... it must be time for the air carriers and airports to hold a confab. Among all the ink given to the DOT’s decision to fine airlines for stranding passengers on airport ramps for more than three hours, there has been little discussion of the impact on airports.
Personally, as someone who hates sitting on airport ramps, I applaud the DOT decision. There are critics of the decision, most notably the Air Transport Association, which warns of “unintended consequences” such as more delays or cancellations. ATA rightly expresses a concern about flight and duty time issues. Yet, forcing passengers to be held captive in a fuselage is not only unreasonable, it’s bad customer service. And lest we forget, it is the customers who give the airlines their reason for being.
Which leads to the role of airports, which have in essence been taking on more and more of the responsibility of the customer service ‘experience’ for years. The American Association of Airport Executives and Fordham University have even teamed up to provide customer service training for airports nationwide – an idea whose time has come.
This will have an impact on airports, and it seems appropriate that airlines and airports get together in a forum to discuss how to better meet the needs of customers stuck at airports, and how the two groups can better coordinate these activities. DOT has forced the airlines’ hand and taken away the luxury of being in denial; airlines and airports now need to discuss how best to meet the needs of their customers.
Happy holidays … and thanks for reading. jfi
