Desirable Airline Service

 

What makes an all round reliable airline that reassures?

Customer service with a balanced empathy and focus.

Engineering standards that are monitored and maintained.

Smooth transitions enabled at connecting airports.

User friendly bookings with resolution of any matters arising.

Boarding and disembarkation spring in the step.

Airline staff who are well trained and valued by the employer.

Seemingly little extras on flight like free wifi, that dessert and responsiveness to the uniqueness of each passenger.

Airline Board and top management who value human beings as vital to the business - and not just sheer profits.

Airlines that strive to provide the leading edge without haughtiness.

Airlines who emphasise on the holistic experience and not blame others on outsourced parts of the business.

#imagekev

How Do You Treat Airline Crew?

It is shocking to know that first line staff in Australia attending to emergencies are often abused, physically attacked and risk their lives trying to help.

The lack of personal morals and being under the influence of deranging drugs and Ice may be the reasons behind such behaviour, but it just does not make sense. Police personnel, medics and rescue specialists bear the brunt of anger from ungrateful individuals.

What has been under reported is also the personal risks faced by cabin crew staff working on the thousands of air flights hovering above our skies at any one minute. The age of elegance and privilege flying in the air has long finished with the advent of budget airlines, maximisation of paid passenger capacity and the boom in tourism.

It used to be the highest opportunity in the service industry to be a uniformed steward or stewardess working to comfort airline passengers. There was a high expectation of standards from both passengers and airline crew in their interaction. Although air crew members are mostly still spick and span in their wardrobe and work behaviour, passenger quality can deteriorate in several respects.

Air passengers tend to dress down these days in a more casual world. Don't even think of customers on cruise ships and train services. At the same time, rhe service expectations of many passengers have increased. Do we blame the airline companies for such developments? In an increasingly crowded field, there is pressure on airlines to differentiate on several fronts - and cabin crew service is a significant one.

Passengers see the crew, literally, as the persona of the airline. They dish out the food and alcohol, resolve issues arising when individual passengers need to store too many hand luggage items and have to play supporter and referee when there are disputes between passengers. Some passengers demand that cabin crew are house help, waiters, girl friends, boy friends, nannies, tech specialists, comforters, conversation buddies, nurses, barmen, butlers and restaurant staff - all at once.

Confronting incidents as being spilled by drinks and food can lead to things bigger than they are. And not just by serving staff. Many have come across episodes of air crew being thrown things, verbally abused by drunken passengers and being accused of rudeness. The aim of a flight is to get from Point A to Point B, you may think - but it is no more, as the hype builds up with too many cabin crew members and passengers trying to cope with the negative effects of flying across too many time zones, being cooped up in essentially tight spaces and having to fly too often.

Most Busy Air Flight Sectors

The most busy air routes in 2017 have been identified.

One may reckon it can be the route from Beijing to Shanghai , or that from LA to Frisco, as holding the top honours. No, they are only ranked No 10 busy and No. 7 busy, respectively.

What attracts passengers to frequent specific air routes? Is it the lack of alternative and viable options? Air travel can be fraught with possible disadvantages like long wait times, pushy airport officers and personal security risks. Some routes can be short enough to travel by road faster and with more passenger independence when air flights are delayed. Other routes fly over ocean and so have air travel as most optimal in time spent, changes in mode of transport and transfers.

The top ten busy air routes last year were non stop flights. Half of them were between Asian cities, with only one each for Africa, North America and South America. They also reflect busy traffic in commerce, populations with purchasing power and societies with a higher level of infrastructure. Half of the top ten busy routes involve capital cities.

The Cape Town to Johannesburg flight route was ranked at no.9, with 31914 flights last year. The most number of flights in Japan was from Fukuoka to Tokyo Haneda, at no.4 chalking up 42835 flights. In Australia, the sector from Melbourne to Sydney ranked at no.2 with 54519 flights. The air flight from Brisbane to Sydney ranked at no.8 - it can be a hassle to drive or train up taking over ten hours one way.

