UpgradingGuidingFocusonlessfrequentlytravellingairlinecustomersRikuPöljöBachelor’sthesisNovember2015SchoolofBusinessandServiceManagementDegreeProgrammeinTourism

Description

Author(s)Pöljö,Riku

TypeofpublicationBachelor’sthesis

Date16.11.2015

Numberofpages46

Languageofpublication:English

Permissionforwebpubli-cation:x

TitleofpublicationUpgradingGuidingFocusonlessfrequentlytravellingairlinecustomers

DegreeprogrammeDegreeProgrammeinTourism

Supervisor(s)Blinnikka,PetraAssignedbyNieminen,MarikaandLeppikangas,Pirjo-Sisko,FinnairPlc

Description

Themainpurposeofthethesiswastoreacttotheindustry-widetrendofsimplifyingpro-cesses,flowingthecustomerjourneyandimplementingself-serviceinthecustomerjour-ney.TheaimoftheresearchwastoidentifythemesonwhatthelessfrequentlytravellingFinnaircustomersexpectedandexperiencedduringthecustomerjourneyandguidingatHelsinkiAirportasacasestudy.

Semi-structuredinterviewswereexecutedonthetargetedcustomersegmentatthedepar-turegatesandarrivalhallatHelsinkiAirport,whereatotalofthirteendeparting,transitingandarrivingpassengerswereinterviewed.Theaimwastoidentifythemesaroundfearanduncertaintyfactorsandthefactorsofbest-casescenarioslinkedintheserviceprocessesattheairport.Theinterviewswerequalitativelyanalyzedbyusingphenomenography.

Accordingtothestudy,thecustomersexpectedtoexperienceaneffortlessandflowingjourneywithoutanynegativesurprises.Theinterviewees’expectationstowardstheper-sonnelweretogetsupport,reliability,clearcommunications,professionalismandpersonalrecognition.Thecustomerexperiences,ontheotherhand,werelinkedtypicallyinsur-roundings,personnel,self-service,one’sownjourneyandthepassengers’fearsandirritat-ingfactors.Itwasfoundoutthattheimportanceofguidingbyhumanpersonnelwasmuchneededintermsofthejourneyflow.Customersvaluedguidinginenhancingthesmooth-nessofthejourney,reducingstressfulfactorsaswellasfacingneworpreviouslyunknownfactorsorexperiences.

Theresultscanbeusedforfurtherdevelopmentoftheguidingroleandthecustomerjour-neyattheairport.Developingtheguidingroletoamoreindividualandinnovativedirec-tion,awiderfutureresearchcouldbeconducted.

Keywords(subjects)Guiding,ExpectedService,PerceivedService,AirlineIndustry,Airlines,IATAFastTravelProgramme,Self-Service,QualitativeResearchMiscellanous

Kuvailulehti

Tekijä(t)Pöljö,Riku

JulkaisunlajiOpinnäytetyö,AMK

Päivämäärä16.11.2015

Sivumäärä46

JulkaisunkieliEnglanti

Verkkojulkaisulupamyönnetty:x

TyönnimiOpastustakehittämässäTutkimuslentoyhtiönharvoinmatkustavistaasiakkaista

Tutkinto-ohjelmaMatkailunkoulutusohjelma

Työnohjaaja(t)PetraBlinnikkaToimeksiantaja(t)MarikaNieminenjaPirjo-SiskoLeppikangas,FinnairOy

Tiivistelmä

Ilmailualallavallitsevaglobaalitrendi–prosessienyksinkertaistaminen,palvelukokemuk-senja-polunsujuvoittaminenjaitsepalvelunlisääminenmatkustajanpalvelupolulla–onmuokannutlentoyhtiöidenpalvelutapoja.TämäntutkimuksentavoitteenaoliselvittäätapaustutkimuksenalentoyhtiöFinnairinharvemminmatkustavienmatkustajienodotuksiajakokemuksiapalvelupolustajaopastuksestaHelsinki-Vantaanlentoasemalla.

Yhteensäkolmeatoistalähtevää,vaihtavaajasaapuvaamatkustajaahaastateltiinteema-haastatteluinHelsinki-Vantaanlentoasemanlähtöporteillajatuloaulassa.Haastattelujentavoitteenaoliselvittäälentoasemanpalvelupolkuunliittyviäpelkojajaepävarmuustekijöi-täsekäerinomaisestionnistuneidenpalvelutilanteidentekijöitä.Aineistoanalysoitiinlaa-dullisestifenomenografiaaavuksikäyttäen.

Tutkimuksenmukaanmatkustajatodottivat,ettäpalvelupolkuonheillevaivaton,sujuvajavaillanegatiivisiayllätyksiä.Opastavaltahenkilökunnaltahaastatellutodottivattukea,luo-tettavuutta,selkeääviestintää,ammatillistaosaamistajamatkustajanhenkilökohtaistahuomioimista.Matkustajienkokemuksettaasliittyivättyypillisestiympäristöön,henkilö-kuntaan,itsepalveluun,omaanmatkaansekämatkustajienpelkoihinjaärsytyksiin.Lento-yhtiönhenkilökunnantoteuttamaopastuskoettiinarvokkaaksijatarpeelliseksipalvelupo-lunsujuvuudenkannalta.Opastuskoettiintärkeänämyösstressiäaiheuttavientekijöidenpoistamisessajauusientilanteidenkohtaamisessa.

Tutkimustulostenpohjaltamatkustajienpalvelupolkuajahenkilökunnanopastusroolialentokentänprosesseissavoidaankehittääedelleen.Opastusroolinkehittämistäeliyksilöl-listämistä,lisämyynnillistäpuoltajaroolininnovatiivistahyödyntämistätulisikuitenkintutkialaajemmin.Avainsanat(asiasanat)opastus,odotettupalvelu,koettupalvelu,ilmailuala,lentoyhtiöt,IATAFastTravelProg-ramme,itsepalvelu,laadullinentutkimusMuuttiedot

Content

1 Introduction..................................................................................................................1

1.1 ResearchProblemsandResearchQuestions........................................................................31.2 ResearchObjectives.........................................................................................................................41.3 FinnairPlcinBrief............................................................................................................................4

2 TheOperationalCharacteristicsAndChangesInTheCommercialAirline

ServiceProcesses...............................................................................................................5

3 CreatingValueintheServiceProcess...............................................................10

3.1 ServiceandServiceProcess.......................................................................................................103.2 ServiceValue....................................................................................................................................123.3 TheBlueprintModelandCustomerJourney.....................................................................123.4 GuidanceandCustomerExperienceatHelsinkiAirport..............................................143.5 FocusonLeisureTravellers......................................................................................................16

4 ServiceQuality..........................................................................................................16

5 MethodologyandResearchProcess..................................................................20

5.1 ResearchMethods..........................................................................................................................205.2 ResearchProcess............................................................................................................................235.3 AnalysisMethods...........................................................................................................................24

6 Results..........................................................................................................................25

6.1 Expectations.....................................................................................................................................266.2 PerceivedCustomerExperience..............................................................................................29

7 ConclusionandDiscussion....................................................................................33

References.........................................................................................................................39

Appendices........................................................................................................................42

Appendix1.Thebasisformfortheinterview...............................................................................42

Figures

Figure1.SummarizingtheBlueprintmodel……………………………………………………………....13

Figure2.TotalPerceivedQuality………………………………………………………………………………18

Figure3.Thesevencriteriaofperceivedservicequalitysummarized………………………...20

Figure4.FactorsfoundtoaffecttheExpectationsAboutAirlineStaff………………………....27

Figure5.FactorsfoundtoaffectthePerceivedCustomerExperience……………………...….29

Tables

Table1.KeyTermsintheThesisandTheirExplanations…………………………………………..2

1

1 Introduction

Themostvisiblephenomenonbehindtheimportanceofpassengerguidanceat

airports,andthepurposeofthisthesisisautomatizingprocessesinairportser-

viceenvironments.AccordingtothescenariobyTheInternationalAirTranspor-

tationAssociation,IATA,(Best2013)fullyautomatedairportserviceprocesses

shouldbeprovidedto80%ofthecommercialpassengersbytheyear2020.This

isduetopartlyaboutgoingmorestreamlinedandsimplifyingprocessesforthe

customerbutpartlyaboutcost-effectivesolutionsforthecompanies–keeping

theindustryalive.Companiesfromthefieldsofindustrywithhighfixedcosts,

suchasairlinesandthewholeaviationindustry,areputunderahigheconomical

pressuretooptimizeworkforceandresourcesandinventingcost-effectivesolu-

tions.Includingthecustomersfirmlyintotheautomatizedcustomerservicepro-

cessesisattractivefortheairlinesandtheycantakeadvantageofitforagood

reason.Theproblemisthatbyautomatizingprocessesandincludingcustomers

tightertotheserviceprocessbyimplementingmoreandmoreself-serviceinthe

process,theroleofcustomerservicepersonnelmightexperiencearadical

changefromtransaction-orientedactionstoamoreguiding-orprocesssupervis-

ing-orienteddirection.Fromthecustomerpointofview,themainconcernsseem

tobewhethertheygetvaluefortheirmoney,anduncertaintytowardsnewsys-

tems,astraditionalface-to-faceservicehasbeenthekindofservicetheyareused

togetfromanairline,eventhough,amorecontrolovertheirownjourneyis

trending.(Fordhametal.2013,Best2013.)Low-costcarriers,suchasSouthwest

Airlines,RyanairandNorwegianhavepavedthewayforthisdirectionbysimpli-

fyingtheirprocesses,whilecuttingfromthestaffpresenceintheserviceprocess,

tomorefunction-orientedprocesses.

AccordingtoIATAFactSheet:FastTravel(2015)thebackgroundforthewhole

FastTravelinitiativeisnotonlytorespondtotherapidevolutionoftechnology,

customerdemandforfasterandeasedcustomerprocessesbutalsotoraiseair-

linecost-effectivenessandtoimproveandtofocusoncustomerservice.Itcould

beeasilysaidthatgivingmoreresponsibilitytothecustomerandraisingtheper-

centageofself-serviceintheoverallprocesswouldmeanthatthereislessneed

2

fortraditionalservicepersonnel.Thismaybethecaseincertainprocessessuch

ascheck-inandbagdrop,forthosepassengersusingairlineservicesfrequently

andthosenotneedinganyirregularproceduresorspecialattentioninthebasic

actionsofacustomerjourney,butasairtransportationbecomesmoreaccessible

formorepeople,alsothepercentageofthosetravellingforthefirsttimeorless

frequentlybecomeshigher.

Thisthesishasafocusontheconstantneedtoreacttothepassengers’,especially

thelessfrequentlytravellingpassengers’,needsforguidanceattheairportser-

viceprocessesatHelsinkiAirport,andhowthecommissionerofthethesis,Fin-

nairPlc,coulddeveloptheircustomerservicefromacertaincustomersegment

pointofview.

Someofthetermsareopenedupinthisthesiswhentheyappearinthetextbut

someofthemostimportantandcommonlyusedtermsareexplainedinthefol-

lowingTable1.Theexplanationswilltiethefollowingtermstotherightcontext

astheymayhavemeaningsinothercontextsaswell.

Term Explanation(Citedinthisstudyas)

AirlinePersonnel/Staff/Agent Airlineemployeesincustomerservicetasksattheairport

BaggageDrop

Apointattheairportdeparturehall,wherepassengersleavetheirbaggagetobecarriedintotheholdoftheair-

craft.

BoardingAprocedureatthedeparturegateattheairport,wherepassengersproceed

totheaircraft.

Check-inAprocedureatthedeparturehallattheairportoronline,wherepassen-gersregisterthemselvesontheflight.

CustomerJourney

Thepathandallitstouchpointsthatpassengergoesthroughtoconsumetheservice.Oftenreferredasthepas-

sengerjourneyattheairport.

CustomerSegmentAcertaingroupofpassengersthatsharethesamebehaviour,needsand

expectations.

Guiding/Guidance

Mostlyreferredasairlinepersonnelactions,thoseincludegivingadvicetoandsupportingthepassengers’cus-

tomerjourney.

