As my easyJet flight journeyed back home from Naples, I found myself sharing the plane with three unique individuals – a grandmother, and a blind couple.
Watching their experiences, I became acutely aware of a particular aspect of customer experience that we often overlook, but one that is crucial in the world of aviation and indeed, in our daily lives.
The crew and ground assistants truly embodied the spirit of humanity, their professional roles melting away to reveal individuals deeply committed to making the journey of these special travelers a truly special experience.
Each movement they made was done with an innate understanding of the specific needs of their passengers and a desire to provide a supportive, empathetic environment.
Witnessing the grandmother, who might have felt daunted by the unfamiliar environment, receive patient and kind assistance filled my heart. Her frailty was treated with respect and not as an inconvenience. The blind couple, likewise, was not seen as a challenge but as valued passengers whose experience mattered just as much as anyone else's.
The crew moved beyond their service duties, demonstrating a profound humanity that transformed an otherwise routine flight into an uplifting journey.
Yet, this should be more than an isolated instance of warmth and understanding. It should be the norm. This is the essence of true customer experience – not just making customers feel good, but making sure they feel acknowledged, understood, and valued, irrespective of their abilities or disabilities.
Universal accessibility isn’t just about compliance with regulations or ticking off boxes on a checklist, it's about empathetic service that caters to everyone's needs. It's about creating an environment that empowers and enables, instead of one that inhibits and isolates.
Airlines and the broader travel industry have made significant strides in this regard, but there is always more to be done.
This is not just about 'business' or 'service' - this is about human connection and empathy - this is about to make travel universally accessible and unequivocally human.