The title of the e-mail was one that you dread to open… “To the Manager of “Employee A” I saw in the distribution list that most of the airport staff had been copied on this e-mail, and the employee, who works at the airport does not work for the airport authority. I was very pleasantly surprised when I read the long detailed e-mail from a passenger that praised the airline employee for going above and beyond to accommodate the passenger due to a weather flight cancellation.
Now those of you that are frequent travelers know that weather cancellations can really disrupt travel plans, especially if the weather is at the hub site. Due to the domino effect of massive schedule disruptions because of weather it is not easy to accommodate a passenger with a schedule change.
The e-mail that I read described an employee of Regional Elite, the service company that provides customer service (above the wing) and flight services (below the wing) for Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Continental Airlines at Yeager Airport, that went the extra mile to find a flight connection that enabled the passenger to arrive home in Vancouver, BC the day she was scheduled.
I passed along the e-mail to the President of Regional Elite and the local Station Manager, so that the employee could be recognized for exemplary service. We have a group of dedicated employees at the airport that strive to provide quality customer service even in difficult circumstances. The examples of veteran employees serve as an example to younger employees on the culture of caring that we have at Yeager Airport.
Our police log over the weekend contained two additional examples of employees at the airport doing something that would be considered extraordinary at a large airport, but it was just doing the right thing in West Virginia. Another Regional Elite employee found a purse with more than $2,000 in cash left in a restroom and turned it over to the police to find the owner. Another airport employee found $80.00 cash on the floor and the police was able to return it to its rightful owner.
I believe that genuine caring for your fellow man is a bedrock value of most West Virginians. One advantage of traveling through a smaller regional airport, such as Yeager, is that the traveler is not just treated as another passenger to process, but rather as a person that is special and unique and needs to be cared for.
Granted we are not always perfect, but as a team, including, airline members, TSA members, FAA members, rental car members, concession members and airport staff members we strive to provide service in a manner that meets the real needs of our guest in a genuine caring manner. We welcome feedback, both positive and negative on your experiences at Yeager Airport. You can reach me at rick@yeagerairport.com
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Scouting Out Getting to "The Summit"
I spent the last week in beautiful Pocahontas County, WV at Buckskin Reservation, the Boy Scout Camp at Dilley’s Mill. Enjoying the beautiful scenery and seeing the joy on young boy’s faces as they experience the outdoor wonders that West Virginia has to offer makes sleeping in a tent for a week worth it. Our troop camped with the Buckskin Council Scout Executive, Jeff Purdy, who was there as a father and assistant scoutmaster for his son and another boy from their troop. In speaking with Jeff around the campfire the subject of “The Summit Bechtel Family Scout Reserve” http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/TheSummit.aspx came up and it got me thinking about the number of young scouts that will travel to West Virginia from all over the world to experience the High Adventure Base or every four years the National Scout Jamboree.
This week there were three troops from out of state in camp, one from New Jersey, one from Virginia and one from Ohio. Last year there were two troops from Florida in camp and some of the scouts and leaders flew into the Yeager Airport on AirTran Airways for the week. We have worked with tourism entities in West Virginia, including the West Virginia Division of Tourism, whitewater rafting outfitters, ski resort operators and resort properties to promote air travel opportunities for visitors to the Mountain State so that these entities can expand their markets and attract visitors from a larger geographical area.
I am very excited about the opportunities for Boy Scouts from all over world to be able to come and experience West Virginia adventure first hand and enjoy all that the newest high adventure base will have to offer. It is a proven fact that boys that significantly participate in Scouting grow up and become future leaders and have successful careers due in part to the lessons learned in the Scouting program. Years from now, a CEO of a major corporation or a national political leader will look back with fond memories of West Virginia, as the place they realized that they could be a successful leader because of an experience while attending either the National Jamboree or a High Adventure Base.
