Pleased to see that in the 2005
Skytrax Awards , QF managed a respectable second place.
Yet in the same World Awards, QF
Cabin Staff didn't make the top seven.
Before the usual suspects rush to abuse me and accuse me of being a QF management plant (which I’m not) for raising this issue, may I respectfully suggest that people take a moment to reflect on the Survey’s methodology and what it purports to represent.
According to the small print, the survey attracted almost 3.5 million (3,461,902) eligible nominations from at least 93 different nationalities over a 10 month period, there were detailed back-up interviews of a representative sample of respondents and, finally, data weighting was applied to provide nomination equity when evaluating airlines of different size and network. Unless that’s all a pack of lies, it’s a well run survey and the results should be reliable.
Survey respondents nominated airlines in the 2005 Best Cabin Staff Awards, based upon the Quality attributes for the different airline's cabin staff, listed below:
*Assistance during boarding
*Welcoming passengers
*Applying safety procedures
*Food & Beverage service efficiency
*Answering call bell
*Staff language skills
*Problem solving ability
*Discipline among staff
*Enthusiasm of staff
*Sincerity of Staff service
*Friendliness of staff
*Courtesy of Staff service
*Consistency of Quality among staff
*Total service efficiency
*Total cabin presence
*Staff grooming & Presentation
IMHO, that’s a comprehensive list from which to have one’s performance assessed.
And to preempt any criticism of failure to take on board safety into account, why is it suggested that Cabin Crew can either provide superb service or good safety skills if required - but not both?
The ‘safety’ argument is a red herring. Of course Cabin Crew ability to cope with an emergency is of paramount importance, but the percentage of flights where skills are required is very small. In contrast, good service and a good approach to passengers is important on every flight.
I don't accept that being well-trained to cope with emergencies and providing the sort of in-flight service which such a large number of passengers appreciate is inconsistent or mutually exclusive.
Is it suggested that Asiana Airlines (the winning CC) isn't safe just because they train their Cabin Crew to provide the service and attitude to customers which their customers appreciate?
Or that Asiana's Cabin Crew aren't trained/able to cope with emergencies just because they deliver only service and a customer focused attiitude to their passengers?
I’m no supporter of Australian jobs being lost to overseas interests. But before you all spend a motza on an advertising campaign, I respectfully suggest that QF Cabin Crew reflect on the quality of the service they offer before seeking public support for their cause.