A recent plane trip reminded me how important it is to be, or at least appear to be, consistent in serving customers.
Before I entered the security checkpoint, I was told that my carry-on looked too big. I’d overstuffed it a bit and, sure enough, it didn’t fit in that little metal frame they use to determine a bag’s size (which I’d never seen used before, but that’s another story). Several people were being stopped for this very same reason, so I didn’t fret. I just checked my bag, paid the fee, and went through the metal detectors.
Walking around near the gate waiting to board the plane I saw a few people (maybe 1 of about every 12-15) with bags at least as big and overstuffed as mine, and a couple even larger. The majority of people had bags that were clearly smaller, so the screeners at security had been mostly even-handed. But not entirely.
And that’s the problem. Why did some people get to carry overstuffed or larger bags, while others were denied and forced to pay to check their luggage? Was there a reason? If so, it should be well-known and obvious (such as: these rules don’t apply to anyone flying first class).
Otherwise, what happens is that the customer ends up feeling mistreated. That can lead to mistrust. And that can lead to lost business and opportunities.
