Yup, that’s exactly what the pilot of the Lufthansa plane said last night as we sat on the frozen tarmac at Logan International airport in Boston. We had stopped short of the runway, and the pilot said that the number four engine wouldn’t start up. He then said the mechanics needed to get a giant screwdriver and kick the engine, then it would run smoothly. He assured us it was a routine problem and once it started, there would be no problems. There weren’t, except for some bumpy weather over Iceland, but no one could blame the engine or the heated debate in that country over the banking crisis for the bumps.

It did get me thinking though. What if that announcement was made by the pilot of another country’s flagship air carrier. I’ll let your imagination run wild in terms of which country’s airlines, but I suspect there would have been far fewer people smiling at the pilot’s joke if they didn’t have faith in German engineering.

The power of your brand, and the faith your customers have in you can leave your customers laughing with you or shivering in their proverbial boots waiting for the situation to resolve itself. What kind of brand do you have?

Posted in: Travel, customer service