5 things Jet Airways must do to retain passenger confidence

We all know Jet Airways is in trouble. But it is still a going concern and operating its flights. If it were not to get any worse, below are 5 things I think should be done by Jet Airways. I am not big enough to advise an airlines like Jet, but these are some simple courtesies often forgotten and make situation worse- as we've seen in case of Kingfisher. Let me know if you agree.

1. Announce updated schedule promptly

It is now obvious that Jet airways will be cancelling lots of flights- to cut losses, cost and focus on profitability. But what’s not clear is which ones will be retained and which ones will be cancelled.

As a passenger, this information is crucial to me. I don’t want to know about flight cancellation last minute-even if I get refund alternate flights will be expensive. Thus Jet Airways should work to announce their planned cancellations months in advance, so that passengers can re-plan.  This will be a basic courtesy to ensure those who are still trusting the airline are not inconvenienced further.

2. Pay vendors or enter into necessary agreements to avoid cash n carry.

Airlines need to pay fuel companies, food catering companies, airports and other stakeholders- if this payment is delayed, these vendors may put Jet Airways on cash and carry mode- meaning no more credit is available and airline needs to pay for each flight upfront. This would naturally mean more delays, possibly cancellations and further inconvenience to passengers. I don’t want to board a plane and then know that flight will be cancelled as airline is unable to pay the fuel company. Kingfisher had same problems. Jet Airways should do whatever it takes to avoid getting into this situation- it will shake passenger confidence significantly

3. Do Not compromise safety

When money becomes tight, safety precautions often take backseat- shortcuts will be tried such as trying to use a spare part longer than it should be, reduced maintenance checks, extended shifts/extra workload on staff that would cause more stress and may lead to mistakes, pressurizing Engineering to release a plane for operations while it might need some more checks and so on. These shortcuts may result in incidents or even a crash- last thing anyone wants. So Jet Airways top Management should give clear instructions to mid-management not to compromise on any safety/maintenance activities.

4. Find ways to boost staff morale

If staff are not taken care of, they can’t take care of customers. Already we know that staff salary payments are delayed. If not with money, Jet airways should identify ways how staff morale can be kept high. Some possible ways I can think of are as below:

• Possibly offer shares instead of part of salary- equity will be highly rewarding if airline turns around
• Grand extra leaves or free flights or other such benefits where possible, such that it doesn’t cost money to airline and makes the most of reduced workload (with lots of planned cancellations)
• Potential cross training with other partner airlines- like let Jet Airways cabin crew deployed on Etihad flights if they have a shortage or vacancy
• Rewards for those suggesting ways to cut costs, boost efficiency etc

5 Don’t try any super smart tricks to con passengers

Kingfisher, during its last few weeks of operations had a “mystery airline” deal with MakeMyTrip- wherein airline name will NOT be shown till payment is done. Because this mystery fare was cheap, many booked, but had to face extreme uncertainty if their flight will operate as per promised schedule or not. In most cases Kingfisher pocketed the money, cancelled the flight last minute and took forever to refund- if at all they did. Jet Airways should remain honest and straight forward- it is OK everyone knows the airline is in trouble- as long as airline can keep operating is promised schedule to decent service levels, passengers will keep booking. Once the faith in airline is shaken due to massive cancellations, major incidents or other cheap tricks, bookings will drop and it will be very hard for airline to recover the trust.