wayoutwest

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/air-nzs...team-bd-130969

DCF

Many of us on this forum will share my sadness at the maginalisation of Bruce Parton.

I don't like Seats To Suit, and I think it's results are actually attributable to sidelining Virgin as a competitor.

But he was unfailingly polite and open to discussion and dialogue throughout that process, both on this forum, in private emails, and when I bumped into him in the LAX lounge during his Harvard course.

In contrast, the only contact I ever tried to make with the incoming CEO went without any response.

So I wish Bruce all the best for the future. And I think that there is a lesson here which Mr Luxon might benefit from learning.

Your best customers will generally accept changes which disadvantage them provide that you communicate with them with honesty.

But if you continue to introduce damaging changes (Airpoints, S2S etc) and then use spin to lie to them about these changes - when they know better than the spin-producers what the reality is - or fail to respond in a courteous way to your best customers' concerns, then you take big risks with your own future.

The press may swallow barefaced lies about reductions being "enhancements". Even low-level Airpoints members might. But the Golds and Gold Elites know better, and have had to come to translate anything they are told by "their" airline from spin to English.

And that needs to change - because most other airlines and hotels do not routinely try to deceive their best customers.

This really hit home on Monday night as I watched Lance Armstrong being interrogated on oath in 2005 about drug use. And his shifty reactions and carefully selected words, mixed in with a few claims which raised my eyebrows - I'm picking my words carefully to avoid being moderated out - reminded me instantly of the communication I've received from Air New Zealand about Airpoints, Seats To Suit, Recognition Upgrades being processed before PlusGrade OneUps in recent years and various other matters.

And when your own airline evokes feelings in a top-tier elite customer which are identical to those evoked by Lance Armstrong in you, it's time to re-evaluate the relationship.

But I'm hoping that it will be Luxon who will do that - that he will draw a line under the spin and the endless degradations of the products and simply make things better.

We all know that the Gold Elite membership figures are currently inflated by including people with banked years who would no longer touch the airline with a bargepole. Hopefully the new CEO will actually try to please his customers, rather than carrying on the current behaviour.

RandyNZ

Thanks, OP, now that song is stuck in my head!

QTFLYER

Interesting.. I for one apricated Mr parton's interaction on this forum.

nzlilibet

I, too, am very sorry indeed about Bruce.

I was instrumental in bringing him onto this forum and he worked very hard to keep us all in touch. He was also friendly and helpful in our email exchanges.

I had a feeling he would put his hand up for the top job and am sorry he didn't get it.

Fyfe's successor has never bothered to answer any of my queries despite being requested to do so.That, in my view, says a lot about the future direction of NZ.

brenrox

Like others have said, I thout Bruce was great esp. Having the courage to come on here and give his rationale for all the change he was implementing.

craver

Very well put indeed!

everywhere

I would express the contrary view. This man is personally responsible for destroying many millions of dollars of long term shareholder value.

His ongoing attitude in the face of contrary evidence 'that there is nothing wrong with Seats to Suit' was long a problem. It is never a good business strategy to fire your best and most profitable customers and to effectively pull out of a number of longhaul premium markets in Australia.

The only thing that is, was and will ever be right about Seats to Suit is that it recognises that there is a market of people that would rather fly Air New Zealand rather than Jetstar at the lower price, and get awful seating and no service. That was a market that could have been served by marketing an Economy Lite product, seated at the back of the aircraft without needing to alter the aircraft configuration (twice indeed, at vast expense).

It was inevitable that Seat fares would appeal to the most frequent customers, who find economy class food inedible, don't check bags and welcome an incentive not to drink on early morning flights to Australia. These are often the same people that fly revenue Business Class on longhaul flights and are unlikely to appreciate the crummy seats the airline is giving them on shorthaul (now that is practically impossible to get anyone at the airport to unlock an empty Works Deluxe block of three for you - which funnily enough there always is - resulting in the irritating situation of having to move on the plane).

everywhere

His engagement with customers only served to make things worse as he would rark them up, ignore the majority of what they had to say and focus on whatever was easy to answer. This resulted in some of these customers putting considerable effort into providing 'feedback' directly to influential members of the board.

I would note that as much as I hate Qantas (they do not even cater Champagne on trans-Tasman flights), as a result of being not valued as a customer by NZ, I fly the Friday evening SYDWLG flight (QF117 I think) quite a bit. Often the flight is D0 so you need to get a C fare. Out of 12 seats in Business Class, usually 9 or 10 are occupied. No market for premium product - pull my other leg.

Kiwi Flyer

Perhaps you've been unlucky or I've been lucky but of my most recent half dozen trans-Tasman trips on QF only 1 did not have champagne. Sunday flights on that route are also typically full in business.

Blackcloud

AFAIK I have always been served Charles Heidsick as the champagne in J.
Of my last QF WLG flights, never been under 8 pax in J often 10-12.
Oh well NZ knows what is is doing but they do not provide the service or product that I value so I choose not to use them.

Kiwi Flyer

Hmmm. Has the Billecart-Salmon run out?

mad_atta

Slightly OT but we had Mumm Cordon Rouge in BP HKG-LHR last week - a thoroughly cheap and nasty champagne in my opinion - so who knows what they would dee justified in serving shorthaul!