Britain’s flag carrier British Airways hopes to break into the ever-popular aviation podcasting market by launching its very own podcast, ‘The Check In’.
The podcast is promising to give both employees and customers a better insight into how the airline ‘ticks’ and will be centred specifically around the airlines’ employees’ experiences.
Episodes are also expected to be hosted by employees at the airline, each working across the UK in a different sector of the business in an attempt to offer a more broad insight into the airlines’ daily ongoings. A training captain, a customer service manager, a customer engagement team leader and a customer experience representative have all been identified as the new podcast’s first hosts.
Restore once-great reputation
The project comes at what is seen as a critical time for BA, with consumer confidence in the airline having taken knock after knock in recent years. A major IT glitch caused widespread booking disruption in 2017, a massive data breach in 2018 led to new security concerns and the universally-felt effects of the pandemic and subsequent disarray have all hammered the airline’s once stellar reputation.
Last month, the airline’s chief Sean Doyle pledged his commitment to rebuilding the relationship with both customers and staff and to restoring the airline’s reputation as a premium service provider.
Wider package to boost morale
The podcast is likely expected by BA to boost morale amongst its 20,000 employees but comes as part of a wider package, alongside plans to dish out one-off bonuses to pilots, cabin crew and ground staff as a “gesture of thanks” in the wake of the pandemic.
BA’s Chief People Officer, Michelle Lydon, commented:
“At British Airways we know our colleagues are our best asset, and that’s why we’re thrilled to launch a new podcast hosted by four fantastic people from all corners of our airline. We’re looking forward to taking listeners behind the scenes to find out more about BA.”
The first episode is available to stream now on Apple Podcasts.
Is British Airways’ latest attempt to regain consumer trust likely to make an impact? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
