An extremely exclusive club has just lost another member. Now that Continental Airlines has bagged its free meals I can no longer include it on the “airlines I like to brag about” list.

The list is getting very, very short, by the way. Let’s hope Alaska Air and Singapore Airlines stay in business or this list might disappear altogether.

By cutting out the free meals (in coach) Continental  hopes to add $35 million to it’s bottom line. It’s the last major US airline to make the switch.

It seems that more and more passengers on planes are being stuck for hours on the tarmac without, food, water or working bathrooms.

I asked Linked In members to answer the question:

“What is adequate compensation for being stuck for hours on the tarmac?”

The following are some of the answers:

I remember when we were kids. We’d play all kinds of games. And when one kid pushed things too far (playing unfair) a parent might step in and enforce some basic rules on the group.

This usually had a stabilizing effect on the game. But sometimes the kid who was acting out would escalate rather than cooperate. He might ruin it for everyone by picking up the game board and throwing it. Or he’d get up and leave, refusing to play anymore because he couldn’t do things HIS WAY.

As customers, we understand prices on most things we buy tend to go up over time. It’s part of the cost of doing business so we accept it without much fuss.

But if we feel we’re not getting treated fairly, then there could be problems. Are we paying more because we’re getting more in return? Is it because everything is going up in price? Or is it because a company (or industry) sees an opportunity to generate more revenue without increasing value to their customers?

A key customer service principle is to “deliver on the promise of the brand.” Every organization owns a particular brand image in the minds of customers, and anything out of alignment with the brand creates a disconnect and a disappointment for the customer.

Imagine, for example checking into a Ritz Carlton hotel only be treated rudely or with an attitude of indifference. The contrast between the brand image and the actual experience would be jarring and memorable. But when the experience and an organization’s brand image are in alignment, the result is confidence, trust, and loyalty.

In 2009, Dave Carroll (a professional musician from Nova Scotia, Canada) engaged a massive worldwide audience to share his customer service story about United Airlines. Using YouTube.com to deliver his message, he wrote and performed a song that has made an impact.  Some people estimate 100 million people saw his video.

You see, United Airline broke his $3500 guitar then rejected his request that they pay for it. But after his video went viral United changed their corporate mind and offered to reimburse him.  (You can see the video below.)

Southwest Airlines has been my favorite airline for a long time – I’ve written about them often in this blog and talk about them often in my speeches. I’m a Southwest fan not only because of positive experiences, but also because their success and almost cult-like following has been a great case study as a speaker and consultant.

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Understand your purpose

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

A few years ago I wrote an article about the Charlotte Airport.  I couldn’t help myself because it’s a wonderful place to spend time between flights.  They have done some amazing things to offer their travelers a good experience.  Among large busy airports, it’s my favorite. (To see why, click here for the article.)

I believe the people who manage the Charlotte Airport see their purpose as

J.D. Power and Associates has released their 2009 North America Airline Satisfaction Study. Here’s how the major US airlines rank:

It appears the predictions that a down economy would spur companies to higher levels of customer service are coming true. Recently on a trip to Philadelphia my wife and I were delayed on a NWA flight. Our plane left the gate about an hour late and then we sat on the tarmac for another 45 minutes or so. I didn’t give it a second of thought except to say I was glad there were no thunderstorms between Philly and Minneapolis.  They can do more to wreck a summer traveler’s schedule than just about anything.

A week or so later we each received a nice letter from a customer service executive at NWA. The letters apologized for the delay and informed us we had received an extra 1000 frequent flier miles as a way to compensate us for being inconvenienced.

The first thing I did was

In a recent article on airline performance and  customer service, the author cites the 19th annual Airline Quality Rating which shows most airlines had improved their on time performance and their customer service in 2008.  This sounds like a welcome change for any of us who travel.

But one of the study’s authors noted that passenger volume was down for the same period. He suggested that made it easier for airlines to improve service:

“We know the system performs better when it’s less stressed by high passenger volume,” said Dean Headley, an associate professor of marketing at the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State. “The economy scared away both business and leisure travelers in 2008.”

Taking the idea further, Headley’s colleague, Brent Bowen said

Last week I read that the Minneapolis – St. Paul (MSP) Airport had been named the best large airport in North America (and #3 in the world) for customer service quality. As a lifelong Minnesotan, I felt some pride that our hometown airport did so well in this survey. But I also saw something I didn’t like with the survey.

It’s missing something.

I have spent more time in airports than I like to think about. I know