Procurement Professional is the official publication of CIPS Australasia

#76 - BREAKING NEWS: Aircraft arrives late at airport

01 Oct 2009

The spate of stories recently over mega-late aircraft arriving at deserted airports has spared none of the local carriers. Jetstar (last week) copped the flak, but in the past Tiger, Qantas and even Virgin Blue on occasion have taken the heat.

http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/jetstar-passengers-angry-after-shocking-tarmac-wait-20090916-fqbm.html 

In fact, a recent piece in 'The Age' went even further; alleging airlines are telling porkies when aircraft are late [http://blogs.theage.com.au/travel/travellerscheck/]  The truth is that the reason 'planes are late is almost irrelevant when you are the one stuck waiting for a flight. Though the most galling excuse is always "we apologise for the delay in your flight, it is due to the late arrival of the incoming flight”, implying it is not their fault; when ultimately it is.

Apart from signaling a slow-news day, this new awareness of the problem also signals a change in customer attitude. But not so much about tardy customer service, as security of supply. People make plans expecting a secure supply line. Business travelers have long known this. Security of supply is increasingly important in a busy and complex world. And business travelers can calculate how much these let downs have cost them. Which is why people with important schedules might choose carriers with multiple services and, therefore, multiple options for when a ‘plane inevitably no-shows.

This example is a microcosm of a wider issue. Security of supply is the new standard. And the more complex a supply line, the greater the cost when it does fail.

The Buyer – posted 1st October 2009