I have nothing but praise for a recent move by Lufthansa CEO Jens Ritter to take on the role of a flight attendant on a pair of flights. It’s one thing to give lip service to employee solidarity, but it is another to actually take on their role.
Lufthansa CEO Jens Ritter Serves As Flight Attendant
There’s far more than a disparity in pay between the C-Suite and customer-facing flight attendants: in many cases, there is a fundamental difference in understanding the business. Leadership roles require macro engagement, but the micro engagement, including a direct interaction with passengers and a hands-on understanding of what flight attendants face in their daily roles, is essential to effectively leading the team.
Ritter took to LinkedIn to chronicle his day as a flight attendant. Key details:
- He flew from Frankfurt (FRA) to Riyadh (RUH) to Bahrain (BAH) and back onboard an Airbus A330-300
- On the outbound, he worked business class; on the return, he worked in economy class
- Ritter is a former Lufthansa pilot
How did it turn out? In his own words:
I have been working for the Lufthansa Group for many years. But I have never had the opportunity to work as part of the cabin crew. And honestly, that was so interesting and also challenging! I was amazed by how much there is to organize, especially, if something doesn’t go as planned – for example the meals offered on the menu cards were not exactly the meals loaded on board.
It was so interesting to address the guests’ wishes individually, to deal with the different energy everyone has. I used to fly as a pilot and so I thought I knew about the challenges a flight during the night entails. But to be present and attentive and charming – when the biological clock just tells you to sleep – was something entirely different.
The crew was terrific and welcomed me into their team right away. And honestly: I enjoyed every moment! I was astonished how much I learned in these few hours. Deciding things in the office will be different after really feeling the decisions on board. Thank you to the amazing crew, the lovely guests and everyone involved for making this experience possible!
Interesting that catering messed up the meals on the flight the CEO was on…
I’m curious to better understand what will be “decided differently in the office” as a consequence of these flights.
Again, I think what Ritter did is admirable and I now I would like to see him do the same thing at airport ticketing counters and lounges and in the call center. He should also work a day or two in customer service to better understand the complaints that are flowing in.
CONCLUSION
Certainly this was a publicity stunt in the sense that it was photographed professionally and posted in a LinkedIN article. At the same time, I have great respect for Ritter actually working a pair of two-leg lights as a flight attendant in both the front and back of the aircraft.
I’m not sure what change–if any–will come from this observational mission, but we need to see more of this in the airline industry.
(H/T: One Mile At A Time)
Definitely agree. Sure it’s a publicity stunt, but seeing a snafu first hand will definitely put things into perspective and hopefully help LH not repeat this.
KL’s CEO did something similar for a round trip of AMS-LAX-AMS and then KL decided to refresh their long haul menus so these things do have an effect.
If Putin had a son,he would look alot like Jens.
Yes it was a “publicity stunt” if you will. But it’s still a praiseworthy event and it still clearly allowed him an experience that will hopefully prove valuable when he thinks about how he manages inflight aspects of the cabin experience. In my view a CEO of an airline would be well served to spend a month doing these kinds of things to get a solid feel for the operation at ground level if you will before taking the reins on the company.
Someone who comes up from the ranks often has better understanding of how a company works than hiring an outsider. It isn’t always possible but helps.
I worked as an engineer (hardware and software) and when your manager was an ex-hardware person his perspective was different from a software person. For example he would often say (somewhat joking) if a hardware bug could be fixed with software it wasn’t a bug.
Wow! This is a great way to really get a view of what goes on and so glad he is going to take it to the board room! It benefits everyone!
Wonderful, wonderful, if I “made the rules” this would be a prerequisite of any CEO or upper management job to two or three times a year actually do one of the “low level” jobs of the people they are managing. The world may actually run a bit differently if this was the case…….. in hope.
the age of specialization is coming to an end….world needs more jack of all trades….transition is going to be very painful.
I think this is a great idea and I admire him for doing this. At my airline, United, I’d love it if just the inflight supervisors spent a day or two working as a flight attendant. Or perhaps those who plan the service should try it sometime. I think it would give them a new perspective.