Caring is not always on-brand

The majority of successful airlines rightly view good treatment of their employees as vital. But Ryanair's sacking of crew over a staged photo is counter-intuitively likely to bolster its standing among its target audience.

When I was midway through writing my book, SOAR, I had to change its subtitle. Initially, it read: "How the best airlines in the world delight customers." That's because when I started writing the book, I believed that endearing airline brands must keep customers happy in order to be successful.

However, as I conducted interviews in writing the book, I realised there was another critical factor in an airline's success as a brand in the long term – its employees. Hence, the subtitle for SOAR was updated to: "How the best airlines in the world delight customers and inspire employees."

My hypothesis was exemplified by brands like Southwest Airlines and Singapore Airlines. The former believes in the "golden circle" – treat your employees well, who will in turn delight customers, who will ultimately keep coming back – to keep the shareholder happy. The latter instills so much pride in the "Singapore Girl" that just turning up in the legendary sarong kebaya is a privilege. However, none other than Ryanair shattered my belief. Because the airline didn't seem to care for its staff, yet succeeded as a brand.

FAKE PHOTOGRAPH 

Ryanair recently decided to fire its crew who had staged a fake photograph claiming they had to sleep on the floor. The move came after a series of public spats between the airline and its crew (including with unions). The latest incident happened when an evening flight from Malaga, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal was cancelled due to bad weather.

Being an ultra-low-cost airline, Ryanair requires crew to return to base each evening and does not have deals with hotels like many other airlines. To make the situation worse, it happened on a Spanish national holiday and all the hotel rooms were booked. Hence, the crew was sent to a holding area for much of the night before the airport lounge opened early morning and they had access to food and drinks. Clearly unhappy, the crew decided to pose for photos that showed them sleeping on the floor. These were posted on social media and went viral. The unions came hard after Ryanair management, calling them out for mistreatment of its crew.

Instead of buckling under pressure and handling matters privately, Ryanair claimed on Facebook that the photo was staged. Within days, it made public CCTV footage of the crew clearly posing for photos on the floor and then going back to their chairs. Much of the media came down hard on Ryanair, citing privacy concerns with such footage. However, as Steven Dickson, managing partner at Skylight Aviation, noted: "The crew concocted a story with the full knowledge that it would be damaging to the reputation of Ryanair. This was only about supporting the union's agenda." This cannot be disputed, which is why the actions of Ryanair in firing the crew are justified. The deeper question though is – does this action help the airline's brand or harm it in the long term?

To determine how the issue impacted Ryanair's brand, it is important to understand what it stands for. My colleague Marco Serusi has flown the airline often and he shared: "The Ryanair brand sends a simple message – this is a cheap airline, expect nothing else."

"The airline under-promises and over-delivers, ironically creating a positive brand experience" Shashank Nigam, chief executive, SimpliFlying

Ryanair offers a clear brand image and expectation to the users: they will get a low price and a seat that takes them from point A to B – comfort and kindness are not included. Passengers board flights prepared mentally for hurdles and troubles. More often than not, they do not encounter said troubles.

In short, the airline consistently under-promises and over-delivers, ironically creating a positive brand experience. As a consequence, critics of airlines like Ryanair tend to be users who have never flown them, or legacy airline executives. On the other hand, its strongest advocates are those who continue to fly the airline.

For Ryanair fans, the latest incident reinforces the brand's no-frills image – they will not put crew in hotels so that they can continue to offer cheap fares. Firing of the staff and the release of footage reinforces the airline's focus on keeping costs low and passing on the savings. While dealing with the issue privately may have helped mend fences with staff, Ryanair's public response is likely to bolster its brand further in the long term in the public eye.

While most successful airlines tend to follow Southwest's golden rule, exceptions like Ryanair do exist. My belief that good brands need to inspire employees in addition to delighting customers stands shaken, not stirred. Treating employees well is something most airlines should do.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

This article was first published in Flight's Airline Business December 2018 edition.