Type of Service Failure (0.

5  System Failure- due to some issue on the runway

mark) or the operation of the flight to be boarded
 can be outcome failure such as the flight to be
boarded has not landed due to fog or air traffic
 Employee failure : flight can be delayed if the
pilot has faced some issue or is not present

Type of Complaint (0.5 Complaint can be made to :

mark)
 Provider or by
 By WOM

In this case complaint should be instrumental as airlines

will have to make a specific remedy to change the flight
to be boarded and thus the airlines will have to take
specific action

Most prevalent Complainers Since the situation is dire and flight is delayed
(0.5 mark) indefinitely, complainers types will be :

 Voicers
 Irates
 Activists

There will not be passive complainers as everyone will

want an immediate solution.
The 1st expectation of a customer when they had
Initial Expectations of
complained is that company should understand that
Customers (0.5 mark) there is a problem & take accountability.
Customers will be dissatisfied with the service provided
by the airline because they hope that the flight will
reach on time. 
Type of Service Encounter Face to Face encounter was caused majorly because of
(0.5 mark) the flight got delayed customers will be asking flight
 staff for the delay caused.

There might be technology mediated encounter also

because of the flight delay issue
Employees will request customers for the flight delay
Employee Responses –
caused and help customers to form perception of service
Sources of (Dis)Satisfaction quality.
(0.5 mark)
They are the Moments of Truth, which is an opportunity to
build customer satisfaction

Recovery –
in case of service failure situations of the flight caused
delay the airline provider will work on

Spontaneity –

how to meet expectations and go beyond expectations

because of flight delay 

Service Wrapper (0.75 mark)
Coping
In respond to problematic customers or problems
created by customers because of flight delay
Service Wrapper- This is the non-core service that is provided
with the core service.

In this case, we haven’t been given proper information about

our delayed flight
 Relationship Control – The relationship needs to be
addressed an acceptance of mistake should be made,
an apology should be rendered, we must get the
feeling that we are safe and our solution will be
available soon
 Information control – The correct information should
be provided about the reason for service failure and
the future steps that will be taken to correct the
situation.
 Quality control – There must be a quality control
audit about why the flight was delayed and the
reason behind the lapses in communication. They
must ensure that we do not encounter such failure in
the future as well.

How to deliver justice? (0.75 Outcome Fairness – Airlines should let passengers
know why there was an indefinite delay via emails or
mark)
Whatsapp messages or text messages or an automated
phone call to the customer and give a proper apology.

Recovery Strategies (Fix the
Customer) (0.75 mark)
They should compensate for the delay by letting them
know the next available flights. They should also refund
the money back for the delayed flight or book the next
flight automatically. They can also provide some
refreshments in the next flight as compensation.
Procedural Fairness – Passengers can claim a refund for
the delayed flight. Airlines should let passengers know
the rules and regulations of what to do next in case a
flight is delayed indefinitely. They should also provide
helpline numbers and customer care email id to contact
them.
Interactional Fairness – Airline employees should
apologize and answer passenger queries politely and with
patience. They should coordinate with the customers
properly till their queries are resolved. Airlines can also
ask the customers to fill feedback forms after resolving
their queries so that they can assess how effectively they
had communicated to resolve customer problems in case
of delayed flights.
Quick Response: It is important for the Airline to
respond to customers as soon as possible. It is advisable
to give direct call either by automation or by employee
which will make sure that every customer will get the
failure details quickly because if we try to reach through
SMS or email then there are chances that customer will
be missed out on update
Constructive & Real explanation: For recovery, it is
important to give details over mail to each customer
about why the failure happened and what all plans are in
place to make sure the inconvenience will not happen
again. Moreover, while making call to all customers
about failure update, employee should be able to give
concise and effective details about the failure in simple
language so that customer can understand and get
pacified.
Fair Treatment: In the airline scenario, there are
multiple classes of service available based on the price of
 the service. However, while conveying the details and
preparing the remedies for recovery, it is important for
the airline to consider all the customer as same and
provide the same solution. This will not only help to
standardize the recovery strategy but also increase the
customer’s bond level with the airline.

Recovery Strategies (Fix the In order to fix the problem, the following strategies can be
Problem) (0.75 mark) used –

1. Learn from recovery experience – Previous

recovery experiences can help the management
understand and better strategize for future service
recovery situations. They can continue with the
strategies that worked for them and tweak the ones
that did not. Proper compensations like extra miles,
incentives, in flight refreshments, quick responses to
delays and alternative flight options should be
provided to satisfy customers.
2. Learn from lost customers – Management should try
to understand why customers shifted to another airline
and try to avoid the events that led to the shift.
Reasons for shift could include improper explanations
for the delay in the flight, impolite employees, or
improper compensations. Management should make
note of these reasons and not repeat them in the future.
3. Make service fail safe – Management should always
have a backup plan in case of unprecedented
situations such as flight delays.