Travel & Hospitality Intelligence

✈️ No bag fees. No assigned seats. No problem!

Southwest Airlines ranked highest in customer satisfaction for the economy/basic economy segment in the J.D. Power 2022 North America Airline Satisfaction Study.

On the latest episode of the J.D. Power Travel & Hospitality Podcast, Andrew Watterson, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for Southwest Airlines, sits down for a one-on-one interview with Michael Taylor to talk about Southwest’s business strategy, company culture and future plans.

The J.D. Power Travel & Hospitality Podcast is a monthly podcast that delves into the latest news and trends affecting the travel industry.

SUBSCRIBE NOW and get the latest podcasts sent directly to your favorite podcast player! 🎧🗣🎙> https://linktr.ee/travelpodcast

In this episode, you’ll hear a discussion on…

0:30 — Introduction and Andrew tells us what he does

0:55 — Andrew speaks briefly about the J.D. Power award win

0:30 — Andrew briefly introduces himself, what he does at Southwest Airlines and acknowledges the company’s award for ranking highest in the Economy/Basic Economy segment of the J.D. Power 2022 North America Airline Satisfaction Study.

1:20 — Mike asks Andrew about Southwest’s value proposition. What does the airline offer flyers that’s different than the competition? Andrew speaks briefly about Southwest’s bundled offering, “backed by pro-consumer policies and delivered by very engaged employees that deliver outstanding hospitality and service.”

2:30 — The two talk a little more about Southwest’s resistance to charge bag fees, which represent $28.1 billion in revenue across the industry. Mike asks Andrew about the philosophy of bundling baggage fees into the ticket price.

5:00 — Mike asks Andrew how Southwest Airlines keeps customers satisfied.

6:00 — The two talk about Southwest’s open seating policy and boarding process. Andrew offers some insights on how the process actually helps drive customer satisfaction.

8:30 — Southwest excels at hiring engaging, friendly associates. Mike asks Andrew how the company finds and trains their employees. Andrew mentions he was turned down from working at Southwest Airlines for 17 years before he was finally hired and that all employees go through a comprehensive hiring process and training.

10:45 — Mike wonders if humor is a part of the hiring process. Andrew says, “A fun-loving attitude is something we look for.”

11:45 — Mike asks Andrew about Southwest’s strategy with business travelers. Andrew talks about Southwest’s origins as a business carrier in Texas and the challenges it encountered with expanding service to the East Coast. Andrew talks about adding more business flights in the East and more leisure in the West, targeted to expanding the business.

13:00 Andrew talks a bit more about business travel and what the airline is doing to support these customers.

14:00 — Andrew talks a bit about the in-cabin experience at Southwest Airlines and what the airline offers passengers.

15:00 — Andrew talks about the new cabin experience and various upgrades that will be made to new aircraft cabins.

17:00 — Mike asks Andrew about the future of Southwest’s fleet. “We have a very well calibrated offering. We just need more of it.”

Customers are experiencing sticker shock, limited availability and longer service wait times at the rental car counter. It is likely these conditions will continue into 2022, Tyson Jominy, VP of Data & Analytics for J.D. Power's Global Automotive division, tells Michael Taylor on the J.D. Power Travel & Hospitality Podcast.

The J.D. Power Travel & Hospitality Podcast is a monthly podcast that delves into the latest news and trends affecting the travel industry.

SUBSCRIBE NOW and get the latest podcasts sent directly to your favorite podcast player! 🎧🗣🎙

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YouTube > bit.ly/3OPrHt8

RSS > bit.ly/3MAOozo

On the latest episode of “Winning the Battle for Talent,” our team of J.D. Power Customer Service Advisory experts discuss “ghosting” when it comes to employment: What is it, who is doing it, why is it happening, and what can organizations do to address it?

Episode 10 features a discussion with:


-- Michael Vermillion, Senior Managing Director, Global Business Intelligence, J.D. Power


-- Mark Miller, Practice Leader, Customer Service Advisory, J.D. Power


-- Ted Nardin, Sr. Consultant, Customer Service Advisory, J.D. Power and President, 5th Talent International


-- Jonathan Sutter, Senior Director, Travel & Hospitality, J.D. Power

On the latest episode of the J.D. Power Travel & Hospitality Podcast, Chief Customer Officer for American Airlines, Alison Taylor, sits down for a one-on-one interview. This episode explores the latest mask mandate changes, ways to keep travelers engaged with an airline brand, and what to expect in the future for air travel.

