What happens when a beloved airline turns some customers away?
A change in the fortunes of one airline says a lot about the entire industry.
For almost two decades, British Airways has had a particularly memorable slogan: “The World's Most Loved Airline.” A few years later, things have changed, but not necessarily for the better. In 2019, guardian UK customers reported ranking the airline near the bottom of a number of categories. Three years later, the same study was conducted by Which? — again gave the airline a low rating. Given the airline's history and past popularity, one wonders where it all went wrong.
In a new article for Air Mail, Mark Elwood chronicles the history of British Airways over the past 40 years or so, revealing how the airline beloved by business travelers and royalty (among others) lost its reputation. I made it. Ellwood's report covers a lot of ground, but the most memorable part is how airlines (or most companies) alienate customers and sacrifice the goodwill they've built up. This points to a broader issue about whether it can be done.
Ellwood's article notes that British Airways has gone from being a customer-service focused company under CEO Colin Marshall to what analyst Henry Harteveld called “death by billions of job cuts.” We are following the company's transformation into a company called This included eliminating free meals in economy class. One passenger also recalled being charged for hot water. A company spokesperson clarified that they haven't charged for hot water in years, but it's hard to understand why customers dissatisfied with this practice would be reminded of it when booking their next flight. is not difficult.
To be sure, some of the issues that British Airways had to deal with were largely outside of its control, such as the impact of the September 11 attacks on air travel.
Other problems Ellwood cited are eminently avoidable, ranging from fines resulting from attempts to undermine rival Virgin Airlines to fines imposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation for customer service issues. I think that the. There is a point at which the search for “efficiency” can take a turn into something darker. And one of Elwood's airline portraits perfectly illustrates this situation.
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