Recession has now been looming for over a year. We have seen housing, financial and automotive industries freeze in the shadow of the downturn. However, there are still many of the world’s major markets which have stood strong in their own personal wars. The travel industry has supposedly struggled in the light of the recession, however, my research may have suggested otherwise. With airlines liquidising, fuel price increasing and air tax increasing what I wanted to find out is whether the level of customer service on air flights has lessened in the wake of the recession? I spoke to two young men who have travelled in recent times, in and out of the recession.

During the recession many of the world’s leading airlines have bitten the dust. Major names such as XL have felt the true pain of a recession; however, there are still many commercial people carriers which have managed to fly high in the current economic conditions. These are few and far between and are a result of some quick thinking and good business sense from owners and higher level managers. Some have worked better than others. Ryan Air have introduced a hefty charge for using their on-board lavatories. Although, this may seem to violate basic human rights, in a rather cynical sense it can be seen as an excellent business introduction. With nowhere for passengers to relieve themselves after Ryan air’s cheap offering of booze, they will have no option but to cough up and use the facility. However, this can also lead to chaos on the flight. With no money to spare for such a “luxury” many passengers could choose to ease themselves anywhere but the lavatory, thus triggering extra costs for the airline. However, British Airways, who were incidentally the carrier for my interviewees, have taken steps which may increase their cost but also enables them to raise the prices of their air tickets. British Airways have increased the levels of service that they give to their customer to make sure that they have the best journey of their life every time they travel. One keen traveller, Mr. Jack Burkill said a certain flight attendant “went out of his way to make sure that we were comfortable”. Now, this may seem rather absurd from the point of view from a layman who is looking to analyse a business, however, to the business eye this is one of the best moves an airline could have performed in order to make sure that they survived the “credit crunch”.

With disposable income at an all time low for many British citizens, the majority of consumers are looking to get value for their money. The few who have the capacity to take themselves on holiday with an established airline such as BA want to make sure they get exactly what they paid for. Mr. Thomas Blocksidge was delighted to find that all of his flights were “on time” and was especially pleased by flight attendant Chris who “offered two glasses of juice as opposed to the usual one.” Now this act of kindness on the employee’s part may be detrimental to the balance sheet of the business, however, what it does is makes sure that the consumer is comfortable with the service and would seriously consider travelling again.

In their final words, Burkill described the BA service as “impeccable” and Blocksidge was a little more subdued and only described it as “excellent”. For BA, however, it is not the magnitude of appraisal that is used but the fact that the result of their hard work and ingenuity has provided a performance which has a yearned positive feedback.

So the answer to the question, “Has the recession affected the travel industry?” is yes. However, if you ask me whether they have dealt with it I would say “to a certain extent”. Although many airlines have tried and failed it is those with a good reputation ‘pre-recession’ which have dealt the best with their already bulging customer bases and bottom lines.