The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which is a United Nations agency that promotes the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation, has established core principles on consumer protection to improve air travel experience globally, including in Africa. By adopting these principles, African aviation can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and protection.
In the preamble, the ICAO core principles on consumer protection recognizes that passengers can benefit from a competitive air transport sector, which offers more choice in fare-service trade-offs and which may encourage carriers to improve their offerings, passengers, including those with disabilities, can also benefit from consumer protection regimes. It also seeks that government authorities should have the flexibility to develop consumer protection regimes which strike an appropriate balance between protection of consumers and industry competitiveness and which take into account States’ different social, political, and economic characteristics, without prejudice to the safety and security of aviation.
It points out that national and regional consumer protection regimes should i) reflect the principle of proportionality ii) allow for the consideration of the impact of massive disruptions, iii) be consistent with the international treaty regimes on air carrier liability established by the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air (Warsaw, 1929) and its amending instruments, and the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air (Montréal, 1999).
Enshrined in the core principle, is the “Before Travel” information and guidance. African airlines and airports can improve customer experience by providing sufficient information and guidance to passengers before travel. Clearly displaying fares, taxes, and fees to avoid hidden costs enables transparency in the pricing process. Providing detailed information about air transport products and associated legal protections gives the customer the feeling that he or she is important.
Another way the aviation industry can key into the core principle before travel is by offering accessible customer support channels for queries and concerns. These are important for making the customer feel that he or she is important. One challenge in our environment is that despite signages and wayfinding aids, Africans are used to human interactions. So, accessibility to customer support channels for queries and concerns go beyond the inanimate signages. Like marketers selling air service, all members of the customer service and consumer protection team in the African aviation space should seek and engage with the customer not only before travel but during and after travel. A post travel customer engagement would indeed provide insights for improved travel experience by the industry.
During travel, airlines and airports would do well if they prioritize passenger comfort and assistance. This would involve such things as: keeping passengers informed about flight schedules, delays, or cancellations; providing rerouting, refunds, care, and/or compensation when necessary; and, ensuring fair access for persons with disabilities and providing necessary assistance.
After travel, efficient complaint handling procedures are crucial and important for re-inforcing the feeling that the customer is important. This would involve: establishing straightforward and accessible complaint handling processes; resolving complaints in a timely and fair manner; and, encouraging customer feedback to improve services.
By implementing ICAO’s core principles, African aviation can: enhance customer trust by prioritizing transparency, fairness, and customer support; improve brand reputation by providing excellent customer experiences and protecting passenger rights; and, increase passenger loyalty by demonstrating a commitment to customer satisfaction and protection.
The industry does face challenges such as infrastructure limitations. But these challenges are also seeds of opportunities. These can be found in innovation and collaboration by all members of the airport community. When the members of the airport community give priority to customer satisfaction and protection, African aviation can drive growth while maintaining high standards of service.
When the industry adopts ICAO’s core principles on consumer protection, African aviation can significantly enhance customer experience, drive innovation, and support sustainable growth.
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Ekelem Airhihen, an accredited mediator, has an MBA from the Lagos Business School. He is a member, ACI Airport Non-aeronautical Revenue Activities Committee; his interests are in market research, customer experience and performance measurement, negotiation, strategy and data and business analytics. He can be reached on ekyair@yahoo.com and +2348023125396 (WhatsApp only).
