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March 19, 2008
When I liked flying...
Alaska Airlines was the primary reason why. Now they're demonstrating again why they hold a 50% share at Sea-Tac airport, and why if I still lived anywhere they flew, they would always be my airline of choice.
There are three things I love about this article:
1) Alaska Airlines gets it. In the new world full of security and other obstacles to actually getting on an airplane and back off again at your intended destination with your stuff, this airline employs "lobby coordinators" in the "decision zone." Unlike the annoying greeters in any given retail store, these people serve the twin purposes of facilitation movement AND bringing graciousness to a rather calloused process. But even more than that personal touch, read the description of the kiosk lobby - not an atm-like device at the end of the linear formation, but a genuine lobby, with multiple points of service, opening up the space and giving the whole thing a more relaxed, dignified feeling. Absolutely wonderful.
2)When Fast Company was a brand new magazine and I was a determined to be successful business person, I was a charter subscriber. I learned a lot from that magazine about moving, about changing, about seeing business and processes with new eyes and not shying away from change. Still love this magazine, especially for profiling very cool new solutions like this one.
3) Ed White's comment about the patents - happy to see others embracing what Alaska developed. Cool.
Posted by cageyer at March 19, 2008 07:31 PM