Operational Challenges in Ryanair: Immigration Control Analysis Report

This report delves into the operational challenges faced by Ryanair, focusing on the critical aspect of immigration control within the airline industry. It highlights the airline's responsibility for document verification and the consequences of inadequate procedures, including substantial fines. The report examines the historical context of these issues, the impact on customer service, and the role of the Kano model in assessing customer satisfaction. It analyzes failures and successes from an operational management perspective, emphasizing the importance of staff training and the implementation of efficient systems. The report also explores how operational management contributes to enhancing productivity and profitability, ultimately aiming to improve customer service and brand loyalty. The study concludes that the Kano Model is an effective tool for improving customer service in aviation, contributing to positive brand perception and repeat business.

Operation Management

INTRODUCTION
• Airline industry is responsible for immigration control in the airports both at the
time of arrival and departure as well.
• Current report is based on Ryanair.
• It will discuss operational issue in the airline industry related to immigration
control.
• (Document verification travel trouble. 2016. [online]. Available through
<http://airlines.iata.org/analysis/document-verification-travel-trouble>)

Reasons behind actual choice of an aviation company
• Airline industry is working in the service industry where airlines have to provide
quality travel services to its passengers so that they can travel easily from one place
to another.
• But it is responsibility for these firms that to manage their operations well.
• Executives those which are working in the operations' department have to check
documents of all travellers carefully and have to make their immigration process
more clear.
• Aviation industry is facing this issue from longer duration in which airlines had to
pay substantial amount of money as fine due to poor immigration control
procedures.
• (Holloway, S., 2017. Straight and Level: Practical Airline Economics: Practical
Airline Economics. Routledge.)

Cont...
• Government is taking strict action against this issue.
• Thus, authorities has made the new rule in which they have announced that if passengers do not go through
from effective immigration control system then airlines and airports will have to pay fine of 50000.
• (Scholten, S., 2015. The privatisation of immigration control through carrier sanctions: the role of private
transport companies in Dutch and British immigration control. Brill.)
• (Airlines and airports face £50,000 fine if passengers don't go through immigration control. 2018. [Online].
Available through <https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/899060/Immigration-border-control-airlines-
airports-fine-Home-Office>)

History, structure of the firm
• IATA's research indicates that every year approx 25000 international travellers travel in a flight those do not have correct
documents.
• The main issue is that these airlines do not cross check their passports and other documents carefully. But it is affecting
consumer services of the airline to great extent. Because of tough norms now airlines have to spend more time in document
versification.
• This increases cost of the business but impacts consumers services as well. People those who are travelling with the correct
documents are not able to use self service kiosks for checking at airport.
• ity-queues-at-some-european-airports>eues at some European airports. 2017. [Online]. Available through
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/01/passengers-facing-four-hour-security-queues-at-some-european-airports>
• )

Cont...
• One of the great example of Ryanair has come into existence where cited firm had
to pay fine of 400000 in a year in 2000 a-time fines become there were many
people those who were travelling in the flight with false passport and airline was
not having any information regarding the same.
• (Scholten, S., 2015. The privatisation of immigration control through carrier
sanctions: the role of private transport companies in Dutch and British immigration
control. Brill.)

Customer satisfaction
• Noriaki Kano has produced a theory of Kano model, it is related with customer
satisfaction and product development. Each entity is required to provide quality
services to its valuable consumers so that they feel satisfied and experience services
of the firm for longer duration.
• This model explains that entity is required to provide three types of product and
services to its clients. Threshold attributes, performance attributes, excitement
attributes.
• If entity is paying attention on these services then it can be able to raise confidence
and satisfaction level of its valuable consumers.
• (Passengers facing delays and long queues at some European airports. 2017.
[Online]. Available through
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/01/passengers-facing-four-hour-
security-queues-at-some-european-airports>
• )

Failure and success of the firm from operation management perspective
• Customer service plays significant role in the aviation industry. Passengers
those who travel by airlines do not like to wait for the longer duration thus,
self service kiosk system has been introduced by the government in which
they can verify their documents and material and can enter into the flight.
• But due to poor monitoring and poor immigration control system Ryanair had
to pay fine for its mistake.
• There were many travellers those who were not having valid documents, visa
and passport.
• (Holloway, S., 2017. Straight and Level: Practical Airline Economics:
Practical Airline Economics. Routledge.)

Cont..
• The main issue that is recently identified that staff members are not having
proper knowledge about document verification.
• That is the major factor that lead to this issue in the airline industry. This
has affected quality of services of Ryanair to great extent.
• IATA has developed its own software that verify the documents
automatically but still employees are unable to operate this software well.
• But training to employees and airport boards are supporting airline industry
in order to gaining success.
• (Scholten, S., 2015. The privatisation of immigration control through
carrier sanctions: the role of private transport companies in Dutch and
British immigration control. Brill.)

Contribution of operation management in the airline industry
• The main objective of Ryanair is to enhance its productivity and
profitability to great extent.
• In order to meet with the objective, cited firm has to improve
operational efficiency of the business. Operation management (OM)
is the method that assist in improving service system and providing
quality services to the customers.
• OM assists business unit in fulfilling expectation of consumers and
raising their confidence towards the brand.
• (Airlines and airports face £50,000 fine if passengers don't go
through immigration control. 2018. [Online]. Available through
<https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/899060/Immigration-
border-control-airlines-airports-fine-Home-Office>)

Conclusion
• From the above study it can be concluded that Kano Model is considered as one of
the effective tool that assists in improving customer service in the aviation industry.
• This assists in providing extremely well services to the passengers so that people
become positive towards the brand and they take experience of these services
frequently.
• (Scholten, S., 2015. The privatisation of immigration control through carrier
sanctions: the role of private transport companies in Dutch and British immigration
control. Brill.)

References
Holloway, S., 2017. Straight and Level: Practical Airline Economics: Practical Airline Economics. Routledge.
Scholten, S., 2015. The privatisation of immigration control through carrier sanctions: the role of private transport companies in
Dutch and British immigration control. Brill.
Document verification travel trouble. 2016. [online]. Available through <http://airlines.iata.org/analysis/document-verification-
travel-trouble>
Airlines and airports face £50,000 fine if passengers don't go through immigration control. 2018. [Online]. Available through
<https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/899060/Immigration-border-control-airlines-airports-fine-Home-Office>
Passengers facing delays and long queues at some European airports. 2017. [Online]. Available through
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/01/passengers-facing-four-hour-security-queues-at-some-european-airports>