3

LessFrequentlyTravellingPassengersPassengerstravellingabroadbyaironce,twiceormaximumthreetimesa

yearTable1.KeyTermsintheThesisandTheirExplanations

1.1 ResearchProblemsandResearchQuestions

EverycompanythesizeofFinnairthatisinterestedinthevaluetheyprovideto

theircustomerscollectsquantitativeandqualitativedatathroughvariousdiffer-

entcustomerfeedbackchannels.Thepreviousandcollectedknowledgeabout

thecustomerareacritical,highlyvaluable,sourceindevelopingservices.How-

ever,regardingtheserviceprocesstheairlineshave,customersarerarelysys-

tematicallyinterviewedabouttheirfeelings,perceptionsandexpectationsabout

theserviceprocessorcustomerjourneyattheairport–seldomaboutguidance

infocusandinterviewsexecutedon-siteduringthecustomerjourney.Passenger

feedbackaboutguidingcanbegiventoFinnairthroughanopenonlinefeedback

formatfinnair.com,throughaFinnaircustomersatisfactionsurveyanddirectly

toFinnairstaffattheairport.Itmaybeproblematicintermsofvaliditywhen

customers’voiceismoreofafeedbacktothecompanythananinterviewonthe

serviceprocessconductedbyanoutsider.Theresultsmaybeeasilybiasedde-

pendingontheexperienceofthecustomeraboutthecompanyortheindustryas

awholeandtherealexpectationsandexperiencesmaystaywithinthecustom-

ers’mind.

Theresearchprobleminthisstudyistoacknowledgetheexpectations,experi-

encesandtheguidanceaswellascriticaltouchpointsinthecustomerjourneyof

alessfrequentlytravellingFinnaircustomeratHelsinkiAirport.Thatmakesthe

mainresearchquestionsthefollowing:

• HowdoesalessfrequentlytravellingFinnaircustomerperceiveguidance

intheserviceprocessatHelsinkiAirport?

• Whatkindofguidanceandserviceisbeingexpectedandneededfromthe

Finnairstaffbylessfrequentlytravellingpassengers?

4

1.2 ResearchObjectives

Theobjectivesforthisresearcharetohearthebestandworst-casescenariosof

customerjourneyattheairportdirectlyfromthepassengers,gatherqualitative

dataconcerningguidanceatHelsinkiAirportfromthelessfrequentlytravelling

customersegment.Thiswillgivesupporttothedevelopmentandimprovements

ofthecustomerexperienceingroundprocessesthroughbettercustomerunder-

standing.AnothergoalistogiveknowledgeandtoolsforFinnairstafftoshape

andcrafttheirguidanceandprofessionalroleandskillsthroughabettercustom-

erunderstanding.

Theresearchobjectiveisalsotosupportfutureconceptualizationofservicepro-

cessesandworkingroles.Asserviceisaconstantlytransformingandtime-

sensitivesubject,constantresearchandreformmustbedoneforserviceexcel-

lence.Moreover,whatthefuturebringsalongwithself-serviceinfusedprocesses

willraisetheimportanceofguidingandmoreconceptualizedairlinestaffjob

descriptionsfrommultiplepointsofview;forexamplebrandengagementand

passengerflow.

1.3 FinnairPlcinBrief

Finnair,foundedin1923asAeroO/Y,isoneoftheoldestcontinuallyoperating

airlinesintheworld.Today,Finnaircoversover70destinationsworldwideand

withtheircode-sharenetworkwithoneworldallianceaswellaswithotherco-

operations,Finnair’scustomerscanreachuptoaround1000destinationsinover

150countries.(Finnair2014,5)FinnairhasbeennamedasNorthernEurope’s

BestAirlinefiveyearsinarowsince2010(Finnair2015a)byarenownedairline

researchandevaluationorganisationSkytrax,whichalsoratesFinnairasa4-star

airlineinproductandservicequality(Skytrax2015).

Finnair’soperationalmissionistoofferthesmoothestconnectionsandone-of-a-

kindNordicexperienceinthenorthernhemispherewithitsownroutestrategy

andoneworldalliancecooperation.Finnairspecializesinbeingthelinkbetween

theFarEastandEurope.TheFarEasthasastrongpresenceinFinnair’sstrategic

objectivesasFinnairaimstodoubletheirAsianrevenuebytheyear2020from

5

therevenuelevelof2010.HelsinkiAirportbeingFinnair’shubairportandHel-

sinkibeinglocatedgeographicallyinashortestroutefromEuropetotheFarEast

isarealcompetitiveadvantageforFinnairandthebasisfortheirstrategy(Fin-

nair2015a).

Finnairhasdividedtheirimplementationofstrategyintofourfocusareas;profit-

ablegrowth,costcompetitiveness,customerexperienceandinternationalwin-

ningteam.(Finnair2015a)ThelasttwoofthefocusareasareasignthatFinnair

putsahighemphasisonthecustomerexperienceandthedeliveryofaFinnair

experience.FinnairGroupemploysaround4500employeesoutofwhichabout6

percentareworkingunderFinnairGroundServices;theunit,wheretheFinnair

customerservicepersonnelworkingattheFinnishairportsbelongandtheunit

deliveringtheFinnairexperienceattheairporttoacustomerinthefirsthand

(Finnair2014,47-50).Finnairmarkscustomersatisfactionasoneoftheirkey

performanceindicators(ibid.,13),whichaccentstheimportanceofcoherentcus-

tomerserviceprocessesandasmoothcustomerjourney–atrueNordicexperi-

ence.

2 TheOperationalCharacteristicsAndChangesInTheCom-

mercialAirlineServiceProcesses

Generally,airportsareareasthathaveacomplexandspecificinfrastructureand

design.Whenyoutaketheairportfunctionsintotheirbasicsanddonottakeinto

accountthedesignfactors,theinfrastructureofallairportscanbedividedinto

twoparts:thelandsideandtheairside.Incommonlanguageandfromthepas-

sengerpointofview,thelandsideistheareawherethefunctionshappenbefore

thesecuritycontrolandairsidecanbeunderstoodastheareaafterthesecurity

control.Thetypicallandsideintheairportareaconsistsofsupportinginfrastruc-

turelinkedtotheaccessoftheairportsuchasroads,railwaysandparkingareas

andthepre-security-control-sideoftheterminalbuilding.Thetypicalairsideof

theairportconsistsofpost-security-control-sideoftheterminalandaircraftop-

erations,whicharelessvisibleforthecustomer;includingforexampletaxiways

6

andrunways,hangars,aircraftstandsandmaintenance,rampandapronareaas

wellasafirestation(FAA1988).

Similartothecommonnatureofairportsbasicfunctionsmentionedabove,the

basicsofacustomerjourneyinacommercialairportarequitealikeinallair-

ports.Thejourneyincludesarrivingtotheairportlandsideoneawayoranother,

goingthroughtheairline’sdepartureprocessessuchascheck-inandbaggage

drop,passingthesecuritycontroltotheairside,possibletraveldocumentchecks

ifexitingthepassport-freeareaandenteringtheaircraftthroughadeparture

gate.Whenlandingatanairport,thejourneyiscounterwise;exittheaircraftto

theairportfacilities,possiblearrivaldocumentchecks,collectthebaggageand

exittheairportfacilities.Themainpurposeofacommercialairportistofacilitate

themovementofpassengersandtheirphysicalandintangibletravelneeds.

Lookingbacktothehistoryofcommercialaviation,sincethefirstcommercial

flightcarryingonepassengerin1914tothenumbersofyear2014whenover

100000fightscarriedaround8millionpassengers,oneofthebiggestchangesin

theindustry,alongsidewithtechnicalimprovementinaircraftsandairportfacili-

ties,wasthat100%offlightticketscouldbeissuedaselectronicticketsin2008.

E-ticketinghasbeenagreatdealforairlines:bringingnotablecostsavingsand

improvedcustomerconvenience.Theindustrychangefromtraditionalpaper

ticketingeratoadigitale-ticketingerawasnotonlyahugestepforredesigning

thecustomerjourneyandproceduresaswellassystemsattheairportsandair-

lines,butalsoacrucialmattertoevenimaginesuchthingscommontodayasau-

tomaticcheck-inorotherbitsoftheFastTravelInitiative(IATA,E-ticketing).

TravellingFastTowardsTheFuture

IATA’sFastTravelprogramispartofIATA’slargerSimplifyingtheBusiness(StB)

programthecoreofwhichisinthetopic--tosimplifythebusinessinitsmany

differentaspects.ThegoalforStBisnotonlytoreacttoandtodeveloptheeco-

nomicsideofthebusinessaswellascustomerexperiencebutalsoto“makethe

industryeasiertodobusinesswithforbothcustomersandpartners”(IATA

2015).

7

TheFastTravelprogramhasitsfocusonraisingthenumberandlevelofself-

serviceprocessesanditsimplementationisdividedintosixareas:

1. Check-in

2. Bagsready-to-go

3. Documentcheck

4. Flightrebooking

5. Self-boarding

6. Bagrecovery.

Fromacustomerpoint-of-viewthismeansthatinsteadofanairlineagentdoing

allthework,moreresponsibilityinexecutingtheprocesspointsisgiventothe

customer.FastTravelemphasisisonmostofthecustomersanditisnaturally

understoodthatthereareandwillbepassengerswhoneedspecialattention

fromanairlineagent.

TheFastTraveldesiredcustomerjourneywouldgothefollowingway.The

check-inisdoneeitherautomatically,usingcheck-inkiosksattheairport,using

theInternetorbyamobileapplication.Beforethebagdrop,thebagtagisal-

readyattachedtothebag.Atthetimeofwriting,therearealreadyreusable,digi-

talbagtagspoweredbytheRFIDtechnologyavailableonsomeairlinesbutthe

stickerpaperbagtagstillhasthemajorityofusers.Thepaperbagtagscanbe

printedfromkiosksorattheself-servicebagdropmachinesattheairport,de-

pendingonthesystem.Thenextstepwouldbe,inmostcases,togothroughthe

securitycontrolthathasitsowndevelopmentprogramundertheStBprogram,

SmartSecurityproject(IATA2015).Documentcheckscanbedoneusingaself-

servicemachine.Self-boardingthroughmachines,e-gates,ispossiblebyscanning

theboardingpass.Iftherewastobeadelay,cancellationorotherkindofirregu-

larityinthecustomerjourney,itwouldbepossibleforthecustomertouseself-

servicechannelssuchaskiosks,webormobileapplicationstomanagethepas-

senger’sownjourney,suchasflightre-bookingorrefunds/compensationfrom

theinterruptionofthejourney.ThesearetheareasofFastTravelimplementa-

tionwhendepartingortransferring.TheFasttravelprogramaffectsthearriving

partofthejourneybyofferingaself-servicebagrecoverythroughkiosks,webor

mobilewhenbaggageisbroken,lostorotherwisemishandled(Best2015).

8

AccordingtoBest(2015),IATA’sgoalisthat80%ofpassengerswouldbeoffered

acoherentFastTravelexperiencegloballybytheyear2020.Whilethewhole

projectisstillinitsinfancy,24,4%ofutilizationrateofthewholeFastTravel

program(IATA),thefinishline,year2020,isnotthatfaraway.Theraised

amountandlevelofself-serviceandself-serviceinfusedsystemshavetheirsides.

Fromthecustomerpoint-of-view,especially,iftheairportfacilitiescannotkeep

upinsizeandservicesforthegrowingnumberofpassengers,theFastTravel

programofferseaseandflowforasmoothjourney.

Usingself-servicemachinesandappliancesisnotaneverydaytaskforthosenot

usedtousingthem,butwithalittleguidanceandinoverall,self-servicetakethe

customerflowattheairporttoanotherlevel.Ontheotherhand,fromtheairline

side,traditionalagentroles,suchasthesystemsandwaystooperateingeneral,

areonthetransformationtablewhentheamountofself-servicegetsup.Self-

serviceprocessesprovidemoretimedisposablefortheairlinestafftofocuson

thecustomersinneedofassistanceandtoconcentrateinthoseprocedures

wherestaffpresenceandactionsareneededmoresuchassolvingpossibleirreg-

ularitiesandotherbarriersinthecustomerjourneyordoingancillarysalesfor

example.

Thescenariosofthedirectionofthefuturepassengerjourneyaregoingtobe

straightforwardbytheindustryauthorities,IATA.Aspecialreportaboutthefu-

tureofairtravelinAirlinesInternational(2013)addressedfivethemestobe

developedinthefuture:”Airlineproducts;PassengerData;Real-TimeInteraction;

HassleFreeandASeamlessEnd-to-EndJourney”.Onescenarioofthefuturepas-

sengerjourneyisdesignedtobeas:

Theywilldroptheirbagsoffataconvenientlocation,catchatraintotheairport,walkthroughalesscrowdedfacilitybarelystoppingun-

lesstheywantto,andboardaplanelookingforwardtothemealand

inflightentertainmentoftheirchoosing.Attheirdestinationtheywill

berelaxedastheyspeedthroughimmigrationandmaketheirwayto

thehotelwheretheirbagswillbedelivered.(AirlinesInternational

2013.)