In Brazil, flights from Rio de Janerio to Sao Paulo Congonhas had 39325 flights at ranking no.5.

The increase in the number of airline providers has also upped the number of flights, especially from subsidiary and budget players. Lowering of ticket prices, the economies of scale in getting more passengers and the increasing links between airlines and cruise businesses add to growth. Decreased customer service, aircraft pick up delays and crowding in cabins have not deterred many passengers in many instances.

Train services that charge more than airlines and take longer to complete journeys have not helped their own interests. Exceptions are high speed trains that are efficiently run in nations such as France, Japan, China and Germany. Why take a flight when a HSR can deliver you or your goods as quickly as the air travel time itself?

So what was the busiest air flight corridor in 2017? Having 64991 flights, it was from the holiday isle of Jeju to Seoul in South Korea.

#yongkevnews

People, Planning and Performance

So the cabin crew lady forgets, or omits, to bring you the juice you have asked for two times, even with your fellow passengers being aware of this.  This is on Silk Air between Penang and Singapore on the scheduled 1215pm flight on 28 February 2015.  Aw, is this only a minor thing?

However, on a later connecting flight, its parent airline, Singapore, consistently provides quality customer engagement, whether for business class or economy class passengers, on the flight sector between Singapore and Sydney.  The cabin crew members on the upper deck of the Airbus 380 exude greater training, better personality, show initiative and reach out beyond their mere job role on this overnight flight of SQ221, arriving at Sydney Airport around 735am on Sunday 1 March 2015.  The on-board in-flight entertainment facility was out of action for a while mid-flight, but I reckon no one passenger was bothered much.  This is because the overall flying experience with SQ on this flight was good, primarily because its attending staff knew how to respond in micro situations as well when interacting with passengers. And technically Singapore has always been ahead of its competitors in technology - on that flight we could send text messages from our smart phones and for a fee, have access to the internet.  Most important of all, the pilots handled the rather disturbing turbulences pretty well for short periods over certain portions of sea and land.

What makes the difference, in the level and nuance of service between two airlines, echoes the varying levels of focused business management, not only at the operational level, but also reflects the implementation of effective strategic values transformed to staff behaviour.    Every one would have experienced the ineptitude of airline staff who seriously believe they are more important than passengers, mainly because of the me me me emphasis when they grew up and in how they are trained for their job.  I have seen Silk Air ground crew at Penang Airport asking couples with infants to line up with the rest of the queue - hello?  At the same time, they did not know how to optimally handle those irritating passenger types who on arrival at the gate lounge, walk up to the counter demanding they get to board first, when the aircraft is not even ready and has to be cleaned.

Ground staff representing airlines are the first point of impression for their customers, as these are the very first people customers see and interact with, whether upon checking in or when waiting to board. I witnessed such a ground staff member shouting to passengers because a boarding area in  Sydney International Airport does not provide simple microphone facilities for the boarding gate for an Airbus 380 flight. Whether such  staff individuals are from an outsourced contract arrangement or full employees for the airline is not relevant.  Airline management must negotiate better with the management of whatever airport in the world to understand better what a passenger goes through in utilising services for which they have prepaid.

Why does Changi Airport in Singapore open the gates to A5 in Terminal Three so late these days?  Is it cost saving or for a more rational reason? When passenger numbers build up for the hand luggage security check, the risk of stress, over crowding and rushing late passengers increases dramatically.

A flight from Penang to Singapore is officially and technically by all counts a trip between two separate countries.  I cannot for several years and even now fathom why the Silk Air ground crew checking in passengers at Penang Airport cannot open their counters at the very latest two hours before flight time.  Are they subconsciously treating such flights as more of within domestic counter opening times?

