Cathay Pacific: Service Straight From the Heart
Introduction
Industries pertaining to customer services exerted a lot of effort on how to surpass each individual’s expectations. They are committed to meet the needs of every individual that are interested with the service that they offer. Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. is one of the largest airline and flag carriers based in Hong Kong and have been committed within this type of industry in the past decades. They manage to continue providing good quality of services to their customers even at this period. The airline was named two timed best airways by the in year 2003 and 2005.
All about the Airlines
It was September 24, 1946 when Cathay Pacific Airways was founded by two men who were both ex-air force pilots. , an American and , an Australian put up HK to register the airline. From Shanghai where in they are originally based they move d to Hong Kong and started managing the airline. The named Cathay Pacific originated from the word Khitan which is the medieval name given to China. They incorporated the word Pacific because they both have this speculation that one day they will cross the Pacific Ocean with their airline. The airlines’ initially route was in Hong Kong, Manila, Sydney, Singapore, Shanghai and Canton while schedule services were limited to Bangkok, Manila and Singapore only.
July 1, 1948, part of the company’s share was bought by Butterfield and Swire, making them acquire 45% of the airways. Later in October of the same year, the company was registered as Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and until now, it was still partly owned by the Swire Group through Swire Pacific Ltd as its parent company.
Everything becomes favorable within the airlines. It was in the 60’s when the airline continue to prosper after buying the rival Hong Kong Airways in 1959. The flights are also expanded in the following years; international flights to Japan started having acquiring the Convair 880, the first jet engine. Flight stimulators and computerized reservation system were started to be implemented in the 70’s as well as the application of traffic rights to begin flights to London. There was an industry boom during the 90’s and it encourage them more for further expansions as they took route in many European and North American countries. The Cathay Pacific Airways therefore went public.
During the early 90’s, Cathay Pacific and its parent company Swire Pacific, gain another shareholding within Dragonair and cargo airline Air Hong Kong. In 1997, the company’s registration was changed from “VR” to prefix “B” after the transferring of administration of Hong Kong from United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China. The Registration beginning with “VR” was imposed under the terms and agreement within the Sino- British Joint Liason Group (JLG) during the English administration. However, the Prefix “B” was used by Taiwan (Republic of China) and People’s Republic of China.
Goals and Duties
The Cathay Pacific Airways have been around in the industry for quite a long time and still they are considered one of the best airlines worldwide. It was barely undeniable that within those years, they have successfully met the needs of their customers. Their aim is to become the most admire airline in the world and obviously they were just an inch away in pursuing this goal. In 2003 and 2005, , a United Kingdom based consultancy named Cathay Pacific “Airline of the Year”. They are also one out of the six airlines worldwide that carry a five star rating from the consulting agency.
The airline believes that services should be provided straight from the heart. Every time, they always seek for further improvements that will definitely enhance their customer service. Their business should focus on retaining their existent customer while at the same time targeting the non customers. They must always comply with every single needs of the customer because that’s what the nature of the job in the first place. And to meet all the requirements, they should first distinguish each customers demand.
Since last year, the airline have been adopting some new seat designs, cabin interiors and in flight entertainment. They aim to provide comfort among their customers that’s why they are having further enhancement regarding to their facilities. As of last month, new seats designs were installed. These seats were design to suit comfort while traveling. Cabin interiors should also provide comfort to the passengers as well as other facilities including washrooms and toilets. Flight entertainments are also essential to passengers especially if there are engage in a long hour trip. This will somehow lessen their boredom on the tour. It is also part of their service to provide foods and beverages to the passengers. The food they serve is provided by Cathay Pacific Catering Services in Hong Kong.
The customers demand not only for luxurious facilities of each airline but as well as hospitality among its crew and attendants. The primary duty of the attendants is to ensure safety among the passengers. They are all highly trained on responding a wide variety of emergencies that they might encounter during the flight. They check the needs of each passenger and assist them in everything that they do. They also provide the demonstration of the safety features of the plane. They check cabin every 20-30 minutes to guarantee that everything is still in normal condition. All these and more are the responsibilities of a flight attendant and the airlines always make sure that their crews and attendants are capable of doing such responsibilities.
