Page 117 - DMGT206_PRODUCTION_AND_OPERATIONS_MANAGEMENT

Production and Operations Management

Notes From the time of its inception, Jet Airways endeavoured to deliver a world-class service,
on the ground and in the air, by borrowing from the best practices of airlines and other
service related fields in the world, and adapting them to Indian conditions. The Corporate
Mission Statement of Jet Airways states that:
"It will be the most preferred domestic airline in India. It will be the first choice carrier for
the traveling public and will set standards which its competitors will seek to match. This
pre-eminent position will be achieved by offering a high quality of service and operations
that are reliable, comfortable and efficient. Jet Airways being a world-class domestic
airline, will simultaneously ensure consistent profitability; achieve healthy, one-term
returns for the investors; and provide its employees with an environment conducive to
excellence and growth."
An original business model of Jet Airways was developed to achieve the goals set in the
mission statement. It addressed all individual elements required to create a successful
airline. This included working in a synergistic and a cohesive manner to enable the airline
to market a reliable, efficient and a comfortable travel experience to our customers.
1. Modern generation aircraft and young fleet to insure reliability, safety, efficiency
and comfort.
2. Continuous upgradation and innovation of products and services.

3. Understanding the needs of the customer and managing the relationship.
4. Total coverage of India.
5. Maximize foreign currency earnings.
6. A well run and managed cost efficient operation.
7. Human resource development and training.

To become the ‘airline of choice’, Jet Airways has tried to deliver a consistently high level
of service to its customers. Based on extensive research, Jet launched a campaign called
‘Operation Revitalize’. The idea was to focus on areas where the gap with competition was
narrow and to increase the gap even further in the other areas. This was supported by the
belief that a truly world-class airline has to be good in not only one or two areas, but
virtually in all areas in which the travel industry and consumers need to interact with an
airline.

Jet claims to have set new service standards in India, and to have educated the Indian
passenger on what service means. Keeping this in mind, Jet provides measures for the
standard of service. They have standards in place for virtually every customer contact,
varying from hard (quantifiable) to soft (intangible) standards. With customer service
standards to guide their activities, they expect to be able to meet customer expectations.

Hard Standards can be measured in the following areas: appearance; customer-contact
areas; lounges; reservations; sales; check-in; system reliability; baggage handling;
punctuality; delay handling; aircraft cleaning; maintenance. Soft standards apply to all
customer-contact areas; staff who are attentive and ready to help; polite staff; competence
in dealing with any eventuality; level of tact displayed by staff in difficult situations;
availability of airline staff; responsiveness to individual needs; being treated as an
individual; an approachable staff; staff who are warm and friendly; being greeted with a
smile and pleasant service.
Although soft standards are subjective and more difficult to monitor, Jet’s management
believes they are the standards by which many customers are likely to judge Jet’s services.
Hard standards have the potential to dissatisfy customers if they are not met. Soft standards,
Contd...

112 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY