Study on Airport CRM Strategy and Tactics in Detainment*
Qing-song Zhang1, Yi-nan Yang2, Li Li3
1
College of Safety Science& Engineering, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin, China
(1. nkzqsong@yahoo.com.cn, 2.yyncugb@126.com, 3.lili@cauc.edu.cn)
Abstract – The profits of passengers, airlines and
airports are certainly harmed by air detainment. From the
point of airport to avoid this, its two main customer types,
airlines and passengers, are divided by customer subdivision
based on their behavior. Study the decision of CRM strategy
and tactics of airport aiming at airlines and passengers in air
detainment and present the decision should be made based
on CRM theory and distinguished from different customer
types. Through the implement of these strategy and tactics,
passengers’ rights and benefits are guaranteed, airlines loss
are declined and extra profits are obtained by airport.
In conclusion, though some government department
did try to solve the detainment, which mostly from the
point of airlines, there is a lack of research from airport’s
point on detainment strategy and tactics. Thus this paper
studies on strategy and tactics decision making of airport
aiming at airlines and passengers in detainment based on
CRM theory and guarantees the passengers, airlines and
airport’ profit maximum together through this.
II. Airport CRM Analysis in Detainment
Keywords - detainment, airport, customer relationship,
CRM strategy and tactics
I. INTRODUCTION
Every time when flights delay or emergencies occur
in airport, the detainment harms the benefits of
passengers, airport and airlines together. Detained
passengers may be driven into ill mood; some may even
obstruct the airport operating order in ultra-behavior.
Moreover when airlines take a negative attitude to dispose
detainment, passengers will surely have fights with them,
which do nothing good with detainment but hurt
company’s profit and business credit. While time,
airport’s operation can be disturbed by the bad attitude
held by airlines and other well-operating flights are not
able to take off for orderliness lack which shall be kept by
the airport. Since this, only can the airport ensure both
airlines and passengers’ interests can its loss bottom out.
Strategy and tactics based on the theory of customer
relation management (CRM) can reduce the loss mostly
and gain added profit through helping airlines dispose
detainment by providing additional service.
Among the study on detainment control, the existing
works include study on airlines fight delay management,
air passenger demand and detainment scale prediction, air
detained passengers’ compensation policy by government.
IBM Travel & Transportation Industry Solution Unit uses
information technology help airline avoid delay [1]. Neural
model are developed for air passenger demand prediction
[2]
. The Detailed Policy Assessment Tool models the delay
propagation throughout airports system [3]. China set up
air passenger consumer right protection in emergency as a
universal compensation standard. European Union also
published general provision on compensation and help
when flights refuse to carry passengers or are canceled
and delayed [4].
____________________
*Supported by Scientific Research Foundation of Civil Aviation
University of China（09QD12X）
When detainment happens, the airport itself and both
of its main customer groups, air passengers and airlines
suffer interests damage differently. Air passengers may be
discontentment towards airlines and airport because they
cannot continue their trip and their profits are hurt, while
the airlines suffer the economic loss for the flights delay
and give their passengers compensation. Because of this,
the airports do not only have to face the angry passengers
in every detainment but also have to work the detainment
out together with the airlines whose profit suffers a lot. As
the medium between passengers and airlines dealing with
interests balance, airports should calm down passengers’
anger and help airlines out of trouble at the same time.
A. Detainment Events Analysis
Flights delay can be caused by six reasons, including
weather, maintenance, air traffic management, airline
plan, passenger, and checking. Weather causes detainment
by affecting airport, line and aircraft. Detainment also
can be caused by the unfinished maintenance work or
aviation material lack. When there is a flow rate control
for crowd airspace, a temporary avoidance to air force
secret task or a priority to special aircraft for the fatal
disaster, air traffic management will cause detainment.
Reasons of airline plan are crewman or flight plan
variation and a dispatcher error. Passengers’ personal
issues or guarantee to aircraft having VIP in will yield
detainment.
Though the possibility of airport emergency is lower
than others, its result is extremely serious, which shall be
regarded. Detainment can be caused by emergencies, like
operation system failure, flight ground disqualification,
terminal disorder and freight operation error. Disorder,
terror, food public incidents and accidents in airport or
temporary area all can cause detainment, when situation
goes worse the airport may even be closed temporarily.
B. Status and Problem of Airport Detainment Disposal
Based on the national aviation low and international
tradition and combined its actual situation, every airport
establishes its own detainment plan, includes Abnormal
Flight Scheme and Front Area Operation Procedure.
Those are just focused on the special situation not aiming
at general detainment treatment, the loss of economic and
business reputation caused by the imperfection is common.
On May 7th, 2010 vast flights delay in Guangzhou Airport
caused over 20 events of passengers destroying the airport
facilities. Even worse, in April, 2012 both of the extensive
detainment in Guangzhou and Shanghai airport results in
angry passengers obstructing flying-off aircraft. Therefore,
the aviation administration informs the disposal of these
accidents to all the aviation units and suspends involved
flight’s operation for the improper disposal of the longtime detainment taken by Shenzhen Airline.
