The Provocative PS

The Provocative PS

Six months into her job as Chief Executive of Easyjet, Carolyn McCall was on a mission to reposition the airline as a value-for-money brand that could compete with British Airways and Air France, not just go head-to-head on price with Ryanair and the other low-cost operators. Initiatives included the introduction of ‘speedy boarding’, allocated seating and targeting the business traveller.

There was a drive to improve punctuality rates, which had been as low as 51.3%. It was a bold and ambitious vision and one that touched every aspect of the business but ultimately started with the employees.

‘When I started I had so many negative emails from pilots and cabin crew, all saying ‘this is wrong, that is wrong, no-one listens to us’ It was a constant barrage’ she recalls. There were so many that, rather than interrupt her normal working hours, she would look at them and reply in the evening.

Further evidence that McCall was committed to the cause was, and still is, seen every time she takes a flight. She makes a point of trying to speak to – and listen to - every member of the crew, and walks up and down the aisle helping to collect the rubbish.

Arriving at the airline McCall had made changes at the top bringing in new people to make Easyjet ‘a hell of a lot more manageable’ but she also ensured that the new strategy worked its way throughout the business, by including the airline’s top 100 managers in what she called her ‘strong team’.
To get a more local touch she appointed a country director for each market to tailor the offer.

Slowly things started to change.

‘It was Easter 2011 and I was on the first day of a holiday. I saw an email from a pilot and groaned but, of course, opened it – you can never really be on holiday in this job’. The email wasn’t another moan but a thank you. The new stable roster that had been introduced as part of the changes and meant that, for the first time in five years, the pilot was able spend Easter with his family. ‘

This was the turning point for me’ said McCall. Performance improved; punctuality went up to 79% in 2011 and again to over 90% in 2012, profitability increased but McCall still faces challenges like containing costs while raising revenue per seat

And, of course, improving those crew meals.


Read more brand stories from Giles in our Library or on his blog The Prisoner and the Penguin.

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