Naturally,itmustbetakenintoaccountthattheindustrymustworktogetherto

makethestepstowardsthisdirection.Co-operationwithmultiplestakeholders

9

iscrucialandtomentionafew;airlines,airports,funders,designers,systempro-

vidersandlegislativeauthoritiesmustworktogetherforcompatibilityandin-

dustry-wideresultsindevelopment.AirlinesInternational(2013)citesthatit

wouldbeatotalchaosiftherewerenocommongoalsintheindustry.

HelsinkiAirportandFinnair

ThelargestairportandtheairportwithmostpassengertrafficinFinland,Hel-

sinkiAirportisownedandrunbyFinavia;apubliclimitedcompanywithatotal

ownershipbelongingtotheFinnishState.Finaviahastwenty-fourairportsto

manageallaroundFinlandandalsotakescareoftheairnavigationinsidethe

Finnishborders.Inotherwords,Finaviafacilitatesandsupportstheairlinein-

dustryinFinland(Finavia).

HelsinkiairportisFinnair’shubairport–itisanairportFinnaircancallhome.

Firstopenedin1952forthesummerOlympicsinHelsinki,Helsinkiairporthas

changedalotandgrowntobeoneofthemostimportantandawardedairportsin

NorthernEurope,Europeandevenintheglobalscale.Helsinkiairportconsistsof

twopassengerterminals,threerunwaysand33operatingairlines.Thereare

over15millionpassengersperyearatHelsinkiairportandtheairportholdsover

20000employeesinitssurroundings(ibid.).

FinnairandFinaviashareastrategicpointinusingthegeographicallocationof

HelsinkiasanefficientandshortrouteconnectingEuropeandAsia.Helsinkiair-

portisknownandawardedforitssmoothoperationsforbothdepartingand

transitpassengers.Withhighexpectationsinthepassengernumbergrowth,this

requiresexceptionaldetailsinpassengerflowandstreamlinedprocesses(ibid.).

Moreover,especiallyFinnairflightstoandfromHelsinkiairportarebeingoper-

atedintwohecticactionpeaksdaily.Finnairbeingthemajorairlineoperatingat

Helsinkiairport,thesetwopeaksputtheterminalsunderahighpressuretwicea

day.Well-functioningprocessesbutwithonlyalimitedspacetoagrowingnum-

berofpassengershasforcedtheairporttoadopttheself-servicewaveearlyon,

whichistakingoverthewholeserviceindustry.Technologicallyspeaking,that

meansalotofnewinvestmentsandchangesintheairportfacilitiesbutthefact

10

thatintereststheauthorofthethesisiswhetherthechangewillalsochangethe

customerprocessesandexperience–andtowhichdirectionthechangewilltake

theprocesses.AccordingtotheFastTravelProgrammebyIATA(Best2015),it

seemstobethedirectionoftheairlinesaswellwhenitcomestoadoptingthe

self-service-orientedprocessesbutontheotherhand,customersneedtobe

guidedtorightdirectionsonewayoranother.Forthefacilityowner,Finaviain

thiscase,thiscanbeseenasforexampleaddedsignsandvisualorotherkindof

guidingwhereastheairlinesareleftwithlessspacetoplayintermsofguidance;

oristheskystillthelimitwhenitcomestoinnovativesolutionsinguidingas

well?Thebiggestquestionhereseemstobewhatistherightkindofguidingfor

airlinepassengersbyanairlineattheairportenvironment?Toputitinmore

detail,whatistherightkindofguidanceforaspecificsegmentofpassengersor

evenanindividualpassenger?

3 CreatingValueintheServiceProcess

3.1 ServiceandServiceProcess

Thedefinitionofserviceshasexperiencednote-worthychangeinperspective

overtheyears.Grönroos(2009,77)citesthatthediscussiononthedefinitionof

serviceshasnotbeenveryactiveintherecentyearsthough.Thedefinitionof

serviceshasgonefromtheold,product-orienteddefinitionofservicesbyAmeri-

canMarketingAssociation(1960,21)inwhichservicesareregardedasvendible

orpartofsomethingvendibletorecentdefinitionssuchasKotler’setal(2013,6)

statementofservicesbeingimmaterialactionsorbenefitsthatcannotbeowned

tovariousotherattemptstodefineservices.Grönroos(1998,51)notesthat

manyofthese,atleastprevious,attemptslackthefindingofGummesson(1987,

22)thatservicescanbeexchangedbutnotoftentouchedorexperiencedina

concretemanner.Ontheotherhand,alesstheoreticalperspectiveinthinking

whattheservicesareisthatservicesmaybeconsideredasanorganization,a

coreproduct,aproductaugmentation,aproductsupportoranact(Gilmore

2003,5).

11

Grönroos’(2009,77)definitionofservicesfrom1990inwhichhereferstosays,

“servicesareprocessesconsistingofintangibleactionsthatareproducedand

consumedmostlyatthesametime”.Theseactionshaveaproblem-solvingnature

forthecustomer.Aparticipantorparticipantsintheprocess,whichmaybeei-

therfromtheserviceprovidersideorthecustomerside,executetheprocessin

co-operationandinteractionbetweenand/orbyusingthetangibleandintangi-

bleresourcesoftheparticipants.Grönroospointsout(Op.cit.p.86-87)that

wherethephysicalproductisaboutconsumingthefinalproduct,servicesare

moreaboutconsumingtheprocessandgettinganeedfulfilled,fromtheconsum-

erpointofview,asaresultontheconsumption.Duetotheintangiblenature,to

executeservices,therehavetobeatleastthosetwosides:someonewithaneed

andsomeonewithasolutiontoit.Thetwosidesarenotnecessarilyalwaysina

personaltouchorstraightinteractionwitheachotherbuttheneedandthesolu-

tionhavetobeinplacetocreategroundsforaserviceprocess(Op.cit.p.77).

ThesearethebasiccharacteristicsofservicesaccordingtoGrönroos(2009,79;

1998,53).Zeithamletal.(1985)proposethatthebasiccharacteristicsofservices

areintangibility,inseparability,heterogeneityandperishability,whichsharethe

sameideologiesontheprocessnature,asdoesGrönroos’definition.

Asserviceprocessesarecomposedofservicemoments,whichconsistofim-

portantinteractionswhereconsumerconvergesordivergestheserviceprovider,

calledthemomentsoftruth(Grönroos2009,111;Grönroos2000,72;Grönroos

1998,39-44;Solis2013,61-62),itisbeneficialfortheexperiencedqualitythat

consumer’sexpectationsarefulfilledor/andexceededateverypointoftheser-

viceprocess.Themomentoftruthisalsoextremelycloselylinkedtotheintangi-

blenature,aswellasitsperishableandinseparablenature(Gilmore2003,11;

Meroni&Sangiorgi2011,16-20),ofservicesastheserviceprovidergetsonly

onechancetowintheconsumeronitsside.Perishabilitymeansbasicallythe

sameasmomentsoftruthandbyinseparabilityitismeantthatservicescannot

betakenoutofthecontext.

12

3.2 ServiceValue

Whenitcomestothebasics,valueisdefinedasthecorrelationorrelationship

betweenapriceand/orasacrificeandabenefit.Especiallyinservices,anumeric

pricetagisnottheonlyvalueindicatorasthereismostofteneffort,practising

andplanningneededbeforetheconsumingofaservice.Asservicequalityisal-

waysindividuallyexperienced,soisservicevalue–thereisnosuchthingasa

standardperceivedvaluebutalwaysanindividuallyexperiencedandcreated

value(Tuulaniemi2011,16).

Valueinservices,duetotheuniquecharacteristicsofservices,iscreatedduring

theserviceprocessandaconsumercanbeseenasaco-creatorofvalue(San-

giorgi2013,97).Grönroos(2009,192)suggeststhatservicevaluecannotbe

formedbeforehand.Valueisformedinconsumerprocessesandgainedduring

theprocesses,asisserviceasawhole.However,valuecanbesuggestedbefore-

handandinfactitplaysamajorroleinthetotalperceivedvalue(Op.cit.p.192).

3.3 TheBlueprintModelandCustomerJourney

TheBlueprintmodelisavisualizedwaytopictureserviceprocessesfromvari-

ousviewpointslinkedintheserviceprocess.L.Shostackfirstintroduceditin

HarvardBusinessReviewbackin1984(Shostack1984).Itsgoalistotraceallthe

touchpointsandidentifyalltheresourcesneededintheprocessfromallpro-

cess’stakeholders’perspectivecreatingalogicalcontinuumfortheprocess.The

powerofblueprintinglaysinitsnaturethatistruetothefacts,whenitiscon-

structedcarefullyandprecisely,andrevealsweaknessesintheprocess.There-

fore,blueprintingmaybeusedforcreatinganewserviceproduct,developingan

oldoneordocumentingtheprocesstohelptheserviceproviderknowitspro-

cesses.Ontheotherhand,Tuulaniemi(2011,90-93)states,thattheaccuracyand

detailsdependonthepurposeblueprintingisusedfor.Ifblueprintingisusedfor

figuringoutthebigpictureoftheprocess,itmaybebeneficialnottogettooat-

tachedwiththelittledetails.

Therearetwosidesintheblueprintmodelfordesigningservices:whatwhatis

visibletothecustomerandwhatisinvisibletothecustomer.Thesesidescon-

13

structfourlayersortracksthatmustbetakenintoaccount:customeractions,

serviceprovideractionsinstraightrelationwiththecustomer,thosetechnical

devicesandprogrammesthecustomerisusingduringtheserviceprocessand

thelastoneisthepartofprocessthatiscompletelyinvisibletothecustomerbut

necessarytoexecutetheservice(Tuulaniemi2011,90-93).

Figure1.SummarizingtheBlueprintmodel(Shostack1984,133-139.,Tuulaniemi2011,90-93.).

Thecustomerpartoftheblueprintmodelcanbecalledalsoasacustomerjour-

ney.Acustomerjourneyincludesandpicturesallthetouchpointsandthesignif-

icantfactorsinthecustomer’spathintheserviceprocess.David,Nortonand

Pine(2013,12)statecustomerjourneyas

‘‘Customerjourney,’’inessence,meansthesequenceofevents–

whetherdesignedornot–thatcustomersgothroughtolearnabout,

purchaseandinteractwithcompanyofferings–including

commodities,goods,servicesorexperiences.

Acustomerjourneyissimplyfromwherethecustomeriscoming,whereiss/he

isgoingtoandwheres/heendsandcontinuesto.Whatdoess/hedoalongthe

wayintheserviceprocessandhows/hegetsfromonepointtoanother.Thecus-

tomerjourneyplanningandcustomerjourneyasastrategictoolisanextremely

usefultoolinmanagingcustomerprocesses,identifyingobstacles,innovating

betterservicesandproducts.Mappingacustomerjourneydonerightcanreally

helpacompanytounderstandcustomersandcreateacustomer-centricap-

proachinservicedevelopment(Op.cit.12-17).

• CustomerviewpointinallthetouchpointsintheserviceprocessCustomer

• Serviceproviderviewpointintheserviceprocess-directinteractionwiththecustomerServiceProvider

• Thedevices,programmesandsuchthecustomerisusingduringtheserviceprocessSystems

• ThefunctionsandactionsnecessarytoexecutetheservicebutinvisibleforthecustomerServiceProduction

14

3.4 GuidanceandCustomerExperienceatHelsinkiAirport

Finaviahaspersonnelasguidesallaroundtheairportroamingandguidinginthe

mostbottleneckingareasinthemostbustlinghoursoftheday.Themajorityof

themostvisiblesignsareoutofairlinecontrol–theyaredesigned,implemented

andcontrolledbyFinavia.Finnairhashadtheirownpersonnelasguidesinthe

check-inareasinceintroducingthefirstself-serviceappliances,theself-service

check-inkiosksin2013.Beforethat,theairport,Finavia,mainlyorganizedguid-

anceandinsomeofthemosthecticmomentstheon-dutyFinnaircustomerser-

vicedutymanagerswerehelpinginguidingthepassengersthroughFinnair

check-inandbagdropprocesses.Sincethelaunchofself-servicebagdropappli-

ances,Finnairhashaditsownguidingagentstosupporttheself-serviceprocess-

esandtoguideFinnairpassengersinthecheck-inareaofHelsinkiAirporttermi-

nal2(Leppikangas2015).

