A Practical Guide to Airline Customer Service. Colin C. Law

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СКАЧАТЬ contact an airline to purchase flight tickets. Traditionally, flight reservations are made by phone and reservation service agents assist customers to reserve their seats. Today, the majority of air tickets are sold through the Internet. However, when customers need to make changes to their travel plans, the quickest way is to contact the airline reservation centre directly. Hence, the reservation department also serves as a hotline which customers can contact the airline directly when they have any queries.

      Customer care includes the following functions:

       Make reservations

       Ticketing arrangements

       Frequent flier points redemption

       Inquiry hotline

      At the airport

      Many airlines have reservation service agents stationed at the airport to assist customers with reservation and ticketing inquiries. They also take care of ad-hoc requests such as rebooking of flights.

      Airport reservation and ticketing includes the following functions:

       Make reservations

       Ticketing arrangements

       Frequent flier points redemption

      Check-in counter

      On the day of departure, customers go to the check-in counters of the respective airlines to check in for their flights. Airline ground service agents then check their travel documents before issuing them a boarding pass. Customers can also choose to deposit their travel baggage at the check-in counter.

      Check-in service includes the following functions:

       Registering customers for the flights

       Travel document checks

       Issuance of boarding pass

       Baggage check-in

      Boarding gate

      After going through the airport security and immigration (on international flight only), customers will then proceed to the boarding gate and wait to embark on the aircraft. During the boarding process, airline ground agents will need to verify customers’ travel documents. They may sometimes collect a portion of their boarding pass for cross-checking of passenger headcounts.

      Boarding service includes the following functions:

       Assist customers on embarking the aircraft

       Travel document checks

      In-flight

      While en-route a flight, cabin crews are stationed to ensure the safety and comfort of customers. The cabin crew demonstrates the usage of emergency equipment and offer amenities to customers during the flight.

      In-flight service includes the following functions:

       Ensure safety of passengers

       Offer in-flight amenities and ensure customers are comfortable during the flight

      Arrival

      Upon arrival, customers will disembark the aircraft and airline ground agents are available to offer assistance to both arrival and transiting customers.

      Arrival service includes the following functions:

       Assist customers upon disembarkation

       Offer directions to all customers

      Baggage retrieval

      After clearing immigration, customers can then retrieve their baggage from the baggage hall. Lost and found agents are stationed in the baggage hall to offer assistance to those whose baggage either did not arrive or were damaged during the flight.

      Baggage service includes the following functions:

       Track delayed or lost baggage

       Make arrangements for return baggage

       Make arrangements for baggage repair

      After-sales

      Customers may sometimes contact airlines to feedback on their positive and/or negative experiences during their journey. For some airlines, agents stationed at the reservation departments are in charge of taking in these comments and resolve complaints.

      Figure 1-10: Travel process for travelers.

      Cargo

      Customer care

      While the process of cargo movement is similar to that of passengers, there is very limited interaction between the airline service agent and the cargo companies. Most of the communication and coordinating works are carried out over the telephone.

      Reservations

      Freight forwarders usually contact airlines for reservation. The sales team will then calculate the delivery cost and make the necessary arrangements.

      Cargo reservation includes the following functions:

       Cargo space reservation

       Inquiry hotline

      At the airport

      Departure

      Cargo is accepted at the airport’s cargo terminal. After the documents are checked, the cargo will be stored in the terminal. They will then be loaded onto the respective aircrafts.

      Cargo departure service includes the following functions:

       Cargo acceptance

       Inquiry

      Arrival

      Upon arrival at the destination, the cargo will be offloaded from the aircraft and stored in the cargo terminal. Freight forwarders will then need to submit their documents for verification before the freight is released.

      Cargo arrival service includes the following functions:

       Cargo release

       Inquiry

      After-sales

      Freight forwarders may sometimes contact an airline to inquire about the status of their goods. These enquiries are taken care of by the after-sales department.

      Figure 1-11: Travel process for cargo.

The importance of customer СКАЧАТЬ