Customer Experience in the Air

Over my career, I've spent a significant amount of time in the air. In fact, I've probably averaged 2-3 flights per week around the country and internationally over the last 10 years. That's a lot of frequent flier miles!!

In an age where competition is continually moving away from production and toward the customer experience, I find it interesting that the airlines industry has moved the other way. Largely, I have found that the large carriers have moved away from elements of the experience that differentiate and have moved to commoditize themselves.

There are, of course, a few exceptions. I'd call out Midwest Airlines, Southwest, JetBlue and Virgin Airlines as providing unique and differentiating customer experiences. In fact, recently, these airlines have consistently outperformed other airlines. Interestingly though, they find unique and different ways to differentiate. Southwest is bare bones, but consistent. Midwest gives you supreme service, first class seats, and my favorite...chocolate chip cookies.

See the Airlines Customer Satisfaction Scores Here

I find that the airline industry is an ideal industry for evaluating the customer experience and how companies can use the customer's experience to create a competitive advantage. The big airlines are prime for ClearBrick's Customer Experience Solution.