Here’s a lesson, seen last week, that shows how to savage your brand.
“He’s got to be fxxxxxx joking.”
This from a well-dressed but tired would-be flyer.
An unpleasant airline check-in person working for a well-known Orange Airline at Malaga Airport was the cause of his outburst.
A rude manner towards well-behaved and polite Brit passengers sparked rage, mutterings, and more than a few swear words.
Poor signage at the airport was the root of the problem.
The Flying Orange people sent early arriving passengers to check-in desks with numbers above them.
None of their staff were present until way past the published check-in time.
That’s because the flight was late, but most passengers didn’t know that.
As you would expect from Brits, orderly queues formed in front of each desk.
When staff from the Flying Oranges did start arriving (in dribs and drabs), they lit up signs above their heads.
Unfortunately, these highlighted that lines should form according to the type of ticket purchased.
Many passengers were now in the “wrong” queue.
And that’s where our rude chap comes in.
He told people in no uncertain terms they had to move, or they weren’t going anywhere.
The fault with the signage was their problem, not his.
He would not compromise.
To emphasise the point, he dramatically tore up bits of paper in front of passengers, as they were asking him to be fair-minded about the whole thing.
I suspect they were his notes from the Orange Handbook about being friendly and welcoming.
It didn’t go down well, to say the least.
Regardless, passengers at the front of the queue were made to move to the back of a by now, very packed crowd of people.
Promises by passengers to use another airline in the future rang around the lines.
It’s a reminder that any business is only as good as the people who represent it.
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Very best,