I am thankful for safety and security aspects promoted and practised on airline travel. However, personal, corporate and community attitudes can vary in making the passenger experience a rather varied spectrum.  For example, when one is used to punctuality, it can be unnerving to watch laid back attitudes cause issues which logically impact negatively on the passenger experience.  Passenger numbers have escalated, revenues have risen and yet service is getting patchy in the new age of airline travel, whether with budget airlines or not.  Reasons for delays in and hiccups to commercial airline travel due to weather risks are most acceptable; those relating to human service gaps, bureaucracy and lack of professional behaviour are not.  You may only want to fly with one specific airline, but practical code-sharing these days can really mean you actually fly with other airlines on certain sectors of your ticket, even if you want to avoid such a specific other airline.

Positive attributes for example are shown in carefully selecting the path on how an aircraft takes off or lands.  Subject to the permission of the related local airport authorities, it is appreciated when the pilot of your commercial aircraft flies over close to a rather uninhabited isle that you have always wondered about and now get to view. Thai Airways allow you to view the camera panorama from the pilot's cockpit.  Some considerate pilots mention on the PA system when the plane is flying over significant landmarks. Fun aircraft pre-takeoff videos for passengers are a welcome feature of Air New Zealand flights.  Helpful ground crew provided for arriving transit passengers from long haul flights are a privileged experience, not a standard any more.  A smiling steward who speaks clear English even if it is not his mother tongue on Emirates is not to be taken for granted. The varied backgrounds of Cathay Pacific crew resonates well with their multi demographic passenger profile.

Helpful security check officers are desired instead of those treating passengers in a condescending manner.  I have heard accounts by passengers, at Sydney International Airport, who have had their hand luggage taken by other unauthorised passengers or go missing, whilst such items are supposedly under security scrutiny on the first entry security check machines and conveyor belt.  What is more critical is how such passengers were treated when they realised that their hand luggage had gone missing. I have not heard such negative accounts from people who go on domestic flights within Australia.

Go figure.

Something In the Air

More people take to the skies as aircraft travel becomes more accessible, more vulnerable to timely internet pricing and with more variations in the quality and approach to service than ever before. Just ponder about the following scenarios and reflect on whether you have experienced them before, especially in the past five years. 1. Cabin crew are not well trained to communicate with passengers or if they do, seem to be not professional in the way they swagger around the aisles between seated passengers. 2. You are asked to take up some dish you rather not want in a full service airline, as cabin crew advises of the lack of availability after they serve you rather late for some reason. 3. Duty free shopping seems to be fast tracked shortly after take off, instead of being made available after the first meal and before the second meal on a long haul flight. 4. Passengers are not offered immigration arrival cards on a timely basis, especially for destination countries that require such cards of all arriving passengers, apart from those in transit. 5. Checking in lounges do not display clearly the destination cities of flights to be boarded. 6. Check in counters can change on an arbitrary basis even in front of long queues of passengers. 7. Some economy class conditions of specific airlines still look and feel the same as thirty years ago. 8. A few airlines expect much from their ground crew and cabin crew and this shows in their ability to attract loyal passengers even if their prices are higher than competitor airlines. 9. The seats of a budget airline can be much cleaner than that of some full fledged airlines. 10. Airlines offering self check in and printing of boarding passes for passengers can vary in getting customers line up more than once. 11. Some airlines do make very interesting safety information videos for their passengers before take off, whilst others still revert to demos by attending cabin crew. 12. An airline offers food not packed in their own country, even if it boasts of being a national icon. 13. Aircraft washrooms seem to slide in cleanliness the later a flight progresses, but I know of one airline that requires its cabin crew to refresh and clean up such places on a regular basis during a long haul flight - whilst their competitors do not. 14. There are individuals who do good work for their employer airlines, only to see such good will destroyed by some of their less well trained colleagues. 15. Offering gourmet food on business class may not be sufficient to justify the significantly extra charges. 16. Some airlines just want turnover of passengers whilst a few others offer unique positive experiences. 17. It is much appreciated to have early check in facilities from certain airlines at specific major airports around the world. 18. A sense of humour on both part of passengers and cabin crew do go a long way to result in a more pleasant flight. 19. Full fledged airlines are still intent on focusing on food but can change innovatively for the future. 20. Responsiveness by airline staff for late checking passengers can make a huge difference in how customers perceive an airline. Whether you take Qantas, Emirates, Air Asia, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Etihad, Cathay Pacific, Malaysian Airlines, Scoot , United, Thai Airways or British Airways, do try to match your experience with the numbered scenarios listed above.