Among the above accidents, airport’s loss is mainly
caused by improper disposal of relation among passengers,
airlines and airport. To improve status, the airport should
bring in CRM theory and deal its customer relationship in
detainment scientifically. The problems in implement of
CRM for airport detainment disposal are as follow.
(1) Just take CRM as work software, do not combine
the CRM ideology with detainment disposal. That is to
say the customer, the most important resource are not
satisfied by customer analysis and service.
(2) Ignore that the supreme goal is achieving profit
maximum but not just fulfill the customers’ need simply.
That is implement CRM don’t just aim on helping airlines
decline their loss or fulfill the customers but on achieving
profit maximum.
opinion, whether customer would buy more products and
service is depended on their behavior [6]. Many firms have
adopted customer subdivision according to the attribute of
customer behavior, for example airlines divide customers
depending on their flights mileage into platinum customer,
gold customer and silver customer. So airport detainment
CRM should be constituted by the customer subdivision
of customer behavior on passengers and airlines, the CRM
strategy establishment varying different customer groups
and CRM tactics implement.
A. Airlines Customer Subdivision of Behavior Analysis
Through the investigation on the passengers’ view to
airlines, detainment disposal patterns taken by airlines can
be divided into these types thereinafter.
(1)Extensive Form Care nothing for the detainment
instance and reject all their questioning and requiring.
(2)Stylization Form Dispose the detainment stylized,
walk through passengers’ asking and excuse themselves
from passengers’ need.
(3)Active Form Regard passengers’ need, cooperate
with air traffic management unit and airport, inform state
process and satisfy passengers’ rational needs.
Airlines customer types’ matrix chart (fig. 1.) shows
9 customer groups, which arrange each group with matrix
compositor method as AiBk. Abscissa is the efficiency of
airlines detainment disposal while y-axis is detainment
time extent (degree of detainment). The darkness of every
module’s color represents airport’s participation extent,
like must, need and may.
C. Goals of Implement CRM for Airport Detainment
Combine the detainment disposal’s ideology with the
CRM theory. Obtain the types of passengers and airlines
through customer subdivision and make different CRM
strategy and tactics varying different types. Provide extra
service to airlines of detainment, replace the airlines to
serve and comfort passengers and help them decline loss
but gain airport’s profit at the same time. Though at the
forepart of implement CRM the profit is negative, the
speed of attract client is fast enough to reach the balance
point in a very short time and in a long term afterwards
CRM can bring in a continual and steady profit for the
airport[5]. Consequently goals for implement CRM of
airport detainment shall include setting up CRM strategy
for achieving profit maximum, putting in CRM tactics
based on customer subdivision on their behavior, and
establishing proper CRM system and structure.
III. Detained Passengers Behavior Study
It is easy to study customer subdivision by statistics
character, while it is hard to reflect the customers’ need or
relationship and guide the corporation to fulfill customer
and achieve profit maximum. In Frederick Reichheld’s
Fig. 1. Airlines customer types’ matrix chart
B. Passengers Customer Subdivision Based on Behavior
To comprehend air detained passengers’ behavior,
we use questionnaire to do research. The questionnaire is
designed according to the passengers’ need, investigating
under 5 kinds of detainment time extent their collectivity
behavior trend as follow, which based on Demand Phase
theory and safety psychology [7].
(1) Physiological Need.
(2) Respect Need [8].
(3) Do things what others do effected by fluster [9].
(4) Detainment time.
(5) Passengers scheduling.
(6) Awareness of aviation industry.
(7) Passengers’ character.
(8) Nearby environment [10].
The 14 passengers’ behavior modes are divided into
5 levels by how the passengers reacting to detainment.
Details are in the follow table.
TABLE I
Level
1
2
3
4
5
14 categories of passengers’ behaviors
Behavior Description
Understand
Just
1.1
1.2
1.3 Flow others
and Waiting
Unsatisfied
2.1 Know the Detainment Reason and Waiting Tim
3.1 Restroom
3.2 Free Food
4.1 Change
4.2 Cancel
4.3 Complain to Superior
4.4 Compensation 4.5 Must Send Me to Destination
Argue With
Demonstrate
No More Bear
5.1
5.2
5.3
Staff
and Protest
React Fiercely
200 questionnaires were sent out and 195 receded by
field survey in airports, professional forum research and
online survey during March to May, 2010. Through the
investigation detainment time is found as first factor of
passengers’ behavior, combined with the results passenger
customer types’ matrix chart are obtained (fig. 2.).
IV. Airport CRM Strategy and Tactics in Detainment
Survey shows nearly 90% interviewees had been in
detainment often or once, over 60% have no awareness of
detainment fact, acceptable detainment time is within 90
minutes, over 90% were ever harmed and one quarter was
harmed seriously, 60% were unsatisfied with the airport
measures while over 80% think government effort make
difference to detainment. Above results make it exigent
for airport to take own advantages, ensure passengers and
airlines’ interest, decline its own loss and achieve profit
maximum under CRM theory in detainment. Since this, in
detainment airport should make CRM strategy of airlines
to help control state and decline loss while execute CRM
tactics of detained passengers to comfort their emotion,
ensure their rights and profits, help them reach agreement
with airlines and continue their trip.
