Process Mix The process of airline service lays emphasis on the involvement of channels, front line staff, travel

agency offices, offices of the tour operators or so form where the services flow & reach to the ultimate users. The process begins at the time of reservation goes on to the confirmation of seats. For e.g.: Computer reservation system of Indian Airlines enables any reservation request from anywhere in the world to be auctioned in minutes. The reservation facility is accessible through all-major computerized reservation system of the world. By giving details of where to book and how to book airlines help in providing quality services to the customers. They also offer concession, by not charging any cancellation charges and also giving them the option to make a change in the reservation status if he requests so on the presentation of ticket, all these facilities go a long way in increasing passenger convenience. Then facilities at the airport, the baggage handling, flight information, etc. also helps in delivering quality service and making travel a pleasure. In the aircraft the meal service, in-flight entertainment, reading material, in-flight amenities, etc. help the customers, the travelers to have an enjoyable and convenient travel. All these procedures form a part of the total process designed to deliver quality service. Airlines are making every effort to constantly redefine service procedures to enhance service satisfaction levels. Physical Evidence Physical Evidence refers to the environment in which the service is delivered and where the service industry and customer interact. The aircraft by itself, the seating configuration meant to be comfortable and spacious, and the in-flight food provide physical evidence to the airline service. The Boeing Company and The Airbus Industry are the best commercial aircraft makers and almost all airline industries make use of one of these airlines. The seating is such that it is comfortable and there is enough leg space The in-flight food is another, important aspect, a wide selection of meals is offered to the passengers. Passengers are requested to indicate their reference at the time of reservation itself. Delta Airlines has introduced new sleeper seats with electric controls for reclining lumbar support, leg rest extension, expanded seat back height for a more insulated environment etc. thus providing highly comfortable seating. Booking offices, ticket counters, etc. must be spacious and well designed with good looks. Further the air crafts must be given good exteriors and must be maintained wel1. The aircraft must have elegant interiors and must be incorporated with all basic facilities. The aircrafts must have well designed seats with more leg room especially in the business class. Domestic lounges are enhanced with good interiors and basic amenities which will make it an ideal place to conduct business, entertain or relax. The jet logo prominently displayed on each of its aircrafts, is used a cue to trigger of a reminder of the customers experience at Jet & also of all the values that jet airways stands for.

The physical evidence would also include the other facilities in the aircraft. Some of the bigger aircrafts have more than the usual facilities on board. These sort of tangible clues act as identification marks for the airline & help the customer to evaluate on airline from another. Quality Dimensions: RATER Analysis Customers dont assess the quality of service on one dimension only, they use multiple parameters to judge the quality of the service that they are being offered. These characteristics which people consider vary from person to person, industry to industry. Even depend upon the product on offer. Because of the intangibility and multifaceted nature of many services, it may be harder to evaluate the quality of a service than a good. Because the customers are often involved in the service production a distinction needs to be drawn between the process of service delivery and the actual output of the service. The most extensive research into service quality is strongly user oriented.

Services are broadly classified into 10 dimensions namely: Tangibility Reliability Responsiveness Competence Courtesy Credibility Security Access Communication Understanding the customer

Since most of these dimensions are overlapping they were pooled down to five dimensions as given below: Reliability Assurance Tangibles Empathy Responsiveness

When we look at these dimensions with respect to the airline industry we find that the following service qualities are expected by the customer.

Reliability flights to promised destinations depart and Arrive on schedule Assurance trusted name, good safety record, Competent employees Tangibles aircraft, ticketing counters, baggage area, uniforms Empathy understanding of special individual needs, anticipates customer needs Responsiveness - prompt and speedy system for ticketing, in- flight, baggage handling

RELIABILITY Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately.