Memories Are Made of These, Too

As another new year rolls in, and yet another decade changes, what do I recall best with a smile and fondness? Here is just but a sampling.

I am reminded with a glow in my heart of things Austrian - from table settings under a glass house

patio through a variety of pork selections to German inspired beer - at Kaiser Stub'n, tucked away in a forest setting at Terry Hills, NSW. The fact that one can request - and obtain- chili condiments to accompany your duck confit or fish in an Euro setting cannot be taken for granted.

Volunteerism is alive and kicking in Australia, as a practice, a mindset and a powerful driver to get things done and faster, when the normal course would be too late and too little. This essentially nationally pervasive spirit, thoroughly exemplified and utilised at the Sydney Olympics, thrives on in little heralded corners and causes. Above, Ryan and Gary, who otherwise are based at their fire fighting stations in Nowra and the Campbelltown regions of New South Wales, take time out to raise funds for sick kids.

Succulents, in all shapes, structures and texture, are so reliable and pretty. They also suit most Australian climate zones, thrive when they are forgotten and provide variety and alternatives to other high maintenance requirements of other styles of gardens. The Asians perceive that they exude good vibes, the indigenous Australians acknowledge such flora as an essential part of their heritage and some succulents have medicinal or healing properties. Above, the lotus flower shaped bunches above were photographed in August 2010 at the residence of Mr and Mrs Yeap Kim Leong in Wartirna, Victoria.

I am told that women like their men to be like coffee - strong, hot and reliable. The logistics, patronage and business of coffee culture has surely taken the Australian lifestyle to new heights over the past ten years. One cannot avoid the aroma and atmosphere of cafes, mobile vans and /or coffee stalls in the course of a day's experience. Whether you step out of Flinders or Wynyard rail stations, whether you are a tea drinker or refrain from such beverages, whether you are tucked away by the beach or in the highlands on this continental island, you would have noticed the significant marketing drive and transformation of this product delivery. Above, an appreciated special touch of designed foam top from Rush in the UOW Wollongong Campus - thank you, Tulin, Olivia, Kylie, David, Nathan, John, Jeff and Chad for the coffee rush.

Home is where the heart is, and for what we work for and nurture our dreams, plans and realities.

Home is where we replenish, retreat to or simply be ourselves. Home can be a reconnected meeting of minds and inner selves, a place where longing is fulfilled and where we grow and harvest. Home is where we reaffirm, encourage or get encouraged and know where we stand no matter what. The home is an expression of love and a willingness to let love overcome. Above, the grass does grow green in Balgownie, NSW.

Retail therapy, window shopping or clearing the list- whatever one calls it, one does spend money, time and effort to trawl through the variety of attractions and diversions crying out for attention. The best experiences, to me, are when I come across items that I do want, but have forgotten (or suppressed its requirement). I also enjoy navigating through innovative displays and well designed customer aisles that makes one immerse in a total branding experience. Above Image -taken at a Gant store.

Walking on capital city pavements does bring a motivating rush to me - it all began because it sets the setting for a corporate day, an enjoyable function and a time away from quiet suburbia. The noise, the smells, the sights and impressions of the city landscape can drive Big Smoke frequenters to faraway shores and remote corners - but they do bring them back. A day out in the city centre is incomplete without having a meal, letting our hair out during a concert or gig, rushing through a mall or experiencing a unique man-made sensation. The city also offers insights into how capitalism works, how certain folks make good money, how the masses trudge in and out of transport terminals and what the media fuss is all about. A city centre can have a dark underbelly - or silver linings -that echo the whole spectrum of the human condition. Image above: Scene from Sydney CBD on a week day morning.

