United Airlines Continues Efforts to Woo Premium Passengers

The Jan. 29 issue of Aviation Daily includes my story (subscribers only) on an effort United Airlines to cater to its elite passengers by easing the check-in and boarding processes.  The program is currently being tested at San Francisco International Airport and will launch at Washington Dulles International Airport next month.

Under the program, United installed separate premium boarding lanes at  18 domestic and 12 international gates at SFO in late September, and the construction on the lobby started Jan. 22, said a spokeswoman.

The first step of the program is improving the experience in the lobby, said Graham Atkinson, executive VP and chief customer officer for United (see photo, right).  "We have separated the check-in lines so that our best customers have a more predictable and quick experience," he said. "And for our Global Service customers, once they are checked in, we personally walk them to the front of the security line."

The second step is the boarding process at the gate, said Atkinson. "European airlines do a much better job to create a calm boarding process. We have created separate boarding lanes for premium customers with clear signage and a red carpet," he said. "This makes it more orderly for our top flyers. We hold back the economy line while boarding our premium customers first. But we can also board them at the dedicated line whenever they are ready, and we stop the economy line to let them through."

Employees and customers have responded favorably to it because it creates a much more orderly environment, said Atkinson. "When you are ready to board 150 passengers on a plane, everyone stands up when the gate agent begins the announcements and crowds around the gate," he said. "The new process improves customer satisfaction across the board and lets us board more quickly."

United plans to introduce the program at Washington Dulles by March, with Chicago O'Hare, Denver and Los Angeles scheduled for completion by mid-year, said a spokeswoman. The airline's top 40 stations will be completed by the end of 2007, said Atkinson.

I know there are the usual arguments about the elitism of programs like this.  Legacy carriers have been struggling to differentiate themselves from their low-cost brethren, and efforts like this go a long way toward keeping those all-important premium passengers, who tend to spend the most money.  I have been Premier Executive on United and OnePass Gold on Continental, and I appreciate the extra perks, like separate check-in lines, early boarding and potential for upgrades.  As a business traveler, I appreciate anything that will smooth the traveling process.

With this program, United is saying that it appreciates its best customers.  The airline surveyed 6,000 customers at United and other airlines and asked them what would make them loyal to an airline, said Atkinson. "They noted that a pressure point was the airport, saying they wanted predictability and a high-quality experience from the curb to the aircraft," he said.  So why not separate yourself from the pack by offering your best customers the amenities they want?

Comments

[Jeanne Bliss]

Graham,

I am glad to see that there is a sensitivity to understanding the challenges of being a frequent (and profitable) passenger. Obviously, these are the folks to hold close and to initially to work to allay any issues with.

Next step; how to make the airport and flying experience differentiated for everyone else.

Besides purchasing based on price, how do you keep the everyday flyer and the non-frequent flyer flying United? As you know, these folks often purchase based on price. And because of this, they can be, well, here today and gone tomorrow.

As Chief Customer Officer, can you act as human duct tape across the silos at United to get folks to deliver "touches of differentiation" even with the non-frequent flyers? If you can...customers will reward you wiht their continued travel and certainly their nod to friends and family that they fly you too. Especially with those unacustomed to how to optimize the system (read: non frequent flyer) kindness that can be woven into the experience will be gratefully appreciated and rewarded.

How great a challenge can you get as Chief Customer Officer - to get to take the everyday experience to the next level?!