Monday, April 9, 2007

Chief Apology Officer

And so it comes to pass.

The issue OFD covered a dog's age ago in reporting terms - February 16th - resurfaced recently. In Jeff Bailey's New York Times piece Airlines learn to fly on a wing and an apology he writes: "Airlines are getting serious about saying they're sorry. After a spate of nightmarish service disruptions, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and others are sending out more apologies, hoping to head off customer complaints and quell talk of new consumer-protection regulations from Congress." He goes on to describe Southwest Airlines' senior manager of proactive customer communications as a sort of Chief Apology Officer.

This was just the medicine OFD dispensed a month earlier. It's certainly welcomed. It's fine time airlines woke up to the very human need people have for respectful relationships with the brands they buy. The fact that it makes sound business sense in an era of unprecedently poor standards in the airline industry explains the reason for its rapid development.
Posted by gugoda at 9:33 AM
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Before you send your 18 year old daughter or son to war, just remember that every one of those who say, "There is no greater honor than to die for your country," are alive, not having died for their country. The same usually goes for their 18 year old daughters and sons.

April 10, 2007 at 9:19 AM
Anonymous said...

Interesting, isn't it. At any given relationship marketing event in Asia, the airline industry (often namely Singapore Airlines) is hailed as the one industry that does their passengers right - and treats their customers like kings. When you (literally) put your life into a company's hands, you'd expect that they work hard to build a trusted relationship with you. And sometimes it's about apologising for even those things that you can't control.

April 10, 2007 at 1:48 PM

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