FinnairguidanceatthegateareaisshowntothepassengersassignswithFinnair

logosabovethedeparturegates.InJune2015Finavia(FinaviaNewsRoom

2015)introducedHelsinkiAirportasasilentairport.Thismeansthatonlythe

mostnecessaryannouncementsarebeingannouncedandmostpreferablyfo-

cusedonaspecificgatearea.Thereasonistoraisethelevelofcomfortabilityof

thepassengersandimprovethecalmfeelingbeforeandaftertraveling.This

meansmoreresponsibilityisgiventothepassengerintermsoffiguringoutthe

correctgatenumberandbeingthereearlyenough.Moreweightisgivenonthe

airlineface-to-faceguidanceandinteraction.Reducedannouncementscanbe

seenasdecreasingfactorsintheamountofguidanceatthegateareafroman

airlinepoint-of-view.Ifmoreguidanceatthedeparturegateareawillbeneeded,

otherwaysthanannouncementsmustbeused.

Transitandarrivalguidanceontheground,attheairport,ismainlyorganizedby

Finaviaandexecutedbysigns,mapsandFinavia’sandFinnair’sdigitalchannels

suchaswebsitesandmobileapplicationsaswellasFinaviaguidepersonnel.On

thearrivalgate,oneveryFinnairflightarrivinginHelsinki,thereisamemberof

Finnairpersonnel,agateserviceagent,togreetandservethepassengers(Lep-

pikangas2015).

15

Thecurrentpointsinthecustomerjourney,wheretheairlinegroundpersonnel

staffhaveopportunityforinteractionwiththepassengersarewhenthepassen-

gersaredepartingandarriveattheairportterminal,atthecheck-inandbag

droparea,afterthesecuritycontrolatthedeparturegateareaandatthegate.

Whenthepassengersarearrivingfromaflight,theinteractionpointsareatthe

arrivalgateandinthearrivalshall.

AccordingtoLahtinenandIsoviita(1999),thebasicneedsofserviceproduct

customersarethattheywanttoberespected,accepted,appreciated,listened,

servedandtobepartoftheservice.Onthesamepage,theauthorsstatethatthe

keyfactoringreatcustomerserviceis

--toknow,howpeoplewantthemtobetreated.(48.)

Inthemodernairportenvironmentfilledwithself-servicesolutions,thereisa

hugeemphasisontheroleofguiding.Insomecases,especiallyfortheeconomy

passengers,theonlyhumancontactwiththeairlinecompanybeforeenteringthe

aircraftmaybeanairlinestaffmemberinguidancetasks.Thatmeansknowing

the(needsofa)customerandreshapingthewaysofguiding,servingandselling

ancillaryservicesareoneofthemostimportantskillsfortheairlinecustomer

servicepersonnel.Forthecustomer,thatinteractionmayalsobeoneofthekey

determinantsinformingtheimageaboutthecompanyanditsquality.

Marketingandcustomerserviceresearchhavefoundliabilitiesintheconse-

quencesaboutsuccessfulorunsuccessfulcustomerexperienceanditsreflections

toalong-termrelationshipbetweenthecompanyandthecustomeraswellas

image-buildingandattractingnewcustomers.Whetheritisthe1/12–rulewhere

onebrokeninteractionwiththecustomerwouldrequire12successfulinterac-

tionstobefixedorthe3/11–ruleinwhichacustomerwouldshareagoodexpe-

riencewiththreepeopleandacustomerwithanegativeexperiencewouldtell

aboutthebadinteractionforelevenmorepeopleorsomeotherliability,the

mainpointinbetweenthelinesistoavoidbadinteractionsduringtheservice

processandalwaysaimforthegoodones(Lahtinen&Isoviita1999,4-5).

16

3.5 FocusonLeisureTravellers

AccordingtoTheCEOofIPKInternational,RolfFreitag(Freitag,2015)Theglobal

shareofleisuretravellerswas71%ofallthetravellersinyear2014andthe

shareseemstobegrowingeachyear.Amount-wise,leisuretravellersarethe

maincustomersegmentinthewholetourismindustry.Asleisuretravellersare

usuallythoseseldomtravellingkindofcustomerswithhighexpectationson

smoothandeffortlessprocess,theyarealsothesegmentthatislesslikelytokeep

upwiththechangingairportenvironmentsandmodernizingairportprocesses.It

iseasytounderstandthatatripabroadorbyanairplaneonlyafewtimesayear

orevenmoreseldomcanbeanimportanteventinlifeandsecurityandeasemay

beconsideredashighpriorityfactorswhenembarkingonajourney.Afterall,for

thiskindoftravellersajourneyabroadisabouttakingastepawayfromtheeve-

rydaylife–tohaveasuccessfulvacation.

Anassumptioncanbeinfusedthatthistypeofcustomersmayneedmoreguid-

anceattheairportenvironmentthanthosetravellingfrequently,inbusinessin-

tentionsandcommutingpurposesforinstance.Thatiswhyleisuretravellers

maketheprimarycustomersegmenttobestudiedforthisresearch.

4 ServiceQuality

Servicequalityisoftenknownassomethinghowaconsumerexperiencesthe

serviceandhowtheexperienceisinrelationtotheexpectationsoftheconsumer.

Grönroos(2009,100-103;2000,61-68)dividesservicequalityintotwodimen-

sions:technicalqualityandfunctionalqualitythatcreatetheexperiencedquality.

BuswellandWilliams(2003,11)givefunctionalqualityanalternativedenotation

ofinterpersonalquality.Thetechnicalqualitydimensiontellswhatisthefinal

outcomeoftheserviceiswhilethefunctionalqualityconsistsofhowthecon-

sumerreachestheoutcome.Inacommercialairlineindustry,thetechnicalquali-

tyfortheconsumercouldbetogetfromplaceAtoplaceBbyanairplane,asthat

isthedesiredoutcomefortheservice.Asfunctionalqualityishowtheoutcomeis

reached,thefunctionalqualityinthiscaseisalltheprocesses,externalaswellas

internalactionsandfactors.Thesedimensionsthengothrough“theimagefilter”

17

thatsandsofftheedgesoftheexperiencetoeitherworseorbetterdirectionde-

pendingontheconsumer’smind-setabouttheimageoftheserviceprovider.

Thentheexperiencedqualitycanbeassessedorsensed.

AccordingtoGrönroos(2009,104;2000,66),functionalqualityisoftenregarded

asamoreimportantdimensionasthetechnicalqualityneedstobeatanac-

ceptablelevelfortheservicetobeexecuted,butitisthefunctionalqualitythat

fulfilstheexperiencedqualityand,forexample,differentiatestheservicefroma

competitorandcompensatesthepossiblelossinthetechnicalquality.Grönroos

evencitesthatthemomentsoftruthexplainedearlierinthisstudydeterminethe

levelofthefunctionalquality(2009,111).Again,intheairlineindustry,whereall

thecompetitorssharethesametechnicalqualityofmovingconsumersfromthe

placeAtotheplaceB,itisthefunctionalquality,forexampleserviceprocesses

oraccessibility,thatcreatesthecompetitiveadvantagefortheserviceprovider.

TheGrönroosmodelforTotalPerceivedQuality(Grönroos2009,105-106)adds

theexpectedqualitytoexperiencedqualitythatcreateswhatisknownasthe

totalperceivedquality.Theexpectedqualityconsistsofbasicallyallthatisex-

pectedabouttheservicebytheconsumer.Thatincludesfactorssuchasmarket-

ingcommunication,image,salesprocess,word-of-mouthandtheneedsandval-

uesoftheconsumer.ThisprocessisvisualizedinFigure2below.

18

Figure2.TotalPerceivedQuality(Grönroos2000,67).

Pesonenseesthat,duetointangibility,servicescannotbetriedoutorexperi-

encedbeforehand,whichleadstoinsecurityabouttheserviceproductandthe

servicequalitycomparedtoatangible,physicalproduct.Pesonenalsocitesthat

servicescannotbestockedorownedandtheservicequalityisnotthereforeeasi-

lycontrollable.Thesecharacteristicsofservicesleadtothefactthateverysingle

serviceprocessisuniquewhichmakesthemextremelyhardtorepeatexactlyin

thesamewayasdonebefore(Pesonenetal2002,23-27)andcannotbepatented

orcopied(Gilmore2003,10).Intangibilityanduniquenessofeverytransaction

andhowfunctionalqualityisperceivedmakeitalmostimpossibleforservice

providerstocopyeachother.Thischaracteristicofservicesisalsoconsideredas

heterogeneityasMeroniandSangiorgi(2011,16-20)refertothroughZeithaml

etal.(1985)definitionofservicecharacteristics.

MeasuringPerceivedServiceQuality

Grönroos(2007,84)introducestheservicequalitydeterminantspatternbyPar-

asuraman,ZeithamlandBerryfrom1985thatiscalledtheSERVQUALinstru-

ment.AccordingtoGrönroos,theoriginaltenfactorsthatmeasureservicequali-

tyweresqueezedintofivefactorswhentheSERVQUALinstrumentwasstudied

further.ThesefivefactorsareTangibles,Reliability,Responsiveness,Assurance

Expected(Quality(

Experienced(Quality(

Image(

Technical(Quality:(What(

Func9onal(Quality:(How(

•  Marke9ng(Communica9on(

•  Image(•  Sales(process(•  WOM(•  Consumer(needs(and(

values((

Image(

Total(Perceived(Quality(

19

andEmpathy,whicharebeingresearchedthrough22attributesthatareevaluat-

edonaseven-stepscalethatasksifthecustomeragreewiththesuggestedques-

tionornot.

TheSERVQUALinstrumentisacustomerresearchtoolthatresearchesandcom-

parescustomers’expectedandperceivedquality.Itaimstoanoverallquality

score,whichmakesitagoodtoolforquantitativeresearch;there’sapossibility

torevealtheworkingandnotworkingtouchpointsintheserviceprocess

(Zeithamletal,1988).Thefivedeterminantswouldalsomakeagoodtheoretical

framework,abackbone,forqualitativeresearchsuchasinterview,observation

orsurvey.Inqualitativeresearchtheoutcomemaynotbeas“high-score-driven”

thoughbutthedeterminantsareusefulastheyare.

Grönroos(2007,88-89)alsoopensupmorequalitativemethodtomeasureper-

ceivedservicequality–JohnFlanagan’sCriticalIncidentMethod/Techniquethat

wasfirstintroducedin1954(Flanagan,1954).Theideabehindcriticalincident

techniqueistolettherespondentsimagineorgivearealstoryaboutaservice

gonewellorwrongbyacertainfirm.Thentherespondentisaskedtogodeep

intothedetailsofwhathappened,whyithappenedandhowitchangedthe

courseofthecustomerprocess.Criticalincidenttechniquecanbeusedforeither

thewholeserviceprocessorsomepartoftheprocess.Itcanbeusedformultiple

fieldsofresearchandtopicsbutisextremelysuitableforevaluatingcriticalinci-

dentsinserviceprocesses.

Derivedfromthesementionedandvariousotherviewpoints,Grönroos(2007,

89-90)hassummarizedwhatmakesagoodservice.Hecallsitthesevencriteria

ofgoodperceivedqualitywhichallmustbetakenintoaccountwhenevaluating

howserviceisexperienced.

20

Figure3.Thesevencriteriaofperceivedservicequalitysummarized(Grönroos2007,90.).

5 MethodologyandResearchProcess

5.1 ResearchMethods

Services,havingoftenanintangiblenature,canbedifficulttomeasure.Itcanbe

hardtoevaluateorratesomethingthatisphysicallynotthere.Gilmore(2003,

21)writesthefollowing:

Sometimesinserviceindustriesthereisatendencytoconcentrateonthemoretangibleaspectsoftheservicedeliverybecausetheyare

easiertomeasure.Indoingso,theintangibledimensionsmaybene-

glected.

Forthisresearch,themainfocusisonthemoreintangiblesideoftheguidance.

Signs,maps,monitorsandotherphysicalguidingitems,thetangibles,thatare

visibleandpresentattheairport,holdasecondaryposition.Afterall,theservice

asawholeconsistsofbothtangibleandintangibleaspectsandfactors.Also,Fin-

nairalreadycollectsquantitativedataaboutthecustomerexperienceandjour-

neysystematically.Whatislessoftengatheredanddocumented,isadirectstruc-

turedfeedbackaboutcustomerexperienceandinmoredetail,abouttheguid-

anceattheairport,initsactualcontext.Therefore,aqualitativecasestudyap-

proachtothestudywaschosenandinterviewingwithasemi-structuredform

• Allthesystemsandphysicalresourcesshouldbesufqicenttosolvethecustomerproblem.ProfessionalismandSkills

• Theserviceprovidershouldmakecustomerfeellikehe/sheisbeingserved.AttitudesandBehaviour

• Theserviceisaccessibleandqlexibletofulqillcustomerneeds.AccessibilityandFlexibility

• Theserviceprovidershouldhavebestinterestinservingthecustomerandactasagreed.