Rise and shine, especially on Australian spring and summer days, can be real early, with a strong blast from the sun and lead to many things done before the diversions, scheduling and routine of the day set in. I love to feed the goldfish and then drink my first glass of just water to commence a new beginning. I relish to be able to go the nearby beach to soak in the colours and salt of the ocean. If time permits, nothing is as mind-refreshing as watering the plants when dew and greenness of the leaves are most receptive. The wake-up aroma of bread toast, spreads and fresh fruit then enhance my already opened up senses - and yes, don't forget the weet-bix. Image above - sunrise in Wollongong, NSW.

Suddenly, as you embark on to the aircraft, you enter another world, easily letting go of the cares of the world. Being propelled into the stratosphere, matters of Earth look better in perspective. It is easier for me to let go of what were a minute ago real concerns, but now things that can take care of themselves. Knowing that the next several hours would be confined to a certain space - out of our own choice - makes us do the things that we have been putting off - we finish that book, we enjoy the available drinks and allow ourselves to dream. Image above - taken aboard a Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 on Oct 20,2010.

Sports, a national passion in Australia, mostly as spectators and supporters, but also doing it, at whatever levels that permit across the Great Brown Land. You think about, you talk about it, you live it. Melbournians are divided into social tribes - as AFL team supporters. Every turn of the arm or bat is analysed in summer cricket. There is nothing like Grand Final Day, with pre-game gatherings and the ever present supply of drink. Sporting heroes who overcome the odds - like diver Matthew Mitchum or runner Cathy Freeman - can be iconic inspirers to those who watch from communities, villages and capital cities. You can be a fan of at least two types of football but maybe not more. Rain or cold, agile AFL players dart about effectively on many playing fields from Perth to Melbourne, whilst you need more body bulk to front up against your NRL opponents. Image above - English fans at Glastonbury react as Germany trashes England watching on tv the 2010 World Cup from South Africa (Image credit - Boston.com).

On The Wing of a Bird, or Tail of a Roo

On flight SQ221, I noticed a  child who is unusually tall for her age and demeanour.  She reminded one of  a budding Singapore Girl, the iconic enduring symbol for what Singapore Airlines has stood for in all these past forty or so years. I then wondered about where the original Singapore Girls- like those from the eighties and even before the new Millennium - have landed up today. Every new SQ flight seems to have an endless supply of the slim and cheek-boned female crew that the airline projects - and delivers. How are the incumbent Singapore Girls managing their career - and more importantly,  life?

Whilst Qantas continues its ever apparent consistent  recent pattern of delivering the occasional aircraft performance incident, and budget airlines in South-east Asia persist with late arrivals of aircraft and the inevitable flying delays, Singapore Airlines offers  no more irritation than provide the incorrect economy class menu on board and/or misplace checked -in bags at certain busy transfers. This may have been echoed in their current retiring CEO's remark on CNBC that despite economic downturns and volatility, there are still market segments who choose to and can pay more for their experience with SIA.

Sydney International Airport terminals have finally refurbished their retail outlets in an obvious move to catch up with the major airports up north like Seoul, Chep Lap Kok and Changi. Creating a pleasant shopping mall is one thing - charging sky high vehicle parking fees and not streamlining passenger arrivals with the Australian customs checking imperatives are natters that need to be seriously resolved..  Sydney offers ridiculous ten or fifteen minute complimentary parking arrangements for vehicles picking up arriving passengers, knowing that these are never practical. The insincerity of such management directives will surely lead to how airlines and passengers vote with their choice of flights. Holding customers in monopolistic captivity is never a viable free market strategy.  Again, one reflects on the sudden strikes around Christmas, Easter and when the air travel  customer is most vulnerable. And Sydney is the primary base for Qantas.

