1. What is the most important thing we could do to consistently improve our customer service?
Anything that improves communication within the business. Especially communication with staff, suppliers, stakeholders and customers etc…. as a regular weekly customer, I am most affected by the Air NZ’s external communication especially the customer experience and I am most interested in anything delivers a better OTP.
Specifically; Timely, honest & informed PA’s, airport flight board that are reliable and kept updated (and not broken), gate information boards that are accurate and timely information updates to the app that get us all on-board efficiently. Understand we can all handle the truth even if its bad news.
2. Where does Air New Zealand waste money that could be better spent serving our customers?
I hope that Air NZ does not waste money on anything..... However, the reality is I am sure there are several areas your keen-eyed staff have spotted and I am sure you will make changes.
Here’s one idea for free – we all munched through 15.5 million Air NZ lollies last year. Maybe there is a way to make their wrappers both food safe and biodegradable?
3. What do you like most about the Air New Zealand culture that you want to preserve?
I like all of it – as a proud kiwi with over 40 years flying experience that still flies weekly all over the Air New Zealand network, I am also fortunate to have travelled on many other carriers and still think there is something special about the Air New Zealand way of doing things.
4. If you could change one thing about the culture, what would that be?
The challenge to your Mr Foran is to be bold and lead. However, you don’t have to be in a position of power to have influence over the culture of the company. My advice would be to make sure that every single Air New Zealander knows that they play a vital part in the culture of the company and empower them to do this with pride. Believe me when I say every-day we are all watching you all at work and a lot of us with envy!
5. What opportunities do you see for us to grow our revenue and profitability?
Short Term Win: There must be a bigger focus on OTP. We all understand that airlines can’t control weather and ATC but they all can better manage maintenance & crew problems, late passengers, aircraft cleaning, baggage loading, fueling, etc. Time is money, In my opinion, (safely) managing better OTP everyone wins!
Medium Term Strategy: Leverage partnerships and alliances to widen the network BUT make them efficient and easy to understand. The biggest frustration I have is that there are so many ‘different’ options and I need a PhD in aviation law to understand the rules and regulations that apply specifically to each alliance. This will get worse as the London route is dropped and we will have more than 20 different options to get to Europe each with their own pros and cons. Simplicity and alignment of things like interline agreements, codeshare and their respective frequent flyer programs are essential here.
Long Term Strategy: Continued investment in technology, investment in hard and soft products and maintaining a young fleet means lower operational costs, improved efficiency and improved profitability. I know it’s already been said but the new J class seats can’t come sooner!