ReliabilityandTrustworthiness

• Incaseofserviceprocessfailure,theserviceprovidershouldsolvetheproblemforthebeneqitofacustomer.ServiceRecovery

• Thesurroundingsinwhichtheservicearebeingexecutedsupportapositiveexperience.Servicescape

• Imageandthevaluesoftheserviceprovidershouldsupportthecustomermindscape.ReputationandCredibility

21

thetargetedcustomersegmentseemedtobethemostsuitableoptionforthis

typeofresearch.

Therearemorethanafewdifferentwaystoexplainwhatismeantbyqualitative

research.Saaranen-KauppinenandPuusniekka(2006)giveasuggestivesum-

marytoqualitativeresearchthatitconsistsof“differenttraditions,approaches

anddatacollectingandanalysismethods”withagoaltounderstandhumanbe-

haviour.Flick(2009,12-16)describesqualitativeresearchbeingrelevantfor

studyingsocialrelationsasithasanatureofpluralizingviewpointsandputting

themtogether.Qualitativeresearchstudiesaimtointerpretparticipants’

knowledge,practicesandperceptionsintheresearchedquestion.Qualitative

research“aimsinpicturingreallife”(Hirsjärvietal2004,152).

Acasestudyisconsideredasresearchingasingleevent,definedintegrityoran

individualinitsnaturalcontext(Saaranen-Kauppinen&Puusniekka2006).A

majorbenefitincasestudyisnottohaveanoverallpictureinthesubjectbutto

gainknowledgewhatcanbelearntfromasingleeventordefinedseriesofsimi-

larevents(Hirsjärvietal.2004,125-126,Saaranen-Kauppinen&Puusniekka

2006).

Asemi-structuredinterviewcanbealsocalledasfocusedorthemeinterview.

Themaincharacteristicsofasemi-structuredinterviewarethattheinterviewis

moreaboutlargerthemeswithopenquestionsthanspecificquestionswithan

expectedanswer.Semi-structuredinterviewslackthestrictstructureandorder

thatispresentinstructuredtypesofinterviews,butthethemesholddownthe

participantsindriftingtoofarformthesubject(Hirsjärvi&Hurme2000,48).

Thereisahighemphasisonhowtheparticipantinterpretsthethemeandthere

isquitemuchairtomoveinsidethethemefromboththeintervieweraswellas

theintervieweeside:asemi-structuredinterviewismeanttobeaconversation-

likeresearchmethodonstudyinghowthemesareperceivedonapersonallevel.

Thistypeofinterviewingrequireshighinvolvementintheconversationand

knowledgeaboutthethemestoreachtherequireddepthofanswersandhowto

interpretthem.Theinterviewerisalsogivenfreedomandresponsibilitytoin-

terpretotherviewpointsofcommunicationthanjustvoice:movement,facialex-

22

pressionsandothersocialsituationrelatedattributes(Saaranen-Kauppinen&

Puusniekka2006;Hirsjärvietal2004,197-198;Hirsjärvi&Hurme2000,47-48;

Tuomi&Sarajärvi2006,76-78).

Theresearchbasisfortheinterviewresearchinthisthesisisthecriticalincident

technique.Inotherwords,theresearchstudiesandanalysesFinnairguidanceat

HelsinkiAirportusingthecriticalincidenttechnique.Steponeistointerview

passengersabouttheircustomerjourney,whatcouldgowrong,whatcouldbe

theworstthingtohappenandontheotherhand,whatcouldbeatruedelight

service-wise.Steptwoistoanalysetheresults,categorizethefoundperceptions

andtomakeconclusionsonthatbasis.AccordingtoHughes(2007,6)Flanagan

hasnotedthatthereisnostrictsamplesizeonemuststudywhenusingthecriti-

calincidenttechniquebuttheoptimumnumberwouldbesomewherearound50

to100respondents.

WilhelmsenandOstrom(2012,162)writethecriticalincidentmethodbeinga

relativelyeasytechniquetousebutinthesamephraseaddressthefactthatit

needs“enoughparticipantstoattaindatasaturationpoint”.Thisresearchdoes

nottakeasmuchrespondentsintoaccountduetothelimitationsoftimeandre-

sourcesinUniversityofAppliedSciences’Bachelor’sthesis,butwillbeusingthe

methodasamodelforthestudyandaimstoreachingthesaturationpoint.The

mainobjectiveofthestudyistogatherqualitativedataonofaspecificgroupof

customers,tobringoutandidentifythemesthosecustomersperceivepositive

andthoseperceivenegativeandtogivesuggestionsonhowtodevelopcustomer

serviceandguidancethroughtheresults.

Thecriticalincidentmethodhasbeenusedtostudyinteraction,toidentifyor-

ganizationalproblemsandtodescriberolesandfunctionsinacertaincontext

(Schluteretal.2008).EventhoughSchluteretal.studiedinthefieldofnursing

theyalsocitedthatthefieldofstudyorthecontextisnotdependantontheeffec-

tivenessofthestudy(113-114).Whathasbeenfoundinseveralstudies,the

techniqueiswellsuitedincontextswithaprocess-likenature(Schluteretal,

2008,Wilhelmsen&Ostrom,2012).

23

5.2 ResearchProcess

TheresearchprocessbeganinFebruary2015.Mostofthepreliminaryresearch

andwrittenworkwasdonebetweenMarchandMay2015.Thesummermonths,

fromJunetoAugustweremostlyinactivewiththeresearchandtheprocesscon-

tinuedinSeptember2015.

Theresearchinterviewswereexecutedfrom25thSeptemberto7thOctoberin

2015atHelsinkiAirport.Thecustomersegmentinthestudybeinglessfrequent-

lytravellingFinnairpassengers,theinterviewingtimingfordepartingandpas-

sengersintransitwassetasbeforethedepartureofflightstocommonlyknown

destinationswithahighpercentageofleisuretravellers.Amongthesedestina-

tionswerecitiessuchasDubrovnik(Croatia),Chania(Greece),Malaga(Spain)

andGazipasa(Turkey).Thearrivingpassengerswereinterviewedonarrivalof

thesameorsimilarkindofleisure-heavydestinations.Passengerswerechosen

randomlyorwithaquicklookonthosewhomayhavebeenwillingtorespondto

theinterviewattheproximityofthegate'swaitingareafromwheretheflight

wouldbedepartingorinthearrivalhallattheproximityofbaggagebeltthebag-

gageofthechosenflightwouldarrive.BothFinnishandEnglishwereusedasan

interviewlanguageaccordingtothepreferenceoftheinterviewedpassenger.

Theintervieweeswereaskedtodescribetheelementsoftheircustomerjourney,

tellhowtheyfeelabouttheprocess,howtheyperceiveitandhowtheywould

liketoexperiencethejourney.

Thetargetednumberofinterviewswasfifteen.Theaimwastointerviewapprox-

imatelyfiveofeachstatusofpassengers:departing,transitingandarriving.The

targetedlengthofinterviewswasfromfivetofifteenminutes.Thetargeted

lengthwasdecidedtokeeptheinterviewsshortandeffectiveandnottointerfere

anddisturbtheinterviewedpassengers’journeypreparationstoomuch.The

structureoftheinterviews(Appendix1.)canbeseenatappendicessectionafter

thereferences.Especiallythethemesofthestructurewerekeptasaguidelinefor

theinterviewsbuttheexactquestionswerereactedandtailoredduringeach

interview.Theassumptionwasthatnoneoftheinterviewsaresimilartoeach

other,sofollowingthestructuretoocloselywouldhaveclosedthediscussionson

thethemetooearlyon.

24

Themethodseemedtoworkwellforthesegment–andforthetimeofexecuting

theinterviews.Theinterviewswereexecutedmainlyearlyinthemorningfrom

4amto6ambecauseofthemostsuitableflightswiththemostsuitableinter-

vieweesexpectedtobeinwerescheduledtodepartorarriveduringthatperiod.

Thereasontheinterviewswereconductedthatearly,besidethedepartureand

arrivaltimesofthemostsuitableflights,wasnottointerfereinthecustomer

journeyanddisturbpassengersduringaheavyrushhourattheairport.

TheinterviewswererecordedbyanAppleiPhone4sandtranscribedafterwards.

Thiswouldsupporttheconversation-likenatureofasemi-structuredinterview,

whenthefocusisontheconversation,notintakingandmakingnotes.Theinter-

viewdatawasanalysedinaqualitativewaythatwillbeopenedupinthenext

section.

5.3 AnalysisMethods

Theanalysismethodusedinthisstudyisphenomenography,phenomenographic

analysis.Phenomenographyaimstopictureaphenomenonthroughone’spoint

ofview,beliefsandinterpretationsfromqualitativedata.Thephilosophybehind

themethodcriticizesfindingcausalitiesthroughdifferentvariablesandrelying

toomuchonaspecifictheory.However,theoryisseenasavitalpartofthere-

searchprocessandgainingknowledgeinthesubject,phenomenographyisused

bestwhentheanalysisisexecutedwithasfewpresumptionsormodelsaspossi-

ble.Thus,whatthemethodsupports,isanopenanalysisandconstructionofhow

oneexperiencesandunderstandstheactionorsetofactionsandhowonepic-

turesorperceivestheaction(Syrjäläetal.1994,121-123).

Phenomenographyisausefulmethodforanalysinginterviewsandlettingthe

voiceofinterviewedbeanimportantpartofthefinalfindings.Phenomenogra-

phycouldnotbeanymoresuitableforopeningupasemi-structuredinterview.

Syrjäläetal.(1994,136-141)pointoutopenorsemi-structuredinterviewingas

thewaytogatherthedataforaphenomenographicanalysis.Asthisresearchisa

casestudywiththeaimofabettercustomerunderstanding,itisimportantfor

25

theauthortobeasopentotheanswersandfindingsofthestudy.Itisalsovital

fortheauthortoacknowledgethatasubjective,previousknowledgeonthesub-

jecthasareal,unavoidableeffectontheresearchandtheoutcome(Syrjäläetal

1994,122;Marton1988;Salner1989).

Thedatawascodedbygatheringdifferentperceptionsonthesubjectfromthe

interviewdata,interpretedandthearisingperceptionscategorized(Syrjäläetal,

1994,144-147).Theraisedperceptionsweresimplifiedandwrittenonpiecesof

paper.Thepiecesofpaperwerethenspreadonthefloorinarandomorder.The

nextstepwastogroupthesimplifiedperceptionswithasimilartoneandmean-

ingbehindthemtoanumberofdifferentgroupsthatseemedtoappear.Group-

ingthesimplifiedperceptionswithasimilardeterminingthemethenformed

categories,whichareopenedupintheresultssection.

6 Results

Thetotalnumberofinterviewsforthisresearchwas13;sevendepartinglocal

passengers,threepassengersintransitandthreearrivingpassengers.Theinter-

vieweeswereagedinbetween25toapproximately70yearsandtheman-

womanratiowasasequalasitcanbe:sixoftheintervieweesweremenandthe

restsevenwerewomen.Thegoalwastogatheranequalnumberofapproxi-

matelyfiveintervieweesfromeachgroupofpassengersbutduringtheinter-

viewingprocessitoccurredthatthedepartureistheareaofcustomerjourney,

whereairlineguidanceismostvisibleandiscurrentlyexecutedactively.Depart-

ingpassengerswerealsothemostwillingonestogiveinterviewsandspend

mosttimewiththeinterview,whichmadethemthemostfruitfulonesintermsof

results.Departingpassengersseemedtoarriveatthedeparturegateareawellin

advancepriortothedepartureandtheywereeasytoidentifyandapproach.That

iswhydepartingpassengersareamajorityinthetotalpercentageofinterviewed

passengers.Transitpassengers,ontheotherhand,werenoteasytoidentifyand

didnothaveasmuchtimedisposableasthedepartingoneshad.Arrivingpas-

sengerswereextremelyeasytospotandapproachbutthedifficultywasthat

theywereonlywillingtogiveanswersbeforetheirbaggagearrivedtothebag-

26

gagebeltinthearrivalshall,sothewindowtoexecutetheinterviewwasshort

andtight.Italsoseemedtofeelmorecomfortabletoexecuteinterviewsatthe

gateareathanatthearrivalshallforboththeinterviewerandthepassengers

interviewed.

Theresultsbetweendeparting,transitingandarrivingpassengersseemedto

sharethesamethemes.Therefore,thereisnoneedtoseparatetheresultsinbe-

tweenpassengersindifferentphasesoftheirjourneyattheairportunlessitis

notspecificallymentioned.

