Door-Step to Destination

Rishi Suri, a 25 year old male is an Investment Banker (ex-consultant). He frequently travels around the world on business assignments.

Rishi is an avid Blackberry user and cannot live without being connected to the online world. Up-to-date with the latest in business and politics, Rishi speaks about being motivated by challenges. He has quite a high flying consulting career and submerged into investment banking in the middle of the financial crisis. Rishi is fond of short getaways and preserves memories from each trip. In his free time Rishi likes to listen to classical Indian music and catch sitcoms such as How I met your Mother. His albums are available on Photo Album: http://picasaweb.google.com/rishisuri83

Having traveled to South East Asia, East Asia, South Africa, London and NYC largely for work and a little bit for pleasure, Rishi has much to say about the future of travel. His primary expectation is that airlines must take care of the business passenger from the time he leaves his home to the time he reaches his destination! And passengers looking for end-to-end services will willingly pay the premium for it. He spoke about how, though services are available currently, they are available at different touch points and only on request. He spoke the fears associated with air travel and hoped in time, a medic would be on board as a mandatory for all flights. And he spoke of the perennial pain points of the flight experience taking four hours longer than the duration of the flight. How everyone wishes they could leave home 30 minutes before a flight and get to their meeting on time!

On a slightly wishful note, he speaks of airport experience like than of a mall. One walk-through x-ray and efficient baggage pick up and drop services.

Rishi had also personally experienced Emirates and fondly remembers the ‘wow’ factor it had in the previous decades. He remembers the aura around the airline, since family visiting would carry with them toys and bags from the Emirates experience. He wishes that Emirates differentiate their proposition from Qatar, because for someone from outside, the two can be easily confused. His expectation on flying future Emirates aircrafts is the desire to feel like a King/Sheikh! Think golden plates, golden royal surroundings! Another reservation a young traveler like him has is that Emirates caters to an older, more refined, aspirationally sophisticated audience. He feels it has no room for someone seeking a fun, relaxed travel experience.

Which airline according to him, has it? Any airline, he reasons that gives acceptable service quality but more importantly respect to its consumers.

In terms of service brands, he quotes Laurence and Mayo Opticians as a company that really treat sthe customer as king. He spoke about his experience of placing an order and being taken care of till the delivery happened. They were even willing to deliver in Delhi, at no extra cost, even if the order was placed in Mumbai. Fluidity in service is off paramount importance. And the emphasis on lifetime value of the client and not the need to make profit out of every transaction. He also quotes the chain of multiplex cinemas, PVR that changed the way Indians watched movies with the most efficient online booking and information availability.

Which non-airline brand can make a good airline? Rishi spoke of the TATA group, because they respected their consumer, be it full service or budget propositions (quoting their excellent budget hotels chain Ginger). He said their hospitality made you feel honorable and airlines at the end of the day were a part of the hospitality business.