This would basically be that company delivers to the customer what is promised & the customers basically like to deal with companies that can fulfill their promises. When we look at the airline industry we can see the following things the customer would expect certain basic facilities like: some functional infrastructure provided to him, the flight leaving & taking off on time, the luggage reaching safely. ASSURANCE Employees knowledge and courtesy and their ability to inspire trust and confidence Assurance relates to knowledge and accuracy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence. This dimension is of great significance for services where a customer perceives high risk and is not sure of the outcomes. The employees should have a positive morale & should be motivated if they have to promote the firm & create a sense of assurance in the flyers mind. Jet Airways is generally considered the more customer friendly of the domestic airlines. The staff there is nicer to old people or little kids who might be travelling. Though Jet has a very young staff, so some of the members could possibly not match the kind of experience the Indian Airlines crew has. Suppose some senior citizen is travelling alone in an aircraft for the first time the crew should see to it that he is given proper instructions & is comfortably settled in his seat. Besides this, after the September 11 crisis, there was a lot of scepticism in the fliers & to instill a little confidence in the consumers mind, the government paid greater emphasis on security in the aviation policy. This was all so that people would feel safe next time they traveled by air. `They would appoint a committee and look into the recommendations provided by them to better the security arrangements in the airplanes & airports.

TANGIBLES Appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel and written materials Tangible features would be those physical features, which can be seen by the customer. These would be the physical proofs, which would help the customer to judge the quality of service. The customers evaluate the quality of these services on the basis of the tangibles provided by the service providers. The marketers of services emphasize on tangiblising the intangibles. Incase of the airline itd be the aircraft that the airline uses, how old they are, and the kind of facilities that are provided inside the aircraft or in the waiting area. The technology used for baggage handling. The coaches used to transport the customer to the aircraft, all of these speak leaps & bounds about the service provider. The kind of skilled staff that they have the uniform that the staff wears.The tangibles would also include the infrastructural facilities present at the airports. This is where we find most of the Indian airports lacking. They have no proper arrangements to handle the customers. When we look at the aircraft fleet that is a very important tangible feature, and we find that Indian Airlines has a really ancient fleet of aircrafts which doesnt make it extremely safe as older planes are more prone to damage. Whereas, Jet Airways has the youngest fleet in the business. Empathy Caring, Individualized attention given to customers Empathy basically is when the employees of the organisation make the customer feel at home, at ease, making him feel wanted. The customers are mostly offered the same service from most of the airlines. The easiest way for an airline the maintain and grow its client base is to be empathetic towards their customers, to understand their specific needs and to cater to them & they should make each customer feel like he is a unique asset to the company & like their single most important client.

Addressing the clients by their first names, keeping a track of their usual flying routes, their preferences in flight & catering to all of those, maybe giving him his favorite seat each time he travels.

Responsiveness Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. Responsiveness is willingness to help the customers and provide prompt service The degree of responsiveness shows the level of commitment that the people of the company have towards their work. It is very necessary for the company to concentrate on prompt & the right kind of responsiveness to the needs of the customer. Incase, a certain passenger doesnt like a certain meal served on the plane, the cabin crew should be in a position to offer him an alternative meal in little time, as his perception or opinion of the airline company would mainly depend upon whether he goes satisfied on this complaint or not. Care should be taken that prompt response and top quality service is provided to satisfy all of the customers needs.

SERVICE ENCOUNTER The interaction between the customer and service provider in the airline industry means that the employee often represents the company to the airline travelers (customers). Especially in the airline industry the service encounter plays a significant role because here the customer comes in direct contact with the employees of the airline company and spends a lot of time in the service factory (the aircraft). Hence the issue of staff presentation is a major tangible factor in the airline industry. This in turn influences the satisfaction level of the customer. The airline companys organizational structure and culture dictates the extent to which responsibility for staff recruitment, training and motivation is shared between marketing operations and human resources. For service marketers in this industry, the core of service element is the interaction between those providing services and the customer is known as service encounter. CRITICAL INCIDENTS Critical incidents are specific encounters between customers and service employees that are especially satisfying or dissatisfying for one or both parties. In the airline industry critical incidents are very important as they help the company evaluate and measure satisfaction level of the customers. The critical incident technique is a methodology for collecting and categorizing such incidents in service encounters.