Ifnotcountingoneexception,alltheinterviewedpassengerssaidtheyaretravel-

lingonlyonleisurepurposes,onceortwiceayear.Theexceptionsaidtotravelat

leasttentimesayearbutalsoforleisurepurposes,andthough,wasattheHel-

sinkiairportforthefirsttime.

6.1 Expectations

Theexpectationsabouttheairlinestaffderivedfromtheinterviewscanbedivid-

edintofivecategoriesbydifferentthemes.ThecategoriesareProfessionalSkills,

IndividualPassengerRecognition,Reliability/Trustworthiness,Supportand

Communication.Eachcategoryconsistsofseveralattributesthatoccurredinthe

interviewsandwerementionedonceormultipletimesinthedata.Theresearch

doesn’tanswertothequestionabouttheimportanceorderofthecategories.

Theremaybesameattributesindifferentcategoriesassomeattributesare

closelylinkedtomultiplecategories.

27

Figure4.FactorsfoundtoaffecttheExpectationsAboutAirlineStaff.

ProfessionalSkills

Theinterviewedpassengersexpectedairlinestafftoknowtheairportandits

services.Theknowledgeisnotexpectedtocoveronlytheairlineproceduresbut

alsootherprocedures,locationsanddirectionsattheairport.Thepersonnelare

expectedtohaveandusetoolsandequipmentneededintheairportprocesses

andtoprovidesmoothoperationsandactionsinnormalsituationsandproblem

situations.Thesetoolsandequipmentmaybecomputersandcomputerpro-

grammes,phonenumbers,self-serviceappliancesandotherairportequipment

aswellasgivefirstaidifneeded.Airlinepersonnelareseenasexpertsintheair-

portprocesses;theyknowhowtheprocessesandactionsshouldgoandtheydo

itinacorrectway.Theyarecontactedinthefirstplaceifhelpisneeded.Airline

personnelareexpectedtosolveoccurringproblemsattheairportandprovide

understandableinformationandinstructions.

IndividualPassengerRecognition

Theinterviewedoneshadacommonassumptionthatairlinestaffarethereto

servethemandtomaketheirjourneypossibletobegin,continueandend

smoothly.Airlinepersonnelareexpectedtohavecustomerinthecentreoftheir

actionsandgiveanindividualcustomerindividualserviceatleastwhenitisre-

Expectationsaboutairline

staffProfessional

Skills

IndividualPassengerRecognition

Reliability/Trustworthiness

Support

Communication

28

quested.Theinterviewedpassengersunderstoodthattheyarenotaloneatthe

airportintermsofotherpassengersbutvaluedpersonalservice.Targeted

friendliness,smileandwillingnesstoserveforanindividualpassengeroracer-

taingroupofpassengerswereconsideredasgoodservice.Itwasalsonotedsev-

eraltimesbytheinterviewedpassengers,thatthereisahighemphasisonthe

approachabilityandcontactingofthepersonnelandeaseofexecutingthepro-

cesses–theairlinepersonnelmustservethepassenger’seaseofuse.

Iwasgreetedbyapolite,smilingstaffmember,whocametohelpmeimmediatelywhenIneededadvice(IntervieweeA).

Anothermajorfactorinexpectedservicewastoprovideserviceinpassenger’s

mothertongueorbestpossiblecommonlanguage.

Reliability/Trustworthiness

Thepersonnelarealsoseenasasecuringelementintheprocess.Thepassenger

expectationisthatthepersonnelareconfidentandprofessionalintheiractions,

havetheknowledgeneededforservingpassengersandareseparatedfromthe

passengersandothercrowdwithuniforms,communicationappliancesand/or

otheritemssportingairlinebrandlogosorothersigns.Theintervieweesas-

sumeduniformstotellthepersonwearingitmakeseveryefforthis/hersjourney

willbesuccessful,theywilltellthetruthanddonottrytofoolapassenger–uni-

forms,thereforepersonnel,canbetrusted.

Support

Theintervieweessaytherehastobesomeonetoaskforinformationandaper-

sonispreferredinsteadofamachineorequivalent.Especiallywhendiscussed

aboutself-serviceproceduresandinterruptionsinthecustomerjourney,human

helpisdemanded.Theproper,sufficientamountofpersonneltogetattention,

support,careandhelpfulnessisasked.Insituationswherehelpismuchneeded,

theintervieweesvaluecalmingandpatientbuteffectivesupportfromtheper-

sonnel.Passengerswanttogettheirquestionsandproblemslistenedandreact-

ed;thismeansthattheairlinepersonnelmustbeveryattentive,easilyapproach-

ableandpresentintheconversation.Onceagain,alsolanguageskillsandunder-

standingcanbeseenasexpectedfactors.

29

Communication

Keepingthepassengersinformedandguidedaboutthemattersconcerningthe

journeyisanimportantfactorfortheinterviewedpassengers.Beinguninformed

isseenasahugecreatorofstressandissofarawayfromacalm,fluentflowof

thejourney.Givingbothverbalandgesturedinstructionsandguidancecanbe

expectedfromtheairlinepersonnelinsituationshelpisneeded,ishighlyvalued.

Especiallyonself-servicetouchpoints,showinganexampleorgivinginstruc-

tionsisexpectedbutastravelingisnotaneverydayeventfortheinterviewees,

muchattentiononinformingthepassengersaboutthejourneyanddirectionsto

continueisexpectedfromtheairlinepersonnel.Beingnotifiedbyone’sown

mothertongueorthebestcommonlanguageispreferredbutbeingunderstood

isfeltsatisfactory.Itseemedthatsomeoftheinterviewedpassengersalsode-

siredtopracticealittlesmalltalkwiththepersonnel.

6.2 PerceivedCustomerExperience

Likewiseinthepreviouschapteraboutexpectations,itturnedoutthatthereare

alsofivemajorthemedcategoriesfoundabouttheactualexperienceattheair-

port.ThesecategoriesareSurroundings,Personnel,Self-Service,OwnJourney

andFearsandIrritatingFactors.

Figure5.FactorsfoundtoaffectthePerceivedCustomerExperience

PerceivedCustomerExperience

Surroundings

Personnel

Self-Service

OwnJourney

FearsandIrritatingFactors

30

Surroundings

Manyoftherespondentssaidtheairportisafamiliarplacefrompreviousjour-

neysandithasa“certainfeeling”.This“certainfeeling”wasnoteasilyexplained

butphraseslike“there’sacertainfeelingofholiday”and“itfeelslikedeparting”

wouldexplainthatairportcanbeapromiseofvacationfortherespondents.The

surroundingsatHelsinkiAirportwerefoundsimple,fastandclear.Itwasseenas

anairportwhereservicesareeasytospotandprocedureseasytoexecute.The

majorityoftheintervieweessaidthesimple,straightforwardarchitectureofHel-

sinkiAirportsupportsthatthereisaverysmallchanceingettinglostornotfind-

ingtherightplaces.SomecriticismwasgiventhoughtoarrivingatHelsinkiAir-

port.Someoftherespondentsfounditconfusingtoarrivetothesamearea

wheretherearedepartingpassengersaswell.Inthissituationthearrivingpas-

sengersfounditbesttofollowthesignsorfollowfellowpassengersratherthan

askingtheway.Allofthearrivingrespondentscitedthoughthattheydidnotsee

orsawonlyfewpersonnelmembersalongthewayfromthearrivalgatetothe

bagbeltarea.

ThesignsatHelsinkiAirportwerefoundlarge,clear,yellowandvisible.Interms

ofnavigatingtocorrectplaces,theintervieweesfounditeasyandcleartonavi-

gatewhenfollowingthesignsandpreferredsignsbeforeaskingtheneareststaff

memberfortheway.

Personnel

Thepersonnelarethoughtasanauthoritythatknowstheairport,itsoperations

andsystemsbetterthanpassengers.Thepersonnelwillgivepassengersthecor-

rectnavigatinginstructions.Thepersonnelwerefoundpolite,friendly,attentive

andpatient.Thepresenceofthepersonnelwasfoundgoodatthedeparturearea

andthattherewereenoughpersonneltoservethepassengers.Transitandarriv-

ingpassengers,ontheotherhand,weremorerelyingonsignsandotherpassen-

gers.Especiallytransitpassengersfounditpreferablethattherewouldbesome-

onetosupport,helpandguidethemwheretheyareinsteadofbeingforcedto

findtheclosestpersonnel.

31

Ithinkthere’sstillaproblem,becausetheservicedeskisstable.Ijust

canfinditatthatpointbutifIneedhelpandmypositionisfarfrom

thereIcan’tfindthepersonassoonaspossible.I’dpreferaroaming

agentormaybeanapplication(IntervieweeB).

Inthemaindepartureprocedures,check-inandbagdrop,averbalguidancewas

preferredinsteadofwritteninstructions.Itwasalsodesiredthattherewouldbe

someonetogivesupportandtoreducetheamountofstress.Thiswasfoundout

tobeespeciallythecaseinself-serviceoperations.Allinall,theintervieweesdid

notfeeltheywereleftwithoutanyhelpfromthepersonnelatanysituationand

helpwaswithinreachif/whenitwasneeded.

Self-Service

Iteases,speedsup,requirescertainpreparednessandskillsfromthecustomer.ButIstronglybelievethere’llbepersonneltohelpoutifI

wouldfinditdifficulttouse(IntervieweeA).

Theinterviewedpassengersacknowledgeself-servicecheck-inasafamiliarpro-

cedure.Theydoiteitheronlinebeforearrivingattheairportoratthecheck-in

kiosksattheairport.Theywouldpreferifsomeonewoulddoitforthembutare

satisfiedwhenalittlehelpisgivenifinneed.Droppingthebaggageisdesiredto

bedoneintheold-fashionedwayonthedeskwheretheairlinepersonneltags

andregistersthebaggageandsendsthemforward.Theself-servicebagdropwas

foundusefulwhenoriftherewouldbelongqueuestothetraditionalbagdrop

desk.Somewereconfusedonthepurposeofself-serviceappliancesiftherewere

plentyofpersonnelworkingandshortqueuesornoqueuestothebagdrop

desks.Manyoftheintervieweeshadnottriedtheself-servicebagdropmachines,

butsaidtheywouldusethemifthepersonnelwouldadvicethemtodosoand

showedthemhowtousethem.Theinterviewees’perceptiononself-servicema-

chinesandkioskswerethattheyfeeldifficulttouseandbetterinstructionsto

usethemareneeded.

One’sOwnJourney

Passengerperceptionsontheirownjourneywerethatthejourneyisavacation

anditisplannedlongbeforethedeparture.Informationabouttheirownjourney

wascitedasextremelyimportantandanypossibleirregularitiesintheirjourney

32

mustbeknownassoonaspossible.Thepassengersfeltimportantthatonlyin-

formationabouttheirjourneywasgiventothemandsomeoftheinterviewees

feltitconfusingiftoomuchinformationandannouncementsweregiven.When

askedabouttheirperceptionsontheminimalnumberofannouncementsatHel-

sinkiAirportandgiveninformationabouttheconceptofsilentairport,theinter-

vieweesfeltitgoodintermsofatmosphereattheairportbutwerealsoworried

aboutbeingatthedeparturegateontimeandworriedtheywouldmissaflightif

therearenoannouncementsoflastcallforboardingforexample.

FearsandIrritatingFactors

Fearsandirritatingfactorsfoundintheinterviewscanbedividedintothreesub-

categories;Fearsandirritationonjourneyflowrelatedmatters,fearsandirrita-

tionontechnologyandfearsandirritationonpersonalcapability.Technology

andapersonalcapabilitycanbethoughtassubcategoriesforjourneyflowasitis

themainthemebehindthembuttherewasperceptionsrisingforjourneyflowto

bethoughtasoneofthethreecategoriesandnotthedefiningtopicofthetwo

othercategories.

Thejourneyflowfactorsaremoreorlesslinkedtotheairlineratherthanthe

passengeritself.Factorssparkingfearorirritatingthatwerelinkedtojourney

floware

• cancellationoftheflight,

• interruptioninthejourney,

• delayoftheflight,

• missingtheflightbybeinglateatgateorbyairlineoverbookingsituation,

• havingtopayextraforsomethingattheairportand

• afearofnotfindinganysupportingpersonnel.

Thesecondsubcategoryisfearsandirritationontechnology.Interviewees

thoughtthathumansurveillanceisneededincaseofpossiblefailureinthetech-

nologicalsystems.Thedistrustinthetechnologicaldevices,machinesandother

appliancesisapparent.Forexample,IntervieweeCfeltthat

33

--ifonemakesasinglemistakewithacomputeroramachine,it’sallfinito.

