This element deals with the nature of interaction between the company and
customers. In SIA’s case, this interaction is face-to-face between cabin staff and
passengers. It is continuous throughout a passenger’s journey, which can be as
long as 18 hours on the long haul (non-stop Singapore-New York route) where the
passengers are ‘pampered’. The pampering actually starts on the ground, where a
porter and staff member will greet first-class passengers by name as they alight
from their car, take their luggage and check in for them. The passengers wait in a
special lounge at Changi Airport, just a few steps away from immigration.
Business-class passengers get better seats too, which are wider and can recline
further. Even economy-class passengers are treated to free champagne, a practice
pioneered by SIA (Chan, 2000b).