I remember in the early days when self-check-in machines first came in, a customer survey asked people if they’d prefer to be checked-in by a machine or a person. The preference was for a machine but the really interesting bit was the reason given: it was because the machine couldn’t be rude to them! That was a big wake up call to me. It proved that customer service is the single most important thing in the air travel experience. What this doesn’t mean is that ‘technology is always the answer’ but rather that customers want to deal with people who will be nice with them!