Whilst both Singapore Air and Qantas do in their own way to keep their operating margins and travel reputation, each airline takes a different approach. One can overwhelm with attention and care for details, whilst the other can underwhelm with chosen attitude and minimalism. One shows hunger coming from an island with little natural resources, and the other also comes from an island, but one  with so much natural wealth. Both are continuing pioneers in their selected business - one sits at the trade and travel cross hubs of the world, and another  seems to be sitting on the corner of the Earth.  Most of the original Singapore Girls no longer fly the globe as cabin crew, whilst one can bet that you can still spot the odd  veteran Qantas stewardess from a few decades ago. One airline represents the Lucky Country, whilst the other comes from a nation that was not even supposed to actually survive on the cusp of its political independence.  Both serve ice cream and fruits on board.  One has more choice of wines to reflect its desired cosmopolitan image, whilst another strongly supports its home grown vino culture. Both have invested in new aircraft for the future - but what about relative confidence in the hearts of its paying clients?

The Airline Test

Here are some observations on my personal experience with three different airlines in July 2009.

At Qantas, they do not seem to stock copies of magazines aboard the aircraft, whether for domestic or international flights. This is a far cry from travel expectations on long haul flights or those above three hours in duration. Perhaps the current global financial crisis has dictated cuts in such basic services.
I did love the user-friendly navigation logic of Q on-board entertainment, better than that of Singapore Air (SIA). Your personal remote control for movies, audio and the like also rests in a more ergonomic way than that for either Malaysian Airlines (MAS) or SIA.

The stiff upper lip is still well alive and kicking in some Qantas cabin crew members - some individual staff members have perfected the art of saying goodbye or thank you to disembarking passengers by looking at the ceiling and not at the customers. However, the demographics of the Flying Kangaroo staff in the air are beginning to reflect the crowds on a Melbourne or Sydney CBD street. Although MAS crew are beginning to perhaps level the playing field by also smiling at non-Caucasian passengers, the best vibes of welcome for every customer are still sent by the beaming smiles of SIA cabin crew. The reality of joint code sharing between two or three airlines on a single consolidated flight may be the best thing to infuse the best of a service culture amongst airlines in alliance.

Qantas does not even print a menu booklet for some passenger sectors on domestic flights. On the other hand, the airline is conscientious to supply gluten-free, dairy free and organic stuff once you have made requests ahead of the flights.

The state of Qantas toilets made me think I was in some crowded city suburb. They no longer meet the standards met only ten years ago - wet, unkempt and perhaps not cleaned on a regular basis for flights of more than three hours.

I applied a simple test on the flights I took on the three airlines recently. This was me asking simply for a pack of playing cards. On the flight from Sydney to Perth, the Qantas crew member said they do not supply such things on domestic flights. From Perth to Singapore, they did not have stocks aboard. The MAS crew were so busy trying to serve rolls and drinks even on a 45 minute haul between the nearby cities of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. When I made the same request on the flight from Penang to Singapore, the lady instinctively gave me three packs instead, surpassing my expectations. And yes, I can confirm that SIA staff members politely look at you when talking to you - they take it to heart that they are in a service industry and business.

Cracks on the Business Wall

What makes a reputable business fall on its feet? Perhaps not having the courage and culture to continually change. Maybe in having a narrow vision of near term returns to the detriment of missing out on having both stakeholder financial and customer satisfaction viability in the long run. It is also possible that staff, especially those dealing with clients, are not well trained.

On a recent flight on Qantas from Sydney to Brisbane last Sunday night, the food provided to economy class passengers was dismal - exactly four chips, an avocado-based dip and a token biscuit. This is not a budget airline, nor do passengers are expected to tighten their belts. It was apparently a classic case of the business only considering its short-sighted perspectives. No orange juice was available when requested, and the shared video system had also seemingly broken down by nightfall, after it was assured to us that it had been working all right all day long. Not good enough. We do not want expensive adverts to excite us as customers, but only a reliable quality of service and attention to detail when we actually use Qantas services.