A. CRM Strategy of Airlines in Detainment
CRM strategy of airlines in detainment should lean
on providing extra service scheme (fig. 3.) to airlines,
which vary different customer groups. By executing CRM
tactics of detained passengers, the goals of implement
CRM for airport detainment are achieved.
Fig. 2. Passenger customer types’ matrix chart
Fig. 3. CRM service scheme of different airlines customer groups
25 customer groups are arranged with matrix ranking
method as AiBk, abscissa represent passenger behavior
extent while y-axis is detainment time extent (degree of
detainment), and the darkness of every module’s color is
first three behavior level in each detainment time extent.
(1)Detained within 30 minutes, most passengers
concentrate on Level 1, 2 and 3. Whether passengers who
understand this detainment or not react as waiting in
peace.
(2)Detained for 60 minutes, more passengers want to
‘Know detainment reason and waiting time’; while time
passengers need ‘Restroom and free food’ get big
increase.
(3)Detained for 90 minutes is a turning point. Over
half passengers transmit to choose Level 3, while people
choose Level 4 and 5 increase steadily from 20% to 40%.
(4)Detained for 120 minutes, behavior trend turns to
Level 3 and 4, which is 2/3 passengers’ choices.
(5)Detained over 120minutes is beyond everyone’s
patience limit. There is a big increase of people cancelling
flight, over 30% thinking must send them to destination,
20% in Level 3 and only 20% people in Level 1 and 2.
Take strategy of cost control to minitype airlines,
like provide consulting service to decline this cost part as
much as possible. Transfer the un-payoff state of this
customer group to payoff state and commend choosing
extra service scheme to keep the potential customer.
Take strategy of participation to medium-sized
airlines, like provide proper extra service scheme to
extensive and stylization form to choose. Devote most
resource of detainment disposal to this group and increase
the airport’s payoff level of them in product return term.
Take strategy of cooperation to active airlines. Fulfill
their demand as much as possible. Maintain and develop
this customer group.
B. CRM Tactics of Passengers in Detainment
The CRM tactics of passengers must depend on
different detainment time. The CRM tactics schemes for
airlines can be achieved through strengthen corresponding
CRM tactics measures to passengers’ behavior trend in
different detainment time (fig. 4.).
Since detainment time beyond acceptance and over
half on Level 4, strengthen transaction and appellation. In
former hour inform time every 30-minute and send leaflet,
cut the interval to every 15-minute and change leaflet to
literature. Add the security department into comfort and
contact police station every 15-minute. Moreover, change
comfort teams every 30-minute to avoid work burnout.
V. Conclusions
Fig. 3.Relationship Between Behavior Levels And Measure Levels
i. Measures on Within 30 minutes
Passenger behavior trend is Level 2, so staff should
inform detainment reason and waiting time firstly then
arrange restroom. For 10% choose change or cancel, staff
should transact as usual. Watch anger in case of accident.
ii. Measures on Within 60 minutes
Since trends still on Level 2 but Level 3 increasing
simultaneously, staff should afford detainment reason,
time and food. While people on Level 4 increasing to 20%,
service windows and comfort staff should be added and
leaflet on aviation knowledge should be served around
passengers. Still watch anger in case of accident.
iii. Measures on Within 90 minutes
Since over half on Level 3, staff must inform reason
and time every 30-minute and after one hour every 15minute. Then afford restroom and food. For Level 4 and 5
increasing to 40%, service windows and comfort staff
should be added and leaflet on aviation knowledge should
be sent to passengers. Watch anger in case of accident and
contact police station every 15-minute. Moreover, change
comfort teams every 30-minute to avoid work burnout.
iv. Measures on Within 120 minutes
Since passengers getting tired, 2/3 is on Level 3 and
4. Restroom and food are must. In former hour inform
waiting time every 30-minute and send leaflet, in the left
time cut the interval to every 15-minute and change leaflet
to literature. Add security department into comfort and
contact police station every 15-minute. Moreover, change
comfort teams every 30-minute to avoid work burnout.
v. Measures on Over 120 minutes
The issues of passengers detained in airport caused
by emergencies happen constantly and harm passengers,
airlines and airports’ profit together. Since this, this paper
subdivides airports’ main customer through the survey of
passengers and airlines’ behavior in detainment, brings
CRM theory into detainment disposal for airport, makes
proper CRM strategy and tactics, and ensure passengers
installed appropriately, decline airlines’ loss and keep
airport orderliness. The main conclusions are as follow.
(1)Since airlines’ detainment disposal varies, CRM
strategy of airlines should be established depending on
their behavior. Under this strategy’s guidance, airport can
help them disposal detainment and serve passengers by
providing extra service and achieve profit maximum.
(2)Detained passengers’ behavior varies from time,
so their tactics should be set up according to both their
behavior and behavior trend in different time.
(3)Bring CRM theory into airport detainment
disposal can ensure passengers’ rights and profits, decline
airlines’ loss and achieve the airport’s profit maximum.
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