Lufthansa says it is launching a group-wide task force aimed at improving its dwindling customer satisfaction scores. The German flag carrier said the task force would initially focus on operational stability, as well as how its airlines interact with customers.
The announcement came on the same day that the Lufthansa Group’s current Head of Customer Experience was sidelined into the role of Chief Commercial Officer at SWISS Airlines.
Heike Birlenbach has headed the customer experience department across Lufthansa’s group airlines, which include the namesake brand, as well as Austrian, SWISS, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings, since 2021.
Her position will be filled by Tamur Goudarzi Pour, who has previously been responsible for sales in the Americas and, before that, the Middle East and Africa. Pour has been the COO at SWISS since 2019.
“With his great expertise and many years of experience in commercial areas and his profound knowledge of the needs of our customers, he will decisively advance the product, quality and premium initiatives of Lufthansa Group Airlines,” commented Christina Foerster, a member of Lufthansa’s executive board on Tuesday.
Lufthansa has had an identity crisis in the post-Covid era and has struggled to set itself apart as a premium airline amongst increasing competition both from within Europe and further afield.
Dramatic cost-cutting initiatives have taken their toll on customer satisfaction, while the group has become a laughing stock within the airline industry due to its delayed new premium cabin products.
Lufthansa also still faces staffing shortfalls at some airports, which is having a knock-on effect on operational reliability. On-time performance is frequently cited as one of the biggest drivers of customer satisfaction but while Austrian is performing relatively well in this area, other Lufthansa Group airlines are lagging behind their competitors.