Earlier, I was rather shocked when the driver of a commercial home to airport transport service asked me which terminal I was going to take my flight - and also called me by an incorrect name. Leisure Coast has the records, and for most of the time, its drivers are courteous, alert and sociable when dealing with passengers, especially repeat passengers. This was not expected.

Rydges South Bank in Brisbane, on the other hand, had a most innovative idea in reducing the need to queue in front of the reception counter, by the introduction of an option by customers to check in via the internet before they actually arrive. If a such a guest arrives late in the night, or after a long journey, he or she can have his key card ready to be picked up immediately at the counter, and then head straight to some well deserved rest. Some big city airports can consider a variation of this idea.

Conventions can be big business and profitable. A professional body keeps on reminding its conference delegates to write and provide detailed feedback - and this year was no different. The amazing thing was that the delegates do not receive feedback from the organisers. In choosing the Brisbane Convention Centre, the organisers did get a viable food caterer, which offered very tasty lamb stews and chicken curry to feed the diverse lunchtime crowd of at least 600 individual attendees. Why the organisers still fail to attract more participation to the official dinner was not resolved satisfactorily - and this time does not have to do with the food at all.

The VItal Link

Singapore Airlines is my personal favourite and one of those unique corporates which has worked magic in delivering both world class customer service and financial outcomes to its shareholders.

Last night, I had the opportunity to once again experience its service as a passenger, on both a short haul and longer haul flight sector. In all these past years, its ground crew at departure lounges had always impressed me as being top notch in ensuring an orderly entry of passengers to its aircraft, whether for full capacity of travelling passengers, to ensure compliance with requirements of foreign airports or under extreme customer handling pressure during festive and holiday periods. So it was interesting to observe the handling of two full flights on entry to the 915pm Penang to Singapore flight on 23 February and the 1230am Singapore to Sydney flight on 24 February.

Before the longer flight, the microphone facilities at Boarding Gate B5 in Changi Airport's impressive and recently opened Terminal 3 had broken down. The sole staff member attending to a full capacity passenger group (although this was not the Airbus A380 waiting for us) was obviously stressed out at having to shout out the necessary order - first class/business class/club members having priority, followed by specified seating rows. He was mumbling his dismay whilst walking around the waiting passengers - it was clear he needed a back-up microphone or at least another staff member to help him out manage the situation. At Penang International Airport, microphone facilities were working but four winding queue rows had formed, out of which the non-business or non-club member passengers again suffered some disorientation as to which passenger row was allowed to line up first.

Call it the weekend rush to Australia, but the overnight flight was so packed with customers that SIA cabin crew had to double up efforts to cater patiently to each passenger, whether for the expected drinks, meals served on board or for specific other off the cuff requests. Some past menu items are gone, like the Streets ice cream replaced by Ferroro Rocher chocolate balls, which may not be a bad thing. What has not disappeared, thankfully, is the dedication and care shown by on-board SIA cabin crew in dealing with individual passengers. This applies in the liberal dispensation of drinks, the ensuring of continuously clean washrooms, the offering of choices of served meals and the conduct of the duty free sales - in whatever class you choose to sit. More important is how each on-board staff member spoke to passengers. The quality of effective training and attitude of every cabin crew member showed through, whether with a strong tail wind pushing towards Sydney or through turbulent flight paths. These are all signs of the company's focus on the customer, instead of just on shareholder price, top management rewards and national pride. I do hope that SIA ensures that the vital link - operational staff motivation - is also thoroughly supported.

At Terminal 3 in Changi, one must visit the Ferrarri and FIFA clothing and accessory outlets - to me, they stand out in presentation and unusual choice of retail fare amongst a very competitive and varied selection of shopping offered at the literal mall in an airport. Hong Kong's Chep Lap Kok International is a strong rival offered by Cathay Pacific, but I think Singapore Airlines can be serious about kaizen, the art of continuous improvement.