The J.D. Power Travel & Hospitality Podcast is a monthly podcast that delves into the latest news and trends affecting the travel industry.

SUBSCRIBE NOW and get the latest podcasts sent directly to your favorite podcast player! 🎧🗣🎙

Apple Podcasts > https://apple.co/36NV5i2

Spotify > https://spoti.fi/3EPolBC

Google Podcasts > https://bit.ly/3rSOR7S

YouTube > https://bit.ly/3OPrHt8

RSS > https://bit.ly/3MAOozo

In this episode, you’ll hear a discussion on…

1:06 — Alison gives a quick update on health and safety protocols, both on American Airlines’ aircraft and inside of airports.

6:00 — Michael asks Alison about some of the new amenities and services passengers can expect on American Airlines.

8:15 — Across the industry, business travel has yet to restore to pre-pandemic levels. Alison gives us American Airlines’ forecast for business travel.

11:00 — The two talk about the role small and medium-sized businesses played in their utilization of business travel during the pandemic.

14:00 — Alison and Michael talk a bit about the in-flight experience, the interior of cabins and the complexity of replacing certain components of the aircraft.

16:30 — Michael asks Alison about what passengers can expect from American Airlines’ loyalty program going forward.

During this episode, our team continues their discussion around the tech support maturity model, this time focusing on People. Where do most companies fall in the maturity model when it comes to their People? What best practices are high performing organizations deploying?

 

This podcast features a discussion with:

-- Michael Vermillion, Vice President and General Manager of J.D. Power Travel & Hospitality Intelligence.

-- Mark Miller, Practice Leader, Customer Service Advisory, J.D. Power

-- Mike Noeth, Evaluator, Customer Service, Technical Support, Field Service, J.D. Power

-- Greg Dickerson, Call and Contact Center Consultant, J.D. Power

During this episode, our team continues diving into the tech support maturity model with a discussion around Strategy. Where do most companies fall in the maturity model when it comes to Strategy? What are high performing organizations doing to align their Strategy with the overall business strategy?

 

This podcast features a discussion with:

-- Michael Vermillion, Vice President and General Manager of J.D. Power Travel & Hospitality Intelligence.

-- Mark Miller, Practice Leader, Customer Service Advisory, J.D. Power

-- Mike Noeth, Evaluator, Customer Service, Technical Support, Field Service, J.D. Power

-- Greg Dickerson, Call and Contact Center Consultant, J.D. Power

During this episode, our team explores the Technology segment of our tech support maturity model. Where do most companies fall in the maturity model when it comes to Technology? What best practices are we seeing from high performers when it comes to performance management, survey tools, workforce management, and disaster recovery?

 

This podcast features a discussion with:

-- Michael Vermillion, Vice President and General Manager of J.D. Power Travel & Hospitality Intelligence.

-- Mark Miller, Practice Leader, Customer Service Advisory, J.D. Power

-- Mike Noeth, Evaluator, Customer Service, Technical Support, Field Service, J.D. Power

-- Greg Dickerson, Call and Contact Center Consultant, J.D. Power

During this episode, our team of J.D. Power Customer Service Advisory begins a discussion around the tech support maturity model. We focus first on Process. Where do most companies fall in the maturity model when it comes to Process? What do high performing organizations do to move forward?

 

This podcast features a discussion with:

-- Michael Vermillion, Vice President and General Manager of J.D. Power Travel & Hospitality Intelligence.

-- Mark Miller, Practice Leader, Customer Service Advisory, J.D. Power

-- Mike Noeth, Evaluator, Customer Service, Technical Support, Field Service, J.D. Power

-- Greg Dickerson, Call and Contact Center Consultant, J.D. Power

On this episode, our experts discuss empathy. What is empathy in relation to customer service? Why is it important? How do you distill it into your cultural?

E9 features a discussion with:

-- Michael Vermillion, Senior Managing Director, Global Business Intelligence, J.D. Power

-- Mark Miller, Practice Leader, Customer Service Advisory, J.D. Power


-- Alexandra Blum, Founder, Silver Lining Marketing

J.D. Power Tech Support Podcast -- Meet the Speaker –- Mike Noeth by