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Lou Burrows

Lou Burrows

30 Jul 2010 | 10:10

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I recently flew to Spain with a low-cost airline and collected yet another story to add to my growing collection of anecdotes about low-cost/low-intelligence businesses. This time my experience focused on the size of the small case I could take on board the plane.

I flew out as usual with the case I use for every trip with this company. On the way back, the person at the boarding gate asked me to put my case into a holder to see that it would fit. I told her it was the case I came out with. That it measures exactly the measurements stated on the booking form and so it should fit. I was shocked when it would not fit into the crate because the wheel was protruding by about half an inch. I was told in the tone you'd expect someone to use with a naughty child, "You must pay £20 for excess baggage or you will not be allowed on the flight".

I reasoned with them but no, rules are rules and my case was a problem. I then pointed to two men who were boarding with zero hand luggage and said "Look, these two guys are empty handed so surely you can use some discretion here?". But no, "We must follow the procedure and you must pay the fine. The gates are closing now, so do you want to fly or not?”.

I paid and boarded my flight home - and smiled at the thought that this would be the last time I’d be using this airline. People are so smart about brands and customer service - why don't these low-cost companies appreciate this?

The last thing the attendant said to me at the gate was "Now you've made us late with making this payment, you can't take your bag on board. You'll have to leave the bag at the entrance to the plane with the buggies and wheelchairs and then collect it at Stansted from gate 44".

I boarded the plane, with my case, not stopping at the buggies, put my case in the locker above my seat and got out my book. A little tip for the airline - people who are treated badly tend to behave badly!

Comments

1. At 09:38 on 02 Aug 2010, Sarah Cave wrote:

Oh how true. But how grim to be working for these airlines and have no empowerment whatsoever to make 'customer-friendly' decisions!
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2. At 15:31 on 04 Aug 2010, Para wrote:

Well I am not sure you need ‘formal’ empowerment to make these ‘customer-friendly’ decisions. In the spirit of making the customer happy, Lou should have been allowed to take her case with her.

Rules can be useful sometimes but they can also be taken too far. When everything becomes ‘rules are rules’, it leaves people paralyzed, unable to think for themselves, use their common sense and act accordingly. In this instance the organization lost out in that one person at least would not be using this airline again.
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3. At 20:04 on 01 Sep 2010, Andy wrote:

Lou;
As I keep saying in my comments to these and many other blogs and articles - it's the system not the people that are the problem. To change the system we need to change management's thinking about the organisation and the nature of human motivation. It's like the article you wrote recently about the futility and waste of bonuses! And yet HR is still wedded to these outmoded ways of thinking and indeed simply cannot get out of their self inflicted straight-jackets. I despair of HR and most of all with the CIPD who will simply not listen.
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