Theself-serviceappliancesaretheonesgeneratingdistrustthemostsoitcanbe

thoughtthatbehindthefearoftechnologyisdistrustinone’sowncapabilityof

executingtheprocedure.Andthatbringsustothethirdcategory.

Distrustinone’sowncapabilitycanbelinkedtofearoftechnologicalprocedures.

Whatifsomethinggoeswrong?CanitbefixedandcanIstillgetontheflight?If

there’ssomeonetoservewhoalreadyknowshowtoexecutetheprocedure,why

shouldIdoit?Thenthereisthefearofbeingintherightplace.WhatifIcan’tfind

therightplacetobe?Andmoreimportantly,whatifIcan’tfindtherightplacein

time?Ifthesignsarenotaccurateandunderstandableenough,willIfindthe

rightplace?Andofcourse,itcreatesalotofstressiftraveldocumentssuchasthe

passport,boardingpassorotherimportantdocumentswouldgetlost.

7 ConclusionandDiscussion

Theobjectiveoftheresearchwastostudytheexpectationsandexperiencesof

lessfrequentlytravelingFinnaircustomersabouttheircustomerjourneyatHel-

sinkiAirport.Itcanbesaidthateventhoughtheexpectationsandperceptions

aboutthecustomerjourneyandguidancewereinfocus,itwastheservicequality

andhowitcouldbeimprovedforacertaincustomersegmentthatwerethesig-

nificantthemesbehindthestudy.Aqualitativeapproachtothestudywaschosen

becausetheaimwastogatherasauthenticdataaspossibleintheactualcontext

oftheactions–inthepointsofdepartureorarrivalattheairport.Passengersare

notsooftendirectlyinterviewedabouttheirexperienceattheairport.Therefore,

oftenreal,impulsivereactionsandopinionsthatarenotalreadyroundedfrom

theedgesstaywithinthepassengers’minds.

Duetothetrendintheindustrytowardssimplerprocesses(IATA,Simplifying

theBusiness),thewholeairlineindustryisunderarenovationandsoarethe

rolesofairlinepersonnelinthecustomerexperience.Everypassenger,every

singlecustomerexperienceisdifferentandsubjectivebutthefactisthattheair-

34

linepersonnelaretheonessupportingthecreationofthecustomerexperience

andreflectingtotheirexpectationsandperceptionsonsite.Astheamountof

self-servicegetsupintheindustry,andinsociety,itgetsmorefamiliarforthe

people,butsinceself-serviceisnotacommodityintheairlineindustryyet,buta

newsolution,ittakestimeforpassengerstogetusedtochangedservicecon-

cepts.

Thequantitativeapproachisoftenusedingettinggeneralizableresultsanditis

easiertocollectalargernumberofrespondentsinthestudy.Whynottoincor-

porateaquantitativeapproachinthestudythen?Woulditnothavebeenmore

fruitfulingettingmoreviewpointsfromalargernumberofpassengersand

wouldaquantitativeapproachgeneratemorereliableresults?Itmaybeso,but

thatwasnotthepurposeofthisstudy.Thepurposewastogiveaqualitativeap-

proachatryandtogetclosetothepassengersandtheirthoughts.Thiswasalso

thereasonforusingthesemi-structuredinterviewtogatherdata.Aconversa-

tion-likeinterviewaroundthemainthemesofthecustomerexperienceatthe

airportwasanattempttogetdeeperintotherealthoughtsofthepassengers.

Intermsofvalidity,itmustbenoted,thatthereisanassumptiontheinterview-

eesmayhavebeenaffectedbyshortsleepinghoursorearlywakeup.Ifaquanti-

tativequestionnaireorsurveywouldhavebeengiventothecustomerstofillin,

theresultscouldhavebeenmoreunrealistic.Aninterviewseemedtobeagreat

waytoengagetheintervieweeinthesubjectandtodigintotheperceptionsand

experiencesaboutthecustomerjourneyatthemoment.Acasestudylikethis

cannotbeeasilygeneralizedforalargergroupofpassengersbutitgaveaninter-

estingcrosssectiononacertaintypeofpassengerswithsomethemestokeepin

mind,tostudyfurtherandtohelpintheservicedevelopment.

Thecriticalincidenttechniqueworkedwellforthepurposebutitmustalsobe

addressedthatthenumberofintervieweesshouldhavebeenlargerthanthe

gatheredtotalnumber,13,toemploythecriticalincidenttechniqueinitsfull

potentialasaresearchmethodasitiscitedearlierintheworkaswell.Thedepth

andqualityofthedatathatwascollectedvariedfromverymorningsleepyinter-

vieweestoextremelysharpanddetailedinterviewees.Withalargersampleof

35

passengerssomeoftheresultsmayhavebeenpolarisedtoonewayoranother;

someoftheoccurredthemesoftheexpectationsandexperienceswouldhave

beenfoundtodominateotherthemesforexample.Thecontentoftheanswers

wasfoundtorepeatitselfquitesoonandthethemesintroducedintheresults

sectionofthisthesiscanbefoundthroughoutthecollecteddata,inmajorityof

theinterviews.Allinall,ifasimilarkindofresearchwastobeexecutedina

muchlargerscale,itmightbeevenabettertoolfordevelopingtheservicesin

thiscontext.Theresearchgivesloadsofuseful,analysableandon-sitedataabout

thecustomerjourneyandexperienceaswellasabouttheexpectationsandatti-

tudes.

DiscussingtheResults

TheGrönroos’(2000,67)modeloftotalperceivedqualityplayedamajorrolein

clarifyingwhatmakesagoodserviceandhowtodevelopitevenbetter.Passen-

gers’expectationsandexperienceswereusedaslargertopicswhendetermining

theresearchquestionsandalsowhenanalysingthedataandintroducingthere-

sults.Furthermore,similarkindsofthemesarosefromthedata.Theyareattrib-

utesintheGrönroos’(Op.cit.p.90)sevencriteriaofperceivedservicequality.

TheintentionwasnottostructuretheresultsdirectlybasedontheGrönroos’

theories,especiallynotthesevencriteriaofperceivedservicequalitytheory,but

itisfascinatingtofindoutthesimilarityinbetweenthefindingsandthetheories.

Tosummarizewhattheintervieweesexpectedandneededfromtheservice,the

interviewees’thoughtsareon“asucceededvacation”.Tothedestinationfora

vacationandbackwithanunbreakableflowisthemainthing.Thesecondary

thingistogetvaluefortheirmoneyandtheirvacationsupportedbyprofession-

als;theywanttoberecognizedasvaluablecustomerswhoaresupportedinthe

totalflowoftheirpersonaljourney.Theythinkthatairlinepersonnelhavethe

professionalqualitiesandcanbetrustedindeliveringthepassengerstothedes-

tinationtostartenjoyingtheirvacation.Specialattentiontoreducingthestress

andsupportinginairportprocessesisrequestedandrequiredfromtheairline

personnel.Fromtheairlinepersonnelpoint-of-view,atotalsuccessfulvacation

ofthepassengermustbekeptinmindwhenservingandguidingthepassenger.

36

TheinterviewedpassengersperceivedthecustomerjourneyatHelsinkiairport

effortlesstogothrough.Navigationwasfoundeasywhenfollowingthesignsand

gettinglostwasnotexperiencedandnoteventhoughtpossible.Ifanyproblems

occurred,theairlinepersonnelortheclosestpersonnelhelpedwithverbalin-

structions.Thepassengersfeltappreciatedandrecognized.Theconceptofself-

servicewasidentifiedandthereasonstoimplementself-serviceinthejourney

wereunderstoodbut“thetraditionalservice”andhowthe,familiar,way“service

hasalwaysbeen”waspreferred.Self-serviceapplianceswereunderstoodtoease

andshortenthecustomerjourneybuttheappliancesassuchwerefounddifficult

touseifhelpfromtheairlinepersonnelwasnotreceived.Securityandaware-

nessofone’sownjourneywasinahighprioritypositioninpassengers’percep-

tions.

Tosumupthepassengers’experiences,thebiggestthreatsofthejourneywere

thejourneyflow,trustintechnologyandbelievingintheirowncapabilityofexe-

cutingasmoothjourney.Newandstrangethingsmaybedifficulttoface,butthe

intervieweesfeltthattheairlinepersonnelwastheretohelp,supportandguide

them.AsGrönroos(2009,104;2000,66)suggested,theexperiencedfunctional

qualityisthekeytoasuccessfulservice.Incasethetechnicalqualityfailssome-

how,andtheexpectationsmustbetoppedandupgradedbytheexperiences,it

seemsthattheinterviewedpassengersexperiencedsuccessfulservicefromthe

Finnairpersonnel.

BenefitsoftheResearchandFutureResearch

Attheirsimplestfunction,airportsaretransportationstationswherepassengers

andothergoodsaremovedfromthepointAtothepointB.Themainobjectiveof

theairlinepersonnelattheairport,groundservicepersonnelinspecific,isto

sendthepassengerstotheirjourneyassmoothlyandsafelyasitispossibletodo.

Asacasestudy,oneofthemainfindingsofthestudywastoraiseawarenessof

theimportanceofguidance;ahumantouchandcustomerflowaspartofairline

customerexperience.Thesamplingforthestudywasfartootinytobevalid

enoughtoactasabasisincreating,forexample,acompleteserviceconcept

aroundtheairlineguidanceforacertaincustomersegmentbutthefindings

showedthattherewerestillfearsandthreatsshadowingthecustomerjourney.

37

Attentionontheimportanceofguidanceshallnotbeoverridden–especially

whentheamountofself-serviceintheprocessesclimbsup.

Guidingisoftenaspontaneousactofgivingadvicetosomeonewhereknowing

thecustomerandlearningtoreadthecustomersandtheirexpectationsand

needsarethekeyfactorsintailoringtheguidanceforanindividualcustomer.

Theabilitytoapproachdifferentkindsofcustomersisadailyworkandpartof

theprofessionalskillsfortheairlineagentsbutthethingsthatarefamiliarto

somemaynotbeasfamiliaroreasilyunderstoodtoothers,andthewayhowthe

guidingtakesplaceplaysamajorroleincustomerexperience.Tobeabletoreact

tothecustomersrealneedsisthecatch.Toclarifythemesthatsparkstressand

distrustintheircustomersisvitalineliminatingthesethemesorfactors.Reduc-

ingthestresswhenitispossiblebyknowinghowtoapproachthecustomers

withtherelevantinformationthewaythecustomersfeelpleasant,personaland

calmingwillhaveasmoothingeffectontheirjourney–thatisalreadyanupgrade

inguidingaswellasinthetotalperceivedservice.

Thethemesfoundintheresultswouldmakeaninterestingbasisforalarger,

possiblyaquantitativestudywithanaiminconceptualisingorre-

conceptualisingtheguidingroles.Atthispoint,blueprintingthepassengerjour-

neycouldworkasaneffectivetool.Placingthethemesofdistrustandfearsor

otherexpectationsfoundinthisstudyintotheblueprintedcustomerjourney

wouldmakeagoodbasisforthiskindoflargerstudy.Theresearchcouldinclude

variousidentifiedcustomersegmentsatvariousairportswhereFinnairoperates.

Again,referringtothemoreandmoreautomatizingprocessesattheairport,the

potentialofguidingrolesandotherinnovativeguidingsolutionsareyettobe

discovered.Themostup-to-dateairportshavetheirownmobileapplicationsin

whichthepassengercanlookforurgenthelp,theremaybe“digitalagentkiosks”

oranythingwhereonlythesky’sthelimitbuttalkingofthelessfrequentlytrav-

ellingpassengersahumantouchistheonlywaytoeasetheirjourney.

Atsomeairports,therearealready“roamingagents”withtechnicalequipment

suchastabletsandsmartphonestosupportthepassenger“wherethepassengers

are”.Butisawandering,fullyiPad-equippedairlineagenttheclimaxofaguiding

38

role?Aservicedesignprojectonhowtheknowledgeaboutcustomers,customer

expectationsandneeds,thefreshesttechnologyandprofessionalknowledgeof

theairlineagentscouldbeformedintoanewguidingroleconcept,whichwould

besomethingtolookforwardtoafutureresearcharoundthetopic.Howadigital

footprintandotherCRMdataaswellasotherbigdatacouldbeharnessedfor

guidestoreacttothecustomersinreal-time,inpersonalanduniqueways?

Moreover,notonlyinthecommercialaviationindustry,butinserviceindustry

overall,ahottopicintheindustryseemstobeancillarysales.Inautomatized

processesmanypointsofsalesmaybelostonsomecustomersegments.Takefor

exampleapassengerwhodoesnotcheckouthisorhersemailpriortothedepar-

tureneitheruseshisorhersmobilephonefortravelinformationpurposes,uses

self-serviceappliancesandkioskstocheckinandhastheonlyhumaninteraction

withtheairlineatthegatepriortoboarding.

