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ASQ Quality Report Recommends Improved Passenger Communication; Operating Procedures(Canada Newswire English Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Attention Business Editors, Airline Writers, Travel Editors Lack of Airline Quality is Root of Passenger Dissatisfaction MILWAUKEE, September 6 /CNW/ - Airline passengers today are more dissatisfied than ever with the airline industry, and their dissatisfaction is due to a lack of quality, according to experts sited in the latest Quarterly Quality Report from the American Society for Quality (ASQ), the world's leading authority on quality improvement. According to the report, the airline industry needs to change how it operates, implement more quality standards and methods and improve its processes. The airlines are quick to point fingers and pass the blame when it comes to taking responsibility for delayed and canceled flights. While it's true that weather is a legitimate reason for flights to be delayed or canceled, this factor only accounts for 9.5% of delayed flights. Airlines must fix the other contributing problems before customer satisfaction will improve. With reasons other than weather accounting for an average of 13% of delayed flights, there is a lot airlines can do to improve their performance. The report outlines two key areas where airlines can do better--operating procedures and passenger communication. "Be Prepared" Should be Airline Motto According to the Quality Report, airlines need to significantly improve their operating procedures. Jack West, industry analyst and past president of ASQ notes that at the most basic level airlines need to ensure that systems are in place to handle any challenge from weather delays to maintenance issues. Southwest Airlines, for example, has designed its own business systems to operate effectively within these kinds of typical constraints. "Sure, traffic congestion is a problem for them, like everyone else. But they've put in place a structure that enables them to land the plan, turn around and get it back in the air quickly because they know the only way airlines make money is to have planes flying." West notes that in addition to strengthening day-to-day operating systems, airlines need to continue exerting influence on the people who control the infrastructure, such as airports and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA must also improve its air traffic control systems to help alleviate flight delays and cancellations. New satellite-based technology is in the works, which will improve the system. Process improvements with the FAA and air traffic control coupled with improvements at each airline are going to pave the way for a more successful flight system in the United States. Improved technology is necessary for air traffic control operations, but airlines will have to adopt that technology as well. Even with the new technology, airlines must be equipped with robust systems on the ground to handle passenger check-in, plane turnaround, baggage handling and mechanical operations. No matter how efficient and effective the air traffic control systems are, airlines will continue to see delays and cancellations if they don't improve their internal systems. It will take time for these new technologies and process improvements to take effect, but immediate changes can take place to improve customer service on the front line. Keeping Passengers Informed John Goodman, ASQ member and vice chairman of TARP Worldwide, a customer experience research consultancy, has researched customer satisfaction in the airline industry. He has found that proactively communicating with passengers when problems occur is another way to improve satisfaction. In today's world of fast-moving technology and information, people are used to instant communication. Passengers want to be kept informed as to what is going on when their flights are delayed or canceled. According to Goodman, "You can't fix the weather, but you can give people better information." Airlines can also improve communications by implementing more effective cross-training programs so that employees can be moved quickly to work baggage, ticket counters or the gate based on the greatest need. "Lines move faster, people feel like they are making progress and anxiety levels are lowered," says Goodman. Please visit http://www.asq.org/quality-report/reports/quarterly-quality-report-200 709.pdf to view the complete Quality Report. (Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field. You may also need to remove an extra space in the URL if one exists.) The American Society for Quality, www.asq.org, is the world's leading authority on quality. With more than 93,000 individual and organizational members, the professional association advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results, and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. As champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners and everyday consumers, encouraging all to Make Good Great(R). ASQ has been the sole administrator of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award since 1991. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., the 61-year-old organization is a founding partner of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator, and also produces the Quarterly Quality Report. American Society for Quality Megan Coulomb, 800-248-1946 [email protected] or Christel Henke, 414-332-2933 [email protected] Copyright 2007 Canada Newswire Ltd. All Rights Reserved. |