Air Asia’s Customer Service Fail

The last leg of our journey is upon us. And unlike the first leg of our trip, or first two-thirds really, all of our transit from here on out will be by air. We wanted to begin our Indonesian stay in the east and work our way west. But when we went to book flights, Air Asia wouldn’t let us do the many short flights in one day. So we decided to go to the offices at KL Sentral to speak to a human, thinking we could work it all out. Confusion and eventual dismay ensued.

Advertisement

Customer Service: A Lost Art Found

A few days ago, we decided we needed to start making reservations for later dates in our trip. We had been having some problems booking transit and places to stay, since we were traveling around the country during the holidays. We didn’t think it would be a problem, since in the US, transit companies increase capacity for major travel days. But in New Zealand, there is significantly less capacity in general, so things get booked up.

At first, we tried to do everything online, thinking that would be the most efficient. Everything was full, and hope was lost. But then I thought back to previous travel experiences, where my parents and I relied on word of mouth to find recommendations for everything from hotels to buses and taxi services. So we decided to take the personal route, and talk to people, not machines. What transpired is a testament to the importance of a personal touch in marketing.