Performa FOCUS ON
Lounging About
Beat Ehlers is not a man you would necessarily accuse of lounging about but in his current roll as managing director of Performa, he’s being paid to do just that. Jeremy Clark sits comfortably
f you’re anything like me, the airport lounge is about the one thing in the whole pre- boarding process that makes time at the airport tolerable. Somewhere away from the riff-raff, quiet and calm, where a nice cool drink is served and there’s time to catch up on the papers or a bit of work in peace. Beat Ehler’s background is very much hospitality based. He has an impressive array of business accreditations but graduated from the hotel management school in Lucerne, Switzerland and retains a close relationship with the hospitality college in Hammersmith, London. “Running successful lounges is a lot more than just making sure the drinks cabinet is stocked and the bins are emptied”. explains Ehlers. The demographics of an airline lounge are apparently quite complex. Airlines are granted space in airports proportionate to the landing rights they have and many have to share lounges with other airlines either as part of an alliance or through special agreements.
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Performa, a gategroup subsidiary, came into the market to offer airlines the opportunity to fully outsource the service and Beat explains: “At Performa, we aim to build a strong alliance between ourselves, the airlines who have the lounge space, the airports who manage the passengers and the passengers themselves.”
“Many of our airline lounge staff are taken from hotel management schools”
That is quite a balancing act and one of the biggest challenges is staffing the lounges with the right people. Many of our staff are taken from hotel management schools and then groomed by Performa.
“Staff may have to deal with departing or 60
www.onboardhospitality.com
Performa
Beat Ehler is MD of Performa which has assisted some of the world’s leading airlines in the design, development and delivery of customer experiences since 1979.
www.performaservices.com
transiting passengers. Some may be tired, angry or frustrated due to missed connections or other issues totally beyond our staff’s influence or control. That means careful training on dealing with distressed passengers.”
Certainly in my experience, some of the best and worst lounge experiences are down to the staff and I for one really appreciate it when front desk staff are able to manage airline issues like re-seating or flight changes.
Ehlers explains that this can be a major issue. In some cases the reception staff are in fact airline employees best able to handle passengers’ requirements. This works quite easily if the lounge is for a single airline but
when it’s a multi-airline or alliance lounge it is more challenging. Performa addresses it by building a strong service-oriented product with a clear understanding of the relevant airline’s brand and service levels. Performa’s multi-airline and alliance lounges operate worldwide and the product includes the design and development of lounge brands, advising on new, often demanding markets and anticipating future passenger needs.
Ehlers recognises that as airlines become ever-more competitive, all aspects of their products are relevant in the fight for passengers. Through Performa he aims to ensure an airline’s lounge and pre-boarding experiences meet or exceed passenger expectations and helps enhance the brand. Currently, Performa has blazed a trail in this sector. I look forward to expansion and improvements in this vital part of the journey!
Performa is a service provider in the Etihad Airways Lounge at Frankfurt International Airport
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