Any travelers find consolation on acquiring the most comfortable means of traveling. The purpose of airlines is to avail transportation among individuals in the easiest and fastest way. With their wide destination ranges, Cathay Pacific Airways also enhance their system by adapting new technology that will improve their flight services. In 2005, they have collaborated with Juniper Networks, an information technology company that upgrades their network and transition to improve customer experience. Moreover, the airline should transfer their passengers from one place to another safely. It is their responsibility to ensure safety among their customers during each flight, although, in some instances, accidents were unavoidable.
Rendering Satisfaction
The level of customers satisfaction may vary upon the behavior of the customer and the type of need that should be satisfy. Satisfaction is merely more of a reaction to an immediate use situation or series of situation. It is also the satisfaction that increases the loyalty of the customers to the industry that have been provided their needs. In the case of Cathay Pacific Airways, the most relevant form of theory of customers’ satisfaction is the Expectancy-Disconfirmation Model.
This is often used to assess customers’ satisfaction on hospitality and tourism services just like airlines. Base on this model, the customers form beliefs about the service rendered based upon prior experience with the service provider. Satisfaction outcomes are a function of perceived performance and perceive disconfirmation. Disconfirmation may depend upon the perceived performance or the standard of comparison. On the other hand, the standard of comparison can be the expectations, ideas, other competitors, marketers’ promises and industry norms. If ever that the perceive performance becomes worse than the standard comparison, this will result to a negative disconfirmation. This negative disconfirmation may become a largest threat to the customers’ loyalty therefore the management should recognize these things to create immediate action regarding it.
As an in flight research provider, conducts research on commercial airlines and use it as a basis to find out the best airline that can provide all the needs of the passengers. Part of their research is to conduct surveys and forums so that potential passengers may have the idea of what airline is adequate for their need. Upon knowing others opinion about these airlines, each potential passengers might gain such expectations and from there, this expectation should at least be met by the airlines in order to have a positive appeal to their customers. They should comply with the passengers demand to have them satisfied.
The forum within the website is also essential to the owners of the airlines companies. From there, you will notice that not all reactions from previous passengers are positive. It also appears that some passengers weren’t satisfied enough with the services of the airlines. The tendency, they may lost their loyalty and consider other airlines services. This can be overcome, if the officers in charge within the airlines companies are open to view suggestions from their passengers and accept the negative disconfirmations to further view some actions which may tolerate it in the future. Listen to the customers complaints. They are a good source of information anyway.
According to the model, there should be a relationship between the business and the client. It also encounters three stages: exploration stage, expansion stage and the commitment stage. On the first stage, this is where the company develops opinion of the preferences of the customer from their previous experience. Both will enhance the possibility to gain a relationship in their initial encounter. On the second stage, the focus is shifted from the customer to the company. The company should be committed to the customer and the relationship. This is needed to expand the connection between them. And lastly at the third stage, after upon the progression of the relationship between them, the commitment stage indicates the rewards of the present relationship. A good quality of relationship denotes high levels of satisfaction for both the customer and the company; also a low levels of complaints and of course, the clients’ loyalty. Hence, a poor quality denotes dissolution of the relationship.
Conclusion
Within the 62 years of Cathay Pacific Airways in the airline industry. They have encountered a lot of difficulties along their way huge competitors, passengers’ complaints, accidents, employees strike, economic crisis and others. They have surpassed all these things and therefore, it seems that they are really committed with their responsibility as an airline company. With there goal of providing service straight from the heart, it is no doubt that Cathay Pacific is considered one of the best airlines world wide.
However, even if they have already built a strong foundation within the industry, it is still not enough to ignore some complaints of the customers to their services. They must consider that these complaints are like blades although small, still can cut and wound. Obstructions like that are necessary for industry like them that offers services to their customers. From that they would learn the things that need improvements or changes. As discuss earlier in the Expectancy-Disconfirmation Model, it is better to commit a relationship among their customers because opinions from them is a good source of information. With this information, they may arrive with distinct strategies that will soon result to the progression of the company.
Enjoyment, pleasure and comfort… all these words exhibits satisfaction and it is gain if an activity or duty is performed and executed well. Although there are different levels of satisfactions among their customers, Cathay Pacific Airways should always consider what would be the best for most of their passengers. They must maintain the quality and standard of their service as well as to maintain the objective of a flag carrier and that is to avail transportation, transfer goods and people safety in their preferred destinations. In 62 years of existence, they have acknowledged the peoples’ trust and loyalty already. They have all gain the respect of other competitors in the business. All they need to do now is to keep those good things going and they will always be on the right track of the airline industry. The Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. is somehow part of the history of the airline industry.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment