Director of Inflight Services Christine Steele (second right) is all smiles next to cabin attendants (from left) Jillian Chin, Marie Barrett and Angella Ibar at the Fly Jamaica launch. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
Keisha Hill, Gleaner WriterFly Jamaica Airways took to the skies just four months ago and already they have been receiving great reviews on the quality of service that is offered to passengers during their weekly flights to New York. Top among the list of positive comments is the courtesy of the flight attendants.
The high level of customer service should come as no surprise as in-flight manager Christine Steele brings more than 40 years of experience in the airline industry to Fly Jamaica Airways. Prior to joining Fly Jamaica Airways, Steele managed a team of more than 500 flight attendants for a regional airline where she served in various capacities such as chief purser, in-flight manager, on-board product manager and training manager. Steele is also a member of the board of directors of the new airline.
"Our high level of customer service is based on how we train our flight attendants and the type of people we choose for the position. The flight attendants we have are oriented with excellent customer-service skills. Our target is to give of our best and nothing less," Steele said.
The old adage that the customer is never wrong also applies to this unit, and Steele believes that without the customer there would be no airline. Most airlines, she said, have an email system that deals with customer enquiries etc; however, they have an added component to call the customers. The customers, she said, are surprised yet happy that their issue is being dealt with in such a swift and efficient manner.
"People pay for customer service. If there is a complaint or any issue that arises in this area, we personally call the passengers. It takes nothing out of our office to make contact with the customers," Steele said.
FOUR-WEEK TRAINING
Former customer-service representatives and flight attendants are required to go through four weeks of training. However, first-timers are required to attend six weeks of training. According to Steele, at least three days of the training sessions deal specifically with customer service while every day has a component that focuses on this area.
