The heralding of a new plane comes with much fanfare as to how it is vastly superior, i.e., more economical to operate with far greater customer comfort. Having now flown three times on the Dreamliner (Toyko – Denver, Los Angeles – Melbourne, Melbourne – Denver), my vote is in. There is not a good seat in business/first in which you are assured a restful night’s sleep.
Why? The airplane is made with such ergonomic lightweight material, if you are sitting in 1K , 1L, 5A, or 5B you hear the toilet flush with its powerful suction. If you are in 1A, 1B, 5A, 5B, 5K, 5L, 6A, 6B, 6K, or 6L, you are blinded by the light emanating from the galleys that are located in front of row 1 and between rows 5 and 6. The flight attendant crews chatter along night long in both galleys. When preparing to serve meals, they are constantly opening and slamming the many doors in which the newspapers, linens, rickety table carts, the liquor, and food are stored.
What about rows 2, 3, 4 or 7 or 8? While the distractions abate slightly, you aren’t assured of getting your choice of meals. In you are sitting in rows 9 to the back of the plane, you feel you are a part of a college football game sitting in an antiquated stadium. Want to control the window shade? There is no such thing. You ability to see out from window seats is controlled by the pursuer.
Thus, if you are traveling overseas, the 777, 767 and 747 along with the Airbus 380 offer vastly improved customer comfort. The bulk head seats on the 777, the 767 that provide reverse pods, the upper deck of the 747 and anywhere in the upper deck of the Airbus 380 provide proper environment for a 12+ hour flight.
The lesson for the Golf Course Operator: Just because something is new, doesn’t make it better. While it is the goal of every business to become more efficient, it should not come at the expense of the customer experience. 88% of golf courses don’t engage in secret shopper. That is a practice that all golf courses should adopt. JJKeegan+ offers an Excel workbook that highlights 250 customer touch points (http://www.golfconvergence.solutions/golf-executive-management-system/) to an enlightened customer golf experience.
