Lufthansa CEO Jens Ritter has revealed how he worked as an “additional crew member” to gain insights into the job. The CEO, who accompanied the German airline’s crew heading to Riyadh and Bahrain, said it was “interesting and also challenging”. Ritter wrote on LinkedIn that he had been working for Lufthansa for many years but never before had the opportunity to be part of the cabin crew. He was amazed by how much there was to organise, especially if something does not go as planned. Giving an example, he said the meals offered on the menu cards were not exactly the meals loaded on board. Ritter found it interesting to cater to the individual wishes of the guests and to deal with the different energy everyone has. As he used to fly as a pilot, Ritter thought he knew about the challenges a flight during the night entails, he wrote. “But to be present and attentive and charming –when the biological clock just tells you to sleep–was something entirely different,” he said. Ritter praised the crew members and said they were fantastic and welcomed him to their team right away. He helped the crew in the business class on the way to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and took care of passengers in the economy class during the night on the way back to Frankfurt. See the post here. “I was astonished how much I learned in these few hours. Deciding things in the office will be different after really feeling the decisions on board. Thank you to the amazing crew, the lovely guests and everyone involved for making this experience possible!” he wrote. “Going to the frontline and serving customers is the best way to ensure better decision making and building a truly customer oriented company,” a LinkedIn user commented. “Really great idea and compliment for the successful results. There is often a wide bridge between management, daily activities, and practical problem-solving that employees have to navigate in order to satisfy customers,” another user wrote.
