As I write this, I’m several thousand feet above the Atlantic Ocean on a JetBlue flight to St. Martin. I looked up from my screen for a moment, just to get a change of scenery from the seemingly endless line of characters that’s been manifesting before my eyes. On the small screen housed in the seatback before me, I saw a brief ad for JetBlue, positioning its service as a reason to keep flying this airline.
It was a clever little animated video. A passenger chases a flight attendant call button as my cat pursues the little red dot I shine on the floor, without regard to the futility of the task. Of course, this in-flight advertisement ends with the passenger on JetBlue flight, receiving high-touch service from the flight attendant.
Later in the flight, the flight attendants walked the aisle with premium snacks for sale. Ostensibly, this would seem like a contradiction – positioning a brand as service-intensive while nickel and diming passengers for grub on an international flight. The reality, however, is a bit more nuanced. The two don’t need to be mutually exclusive. In fact, airlines could probably get away with charging for more if they delivered a higher level of service … which bears no incremental cost.
A smile and prompt answer to the call button don’t cost the airline anything extra, and an efficient check-in desk or gate operation can offset luggage fees, premium snack charges and just about anything else.
Service shouldn’t be confused with amenities. We’re losing the latter at an incredible pace … while learning that the definition is much broader than most of us probably realized. But, this doesn’t have to come at the expense of the former.
What I encountered on this JetBlue flight is that the service was commensurate with the positive portion of the animated video, suggesting an airline that has figured out how to make the most of its brand without having to submit its margins to the gobbling effects of meals and headsets.
Airlines have a unique chance to deliver more service without having to make any financial sacrifices or charge higher prices. All it takes is a smile.
[photo by mrkathika via Flickr]