From relationships to partnerships

The ground handling sector and its airline customers agree: value for money and top service quality are two key ingredients in any business success. But just as crucial in many respects is effective customer relationship management. "CRM" is nothing new to Swissport; but it is currently being intensified in new and interesting ways.

Ask any airline procurement officer how they choose their ground handling provider and they won’t search long for the answer: price, performance, quality, service range, innovativeness, transparency, flexibility, and maybe simplified processes and hassle-free accounting. Voilà.

The fact that effective relationship management and its various components such as reliability, credibility and continuity are equally vital to a partnership’s success is often overlooked. Yet good relations are