Photo courtesy of Pictures of Money/flickr
For most fliers, airline fees are a necessary evil of traveling (although there is evidence there may actually be some good to extra charges). Still, it’s never fun seeing expenses being tacked on to your travel bill as you check bags and order snacks. We asked airline executives how they’re keeping customers happy in the age of airline fees, and it turns out carriers are not always in agreement, especially when it comes to bundling vs unbundling fares. Here’s what six airline execs had to say:
1. Bob Jordan, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Southwest Airlines: The key to keeping customers happy is treating them with respect and adding some fun into the mix. The difference between Southwest Airlines and other airlines is that we don’t hide fees. In fact, we philosophically disagree with the concept of charging fees for things that used to be considered a normal part of flying.
2. Juha Järvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Finnair: Customers increasingly want to tailor their own travel experience, and airlines must meet this demand by introducing ancillary services that allow personalization of the journey in a flexible way. It is all about customer’s own choice. You can choose between anything from no-frills flights without bags to high-quality, peace-of-mind Business Class.
3. Ben Baldanza, CEO of Spirit Airlines: We know what makes customers most happy are low fares, and at Spirit we give them exactly that. Everyone enjoys Wi-Fi, extra legroom, a soda and some of the other nicer amenities that some airlines offer, but few travelers wish to pay for those items with higher all-inclusive fares. We make those items available for an extra charge, but our customers only pay for what they want and aren’t forced to pay upfront for everything.
4. Avi Mannis, Senior Vice President of Marketing of Hawaiian Airlines: First, while we appreciate it’s not always viewed that way, we believe many fees for services have resulted in positive changes for our customers who may now customize and personalize their trips, pay only for the services they use, and generally keep travel costs lower. At Hawaiian Airlines, because what we do is largely leisure travel that our guests buy with their own hard-earned money, we’re singularly focused on giving them a premium experience that’s great value for money. That means things like complimentary meals for all of our guests, even a glass of wine with dinner; in-seat power; great music, video, and printed content found only on Hawaiian; and warm, friendly service.
5. Marnix Fruitema, Senior Vice President of Air France–KLM North America: As major airlines, Air France and KLM offer all inclusive service for a great value on our long haul flights – meaning customers don’t have to worry about extra fees being tacked on for baggage, meals, beverages or seat selection. All customers can enjoy our selection of beer, wine and Champagne, choose from a menu of warm meals, and enjoy our well-rounded in-flight service. On top of this all-inclusive value, we also give our customers options to enhance their experiences – such as with Air France Seat Plus and KLM’s more legroom and Preferred Seat selections for more comfort from 20 to 90 Euros, and now Air France has special a la carte meals available for enhanced meal experiences at a cost of 12 to 28 Euros.
6. Fiona Morrisson, Group Director of Customer Experience of LATAM Airlines: For LATAM Airlines Group, it is all about understanding and then balancing what customers need and value. We believe the key to this is to ensure that customers get a great experience in terms of comfort, choice and control all for the price of their ticket, but that they also have the opportunity to pay a little extra to adapt their experience to meet their specific needs, for example paying for extra legroom.
Jessica Festa is the founder on the solo and offbeat travel blog, Jessie on a Journey, and the online responsible tourism and culture magazine, Epicure & Culture. She’s constantly searching for local experiences beyond the guidebook. You can follow her travels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.