Whendoestheairlinesellancillaryproducts,upgradesorotherservicestothis

kindofpassenger?Atthegate?Whatifthegateserviceagentdoesnothaveextra

timeforthingsconsideredlessimportantintermsoftheflightleavingontime?

Howaboutancillarysalesafterarrivingtotheairport?Couldtherebeaguide-

likesalespersontosellandguideasaferidehome,after-journeysnack,giving

informationaboutthenextpossiblejourneyorfrequentflyerprogrammeor

somethingelsethatmightbeneededafterthejourney?Researchabouttheop-

portunitiesforancillarysalesfor,forexample,lessfrequentlytravellingpassen-

gersaswellasservicedesignandconceptualizationonguidesassalespersons

couldberealised.

Asitwasfoundinthisthesis,somepassengersdidnothaveanyinteractionwith

theairlinestaffattheterminaldisregardingboarding,eventhoughtherestill,

clearly,isaneedforhumaninteractionintheprocesses.Avasterstudyonhow

guidingaffectsthebrandimagecouldalsobefullofinterestingfindings.Who

knows,guidingmaybeoneofthemostimportantdifferentiatingfactorsinthe

futureofairlineindustry.

39

References

AmericanMarketingAssociation.1960.MarketingDefinitions,AGlossaryofMarketingTerms.Chigago:AmericanMarketingAssociation

Buswell,J.,Williams,C.2003.ServiceQualityinLeisureandTourism.CABIpub-lishing.

AirlinesInternational.SpecialReport:TheFutureFaceofAirTravel.Air-lines.iata.org,reports.1.4.2013.Accessed16.10.2015.

Best,H.2015.FastTravelProgramStrategy.IATA.7th.ed.http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/passenger/fast-travel/Documents/Fast-Travel-Program-Strategy-V7.pdf

David,W.,Norton,B.&Pine,J.2013.UsingtheCustomerJourneyToRoadTestAndRefineTheBusinessModel.Strategy&Leadership,41(2),12-17.

Dumay,J.2011.TheQualitativeResearchInterview.QualitiveReasearchinAc-counting&Management,8(3),238-264.

FederalAviationAdministration(FAA).1988.PlanningandDesignGuidelinesforAirportTerminalFacilities.U.S.DepartmentofTransportation.22.4.1988.Ac-cessed28.8.2015.www.faa.gov,documentlibrary

Finavia.Finaviawebsite,InBrief.Accessed29.6.2015.http://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport/in-brief/

FinaviaNewsRoom.HelsinkiAirportisaSilentAirport–numberofannounce-mentsreduced.Finaviawebsite.1.6.2015.Accessed16.10.2015.

Finnair.2015a.InformationaboutFinnairPlc.andtheFinnairGroup.Accessed3.4.2015.http://www.finnairgroup.com/,Group.

Finnair.2015b.Visio2020Presentation.FinnairPlc.Accessed3.4.2015.http://www.finnairgroup.com/linked/fi/downloads/Visio_2020_kalvot.pdf

Finnair.2014.FinnairAnnualReport.FinnairPlc.Accessed3.4.2015.http://www.finnairgroup.com/linked/en/konserni/Finnair_Annual_Report_A4_final.pdf

Flanagan,J.1954.TheCriticalIncidentTechnique.ThePsychologicalBulletin,51(4),327-358.

Flick,U.2009.AnIntroductiontoQualitativeResearch.4thed.SagePublicationsLtd.

Fordham,G.,Rökaas,L.,deVos,Cees.&Coleman,D.2013.FutureTravelExperi-anceGlobal2013.FTEThinkTank.Accessed24.03.2015.http://www.futuretravelexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/fte-think-tank-presentation.pdf

40

Freitag,R.2015.IPK’sWorldTravelMonitor:ForecastingGlobalandEuropeanTourism–RolfFreitag,CEO,IPKInternational.ITBBerlin2015.LecturePro-gramme.

Gilmore,A.2003.Services,MarketingandManagement.SagePublicationsLtd.

Grönroos,C.2009.Palveluidenjohtaminenjamarkkinointi(ServiceManagementandMarketing,CustomerManagementinServiceCompetition).4th.ed.Juva:WSOYpro.

Grönroos,C.2000.ServiceManagementanMarketing:ACustomerRelationshipManagementApproach.2nd.ed.Chichester:JohnWiley&Sons.

Grönroos,C.1998.Nytkilpaillaanpalvelulla(ServiceManagementandMarket-ing.ManagingtheMomentsofTruthinServiceCompetition).5th.ed.Porvoo:WSOY.

Gummesson,,E.1987.LipServices–ANeglectedAreainServicesMarketing.JournalofServicesMarketing.No.1.

Hirsjärvi,S.&Hurme,H.2000.Tutkimushaastattelu:TeemahaastattelunTeoriajaKäytäntö(ResearchInterview:TheoryandPracticeofaThemedInterview).Helsinki:Yliopistopaino.

Hirsjärvi,S.,Remes,P.,&Sajavaara,P.2004.Tutkijakirjoita(ResearchandWrite.).10thed.Helsinki:Tammi.

Hughes,H.2007.CriticalIncidentTechnique.TopicsinAustralasianLibraryandInformationStudies,no28.CentreforInformationStudies,CharlesSturtUniver-sity,WaggaWagga,N.S.W.,49-66.

IATAFactSheet:FastTravel.2015.June.www.iata.org/pressroom/facts_figures/fact_sheets/Documents/fact-sheet-fast-travel.pdf

IATA.IATAwebsite.Accessed10.9.2015and15.9.2015.www.iata.org.

Kotler,P.,Armstrong,G.,Harris,L.&PiercyL.2013.PrinciplesofMarketing.6thEuropeanedition.PearsonEducationLimited.

Lahtinen,J.,Isoviita,A.1999.Asiakaspalvelujamarkkinointi(CustomerServiceandMarketing).2nd.ed.Jyväskylä:GummerusKirjapainoOy.

Leppikangas,P-S.2015.DutyManager.FinnairPlc.Interview1.9.2015

Meroni,A.,Sangiorgi,D.2011.DesignforServices.AshgatePublishingLtd.

Pesonen,H-L.,Lehtonen,J.&Toskala,A.2002.Asiakaspalveluvuorovai-kutuksena:Markkinointia,viestintää,psykologiaa(CustomerServiceasInterac-tion:Marketing,Communications,Psychology).Jyväskylä:PS-Kustannus.

Saaranen-Kauppinen,A.&Puusniekka,A.2006.KvaliMOTV–Menetelmäopetuksentietovaranto(verkkojulkaisu).Tampere:

41

Yhteiskuntatieteellinentietoarkisto.http://www.fsd.uta.fi/menetelmaopetus/.Accessed19.9.2015.

Sangiorgi,D.2013.ValueCo-CreationinDesignForServices.ServiceDesignWithTheory:DiscussionsonChange,ValueandMethods,95-104.2nd.rev.ed.Vantaa:HansaBook.

Schluter,J.,Seaton,P.&Chaboyer,W.2008.CriticalIncidentTechnique:auser’sguidefornurseresearchers.JournalofAdvancedNursing,61(1),107-114.

Shostack,L.1984.DesigningServicesthatDeliver.HarvardBusinessReview,62(1),133-139.

Skytrax.2015.SkytraxAirTravelRatingandReviews.Accessed4.4.2015.http://www.airlinequality.com/Airlines/AY.htm

Solis,B.2013.What’stheFutureofBusiness:ChangingtheWayBusinessesCre-ateExperiences.Hoboken,NJ:JohnWiley&Sons.

Syrjälä,L.,Ahonen,S.,SyrjäläinenE.&Saari,S.1994.Laadullisentutkimuksentyötapoja(QualitativeResearchMethods).Fenomenografinentutkimus(Phe-nomenographicResearch),120-160.Helsinki:KirjayhtymäOy.

TuomiJ.&Sarajärvi,A.2006.LaadullinenTutkimusjaSisällönanalyysi(Qualita-tiveResearchandContentAnalysis).4thed.Helsinki:Tammi.

Tuulaniemi,J.2011.Palvelumuotoilu(ServiceDesign).Hämeenlinna:TalentumMediaOy.

Wilhelmsen,C.&Ostrom,L.2012.RiskAssessment:Tools,Techniques,AndTheirApplications.Hoboken,NJ:JohnWiley&Sons.

Zeithaml,V.,Parasuraman,A.andBarry,L.1985.ProblemsandStrategiesinSer-vicesMarketing.JournalofMarketing.No49,33-46.

Zeithaml,V.,Parasuraman,A.andBarry,L.1988.SERVQUAL:AMultiple-ItemScaleforMeasuringConsumerPerceptionsofServiceQuality.JournalofRetail-ing,64(1),12-40.

42

Appendices

Appendix1.Thebasisformfortheinterview

Basicknowledgeabouttheinterviewee

1. Local,transitorarriving?

2. Flight?

3. Howoftendoyoutravel?

Localpassengers(interviewatthegate)

1. Arrivingtotheairport

1.1. Howwouldyoudescribethewayyouwerepreparedyourselffortheair-

port?

1.2. Describethearrivingtotheairport.

1.3. Imagine/tellifsomethingwentwrong/exceptionallywell,describethe

situation?

1.3.1. Additionalquestions

2. Check-in

2.1. Howandwheredidyoudothecheck-in?Why?

2.2. Describewhatyousawatthecheck-inarea./Describetheairlineper-

sonnelatthecheck-inarea.

2.3. Howdoyoufeelaboutthecheck-inprocess?Didyoufindthecheck-in

easytoexecute?Why?Whatdidyoufindeasyandwhatnot?Accessibil-

ity!

2.3.1. Ifyouencounteredanyproblemsorirritatingfactorsduringcheck-

in,howdidyousolvethem?(Howtheairlinepersonneltookpartin

yourcheck-inprocess?Didthey/didtheynotandwhydoyouthink

theydidn’t?)Servicerecovery!

2.3.2. Imagine/tellifsomethingwentwrong/exceptionallywell,describe

whatwasthefactor?

2.3.3. Additionalquestions

43

3. Bagdrop

3.1. Continueyourjourneyfromcheck-intobagdrop.Describethebagdrop

situation.

3.1.1. Imagine/tellifsomethingwentwrong/exceptionallywell,describe

whatwasthefactor?

3.1.2. Additionalquestions

3.2. Howdidyoufeelaboutthesituationatthebagdrop?Why?

4. Atthegate

4.1. Describewhathappenedafterthesecuritycontrol.

4.2. Tellme,howdidyounavigateyourwaytothecorrectgate?Howdidyou

feelaboutthenavigating?

4.2.1. Imagine/tellifsomethingwentwrong/exceptionallywell,describe

whatwasthefactor?

4.2.2. Additionalquestions

4.3. Describewhathappenedatthegate.

4.4. Howwouldyouevaluatetheserviceatthegate?

4.4.1. Imagine/tellifsomethingwentwrong/exceptionallywell,describe

whatwasthefactor?

4.4.2. Additionalquestions

Transitpassengers(interviewatthegate)

1. Fromgatetogate

1.1. Describeyourjourneyfromarrivalgatetothedeparturegate.

1.1.1. Whatisthebestorworst-casescenariothatyouthinkcanhappen

whentransferringfromarrivalgatetodeparturegate?

2. Transitservice

2.1. IfyouneededtovisittheTransitservicedesk,whywasthat?Describe

whathappenedattheTransitService.

2.1.1. Imagine/tellifsomethingwentwrong/exceptionallywell,describe

whatwasthefactor?

2.1.2. Additionalquestions

3. Atthegate

44

3.1. Describethesituationatthedeparturegate.

3.2. Howwouldyouevaluatetheprocessatthegate?

3.2.1. Imagine/tellifsomethingwentwrong/exceptionallywell,describe

whatwasthefactor?

3.2.2. Additionalquestions

Arrivingpassengers(interviewatthearrivalhall)

1. Arrivingtotheairport

1.1. Describeyourjourneyfromthearrivalgatetothearrivalhall(bagbelt

area).

1.2. Howdidyoufindyourwaytotherightbaggagebelt?

1.3. Describetheworst-casescenario,whichcouldhappeninyouropinionon

arrival.

2. Arrivalservice

2.1. Incaseyouneededtocontactthearrivalservice(desk),describewhat

happenedthere.

2.1.1. Additionalquestions

3. Fromthearrivalshalltoleavingtheairport

3.1. Howwouldyoudescribethearrivalprocess?

3.2. Howwouldyourdescribeyourwholejourney?