CHUR, SWITZERLAND, January 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
CEO of Hamburg Airport Michael Eggenschwiler discussed the challenges of engaging with passengers as an airport and the reasons for attending the Hamburg Aviation Conference (excerpt).
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150120/725529)
Michael Eggenschwiler said: “I believe airports must learn to connect with their customers because they spend a significant amount of time at the airport before boarding or after disembarking. So, the better we understand them, the better service we can provide.”
“As far as I know, few airports do this. If airlines want to serve their customers well, they would also want to offer excellent ground services before or after boarding… I know this is not an easy task ahead of us. For the benefit of passengers, we must share passenger data in the same way we share operational data among airports, airlines, and ground services.”
A question at HAC: “If you had access to such data, what would you do with it?”
Eggenschwiler responded: “I would provide smooth transportation services for passengers at the airport, inform them about available parking areas at the time, tell them where the most convenient security checkpoints are, or where they can find coffee, drinks, and food deals. I could guide them to the departure gates.”
A question at HAC: “What can airports learn from other industries in terms of customer service and customer loyalty?”
Eggenschwiler said: “Listening to passengers and truly understanding their needs is crucial. I think we are too confident in believing we understand customer needs, but if we were sincere, we wouldn’t think that way. Other industries are ahead of us in learning about the real needs of customers and passengers through dialogue.”
A question at HAC: “Why should industry experts attend the Hamburg Aviation Conference?”
Eggenschwiler added: “They should attend because I believe this conference brings people together with experts both inside and outside the aviation industry very well. Anyone attending will learn a lot and will definitely be able to take relevant ideas back to apply in their own companies.”
This interview was conducted by Andreas Spaeth .
The event was organized by the professional consulting firm XXL Solutions. Marketing partners include Hamburg Airport, Airbus, ICLP (a global marketing agency), Lumexis (USA), and Guest Logix (Canada).
Website: http://www.hamburgaviationconference.com, follow the conference: @hamburgaviation