Your next airline flight could feature a whole new set of annoyances. U.S. aviation regulators are considering allowing passengers to make voice calls over Wifi on flights.
Though nothing has been officially announced, this could be a major change in the flight experience. Currently, most cellular calling is banned on flights. However, the U.S. Department of Transportation did say that it would be up to airlines whether or not they actually want to allow the calls.
This leaves airlines with an interesting decision. On one hand, people love the ability to be connected. And not allowing them to do so for a flight of several hours, after regulators have declared the practice safe, might not go over so well.
On the other hand, it could only take one loud talker telling an uncomfortable story over the phone to ruin a flight for a lot of people. And though airlines can’t always control what other passengers do, that behavior goes toward shaping the customer experience for everyone else.
The Lesson of This Customer Experience Example
In the end, airlines will need to decide whether giving passengers the right to make voice calls outweighs the possible annoyance this may cause. In your small business too you must always decide how to create the best customer experience. To be sure, you won’t be able to please everyone. The key is to discover what your core customer really wants and focus on delivering that experience first.
Airline Terminal Photo via Shutterstock
Annie: It must be up to the air carrier to decide if you allowed to talk on the plane, or not.
Annie Pilon
Yes, absolutely
Aira Bongco
This can be good for some people who need to take calls during flights. But I agree that it can affct flight experience by a lot. After all, you will not like someone talking on their phones while you try to sleep on the plane.
Annie Pilon
For sure – there are definite pros and cons that airlines will need to consider
Gaurav Kumar
I would compare it to the experience of watching films in cinemas. I don’t think it would be a good idea to allow passengers to make calls. Most of all the important communications could take place in writing via messages or emails.