Yeager Airport will serve as the gateway for many of these young men and the adult leaders as they travel to West Virginia to participate in the programs offered at the Summit and we are committed to providing a great first impression for them.
This week there were three troops from out of state in camp, one from New Jersey, one from Virginia and one from Ohio. Last year there were two troops from Florida in camp and some of the scouts and leaders flew into the Yeager Airport on AirTran Airways for the week. We have worked with tourism entities in West Virginia, including the West Virginia Division of Tourism, whitewater rafting outfitters, ski resort operators and resort properties to promote air travel opportunities for visitors to the Mountain State so that these entities can expand their markets and attract visitors from a larger geographical area.
I am very excited about the opportunities for Boy Scouts from all over world to be able to come and experience West Virginia adventure first hand and enjoy all that the newest high adventure base will have to offer. It is a proven fact that boys that significantly participate in Scouting grow up and become future leaders and have successful careers due in part to the lessons learned in the Scouting program. Years from now, a CEO of a major corporation or a national political leader will look back with fond memories of West Virginia, as the place they realized that they could be a successful leader because of an experience while attending either the National Jamboree or a High Adventure Base.
Yeager Airport will serve as the gateway for many of these young men and the adult leaders as they travel to West Virginia to participate in the programs offered at the Summit and we are committed to providing a great first impression for them.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Lessons Learned from Twitter and Pizza
Last Friday was a big day at Yeager Airport, the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, members of the US Senate, and US House, and former President Clinton, all visited West Virginia to pay tribute to Senator Robert C. Byrd at the memorial service held at West Virginia Capital. We also were visited by Mark Knoller, CBS Radio White House Correspondent, who made some tweets about the lack of food, specifically, pizza post security at Yeager Airport.
His tweets attracted some attention, and were retweeted, and Carl Lavin of Forbes.com wrote about the tweets and his blog post was re-tweeted more than 200 times. The next day Aaron Lee of Askaaronlee.com wrote about tweets and those were re-tweeted many times.
So what have we learned from this episode?
1. We have found a method to have tweet mentions forwarded to a few people tasked with monitoring our Social Media presence. A business that fails to respond to Tweets or Facebook posting is like a business that fails to answer its phone in today's environment.
2. During business hours, Tweetdeck is kept open on the computer of the airport receptionist so that we can respond in real time to customer concerns. Ten minutes in Twitter time is like ten hours in real time.
3. We have had discussions with our concessionaire in regard to opening a cafe' post security that will serve food, soft drinks, beer, wine and yes Pizza, in a very visible location. A business can gain valuable insights by listening to what their customers are saying in tweets or other social media postings.
4. I had to figure out how to set up blog and provide my thoughts and insights on Yeager Airport and aviation issues in general. A business that does not proactively interact with its customers using Social Media is missing a great opportunity to effectively communicate with a large segment of its customer base.
His tweets attracted some attention, and were retweeted, and Carl Lavin of Forbes.com wrote about the tweets and his blog post was re-tweeted more than 200 times. The next day Aaron Lee of Askaaronlee.com wrote about tweets and those were re-tweeted many times.
So what have we learned from this episode?
1. We have found a method to have tweet mentions forwarded to a few people tasked with monitoring our Social Media presence. A business that fails to respond to Tweets or Facebook posting is like a business that fails to answer its phone in today's environment.
2. During business hours, Tweetdeck is kept open on the computer of the airport receptionist so that we can respond in real time to customer concerns. Ten minutes in Twitter time is like ten hours in real time.
3. We have had discussions with our concessionaire in regard to opening a cafe' post security that will serve food, soft drinks, beer, wine and yes Pizza, in a very visible location. A business can gain valuable insights by listening to what their customers are saying in tweets or other social media postings.
4. I had to figure out how to set up blog and provide my thoughts and insights on Yeager Airport and aviation issues in general. A business that does not proactively interact with its customers using Social Media is missing a great opportunity to effectively communicate with a large segment of its customer base.
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