Originally Posted by
tws123
I can add my recent experience at SEN to this topic. Within the past 2 weeks I travelled from SEN. The downstairs bar/lounge was pretty full and I couldn't get on the WIFI (very poor signal in the terminal for mobile phone reception) so I spent £21 to sit in the business lounge.
The dedicated wifi for the business lounge had a signal so weak that my mobile wanted to pick up the free wifi from downstairs! Not great for us business travellers. The choice of food was a sandwich in a carton which I quite like as it has less chance of going stale, however something a bit more than the offered muffins and biscuits would have been nice. Soft drinks selection ok, wine was either a red or a white and if you wanted the hard stuff you had to ask as they kept that out back just in case the Southend travellers drank too much of it. Overall distinctly unimpressed with the facilities.
On the positive side were the staff. They explained that I could use the other facilities downstairs if I preferred (not everyone it seems goes downstairs first) and that I would be paying £21 for approximately 50 minutes use of the lounge - was that ok? Once I paid and was in I was shown around the fridges and the biscuits and muffins and then asked if I would like to have a different sandwich to the all-day breakfast variety currently sitting in the fridge. Overall my experience of good staff customer service outweighed (just) the lack of decent food, drink and the all important wifi signal. I nearly emailed the airport to compliment them on staff training, I was that impressed with the 2 people manning the lounge.
Going through security at SEN has never been pleasant for me. I've used the airport three times this year, and most probably as many times the year before. Twice this year, with an empty security queue, they pulled me "on a random basis" for a search of me and my hand luggage and on the last occasion, searched my baggage because my Blackberry phone "looked odd" on the x-ray screen. I fly 2-4 times every month and that was the first time that my Blackberry phone has ever "looked odd" in the security scanner :-)
Overall the experience of quick transit through the airport is good, especially the return leg. The bar restaurant downstairs has been woefully understaffed every time I have used it, with tables only being cleaned when the food order is delivered. I have tried the new Bourgee bar and it is just like their restaurants, over-priced food, decent wine and terrible customer service (and they won't let you use their wifi
)
However most people travelling through Southend are there because of cheap flights and the cheap flight brigade don't buy £8 glasses of wine prior to a flight, but sit patiently in one of the abundant seating areas waiting for their gate to be called, which will always be a maximum of 90 seconds walk from their seat.
Customer satisfaction surveys won't get them more pax through the door - people at that end of the market tend to fly from the airport that gives them the cheapest travel option door-to-door. However for the staff it is a nice boost to know that travellers value them.