Yet again, there was a letter from a reader of the NST (14 February 2008) lamenting about Malaysia Airlines (MAS) mealboxes. In no uncertain terms, this customer of our national carrier has declared that he has started to use a budget carrier for domestic travels (Air Asia of I presume!) and for international flights, he has started to scout around for other regional carriers (I suppose that means SIA)!.
I read this at about 9 pm last night after a 2-day training program on Customer Focus for Etiqa. And, of course the issue of MAS came up for discussion and we had a lengthy debate on why MAS is apparently trying its best to loose its customers!
I have written here before on MAS’s service standards or rather the apparent lack of it. Things, at least as far as its customers are concerned, don’t seem to have improved that much. I was on a recent flight and I didn’t like the food either. Was I very hungry? No! Could I have waited to be home for a good meal? Yes! Was the issue of food so important for me on a flight? No! So why then I am complaining just as so many other loyal MAS customers? Simple really…..because we were once treated much better. We had once received much better in-flight experience. We had once felt the difference between a budget carrier and a full service carrier. Now, we are confused!
That’s what this is really about! Confused customers of MAS. What does MAS stand for? What does low cost operator with 5 star service mean? Is that even possible? Where is that 5 star service going to be showcased? I which areas of our MAS experience are we going to taste this 5 star service at low cost operator formula?
While we struggle with all these questions, MAS competitors are tempting us to break a bond that we have nurtured for many years. Yet, the temptation is strong and the wondering eyes are justified as the counter offers seem to be genuinely better.
The bottom line of our national carrier is said to be improving or at least that’s what I am told by the media. I have no doubt about that as it is really not that difficult to show bottom line improvement in the short term if you know what to cut and what to slash and what to reduce. The trick is to keep the bottom line healthy in the long run. That needs more than slashing and burning. That needs growth. Growth needs market leadership. Market leadership needs customer loyalty. Customer loyalty needs quality service. Malaysia Airlines is loosing its sense of quality service.
Now, analyze that!
