Well, well, there is some movement in the case and the first reaction after 4 hours already. Like in good e-mail style, please read bottom-up. At the bottom is my e-mail to SriLankan Airlines, and above their first response which went cc as well to the Personal Assistant to the CEO. Will keep the posts in case I get a substantial response as they promise. Let’s wait and see.
Just on another note: What is an adequate compensation for just letting passengers on the ground? In order to not appear just corrupted for money, I would like to elaborate a few thoughts on that: As I wrote, US-$ 40.- I do consider entirely ridiculous. So what would be adequate? First, there should be the feeling that there is a fairly “divided pain point” between the passenger and the airline. As I wrote, given the economics, exactly the opposite is the case because in such a model, the airline always has the incentive to largely overbook. Hence, you feel being entirely at the SriLankan Airline’s mercy where they can arbitrarily foist their will on you. I guess that’s a very bad piece of experience. Second, what is adequate in terms of value, given that I paid for the return ticket app. US-$ 200.- ?
Why not take the pressure out of the discussion and make it rather non-monetary like. “Come back to Sri Lanka soon, you flight is free. Just book 2 weeks in advance” or so. In case there is free capacity, which is more often the case than not, the marginal cost for taking a passenger on board for an airline are minimal. That’s something where I’d say: “Ok, let’s do it that way and all anger forgotten.”
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Dear Mr Seifert
We acknowledge receipt of your mail.
While apologising for the events that made travelling with SriLankan an unpleasant experience, we kindly request you to await a further response from us.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely
Olu Abeyasena
Executive Secretary
Customer Affairs Department
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Dear Sirs,
Please find beneath my experience on your airline last weekend which I allowed myself to make public on my blog as well here:
http://www.reneseifert.com/2007/07/srilankan_airlines_sucks_worst.html
I would be very pleased about a response from your end. Just one request: I took the time and effort to write in much detail and reflection. So if you intend to reply, a qualified response would be indeed warmly appreciated. In case, however, you intend to continue with you learned-by-heart mantras of customer anaesthetisation like “we understand your situation and we are extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused, bla, bla, bla”, then you better save us both another disappointment.
Best regards from Bangalore
René
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