 · 0 0

First of all - great job so far, i'm so proud that a world class company like Air Asia is Malaysian! My suggestions:

1) Consider creating a premium section for customers who opt to pay a bit more.

2) Provide nicer selection of food.

3) Have small premiums for kids/adults. The more merchandise you put out there, the more walking advrtisements you have.

4) Be PUNCTUAL -That's professionalism. People should expect to arrive/depart on time and have high ecpectations of you even if you're a low cost carrier. Right now you have ppl saying "no wonder they're always late, they're a budget airline."

2007-05-14 21:49:26 · answer #11 · answered by Milo B 1 · 0 0

fedest.com, questions and answers