El Al improves service quality without turbulence from employees
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to trace the process by which the new management of airline El Al sought to implement a premium service strategy and to assimilate this strategy into its organizational culture. It aims to focus on the human resources aspects of the changes. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on interviews with senior executives and employees of the airline, and reports documents that relate to the change process. Findings – The paper reveals that, among the service improvements El Al has achieved are: providing passengers with a telephone number and web address where they can find details about their flight before arriving at the airport; keeping passengers informed about the reasons for, and likely duration of, any delay; mitigating the effects of delays by issuing magazines and games to passengers and refreshments, where necessary; and being as attentive as possible to passengers' individual needs. Seat occupancy, which in 2003 stood at 76 percent, rose to 81 percent in 2006. The El Al management attributes a significant part of this increase to the company's new service policies. Practical implications – The paper suggests that airlines attempting to reach high‐quality standards should draw on the knowledge and experience of employees regarding customers' needs and concerns. Originality/value – The paper depicts the process of creating high‐quality airline service, before, during and after the flight.
Year of publication: |
2009
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Published in: |
Human Resource Management International Digest. - Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1758-7166, ZDB-ID 2082534-1. - Vol. 17.2009, 2, p. 30-32
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Publisher: |
Emerald Group Publishing Limited |
Subject: | Customer service quality | Employee participation | Airlines | Organizational change |
Saved in:
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