Good airline service is a subjective matter — not only do we each have varying views on what defines excellent service, but there’s also a significant amount of variation within the industry. One individual flying with a specific airline might enjoy an exceptional experience, while another might encounter a poor one, depending on their interactions, the occurrence of irregular operations, and more.
When I share my positive feelings about an airline, there are often others who recount their unfavorable experiences with a carrier’s ground service, whether during delays, missed connections, or other issues.
It brings up an intriguing topic — typically, when I talk about airline service, my emphasis is on in-flight service. This isn’t due to a lack of importance in ground service, but because I feel that many airlines struggle when it comes to their ground operations.
I thought this would be a meaningful conversation to have — which airlines truly deliver consistently outstanding customer service on the ground?
What defines good airline service on the ground?
I believe the reason I often concentrate on the quality of in-flight service is that it’s the easiest to assess. You interact with a limited number of staff, and you can compare these interactions with similar ones from other airlines.
Assessing anything apart from in-flight service can be considerably more challenging. This is especially true considering that many individuals interact with ground airline employees during adverse situations, where circumstances may be outside of an airline’s control. Moreover, many ground agents are outsourced, which complicates matters further.
With this in consideration, I thought I’d share what I think are the essential elements for airlines to provide quality and seamless customer service on the ground, and it extends far beyond just having friendly employees. Here are some points that come to mind:
– An excellent airline website that enables customers to easily handle their travel arrangements without needing to call
– Truly friendly and knowledgeable staff who are focused on customer service, genuinely seeming eager to assist, and are authorized to do so
– Straightforward policies that don’t create unnecessary obstacles
– A seamless way to reach a representative by phone, without enduring endless hold times
– Employing genuine airline staff at outstations instead of largely relying on third parties who may lack knowledge or commitment to the passenger experience
Do any airlines stand out with their ground service?
The challenge is that many of our views on airline customer service on the ground are shaped by experiences during which issues arise. Ideally, the best scenario is to have minimal awareness of a carrier’s ground service, as you can manage everything independently without human interaction.
Nowadays, it’s possible to board a flight without coming in contact with a single person, from booking your ticket online to using online check-in and boarding through biometric gates.
To generalize a bit, here’s how I perceive the ground services offered by airlines in some major aviation markets worldwide:
– US airlines generally maintain quite good websites and technology that enables self-service for many tasks, although some gate agents can be downright rude, unfriendly, and even aggressive, directing passengers like they are livestock; you would never encounter such treatment in Japan, Singapore, or South Korea
– While Gulf airlines are well-regarded for their in-flight service, I regularly receive feedback from readers about ground staff who lack knowledge and authority in situations where problems occur
– A number of North Asian and Southeast Asian carriers provide the friendliest customer service, but staff members often lack empowerment, technology is not up to par, and policies frequently lead to frustrating red tape (like needing to sign up for an EVA Air frequent flyer account online, then having to email or fax a form for permission to manage your account online)
– Then we have European airlines, which vary widely; I’ve encountered plenty of condescending employees from British Airways and Lufthansa during my dealings
As I reflect on the airlines with which I’ve consistently had the best ground-based customer service experiences, not many stand out.
I suppose I’ve actually had quite positive experiences with Virgin Atlantic — I’ve found their ground team to be amiable, they usually answer calls promptly, and their policies aren’t unnecessarily complicated. However, the primary reason I have to make those phone calls is that too many functions can’t be completed online (like booking or canceling various partner award tickets).
Among U.S. airlines, Delta certainly offers better service compared to American and United. But I’ve also had a Sky Club agent attempt to deny me entry to the club, claiming that Kenya Airways isn’t part of SkyTeam. And let’s not forget all the phone calls I’ve had with Delta over the years, during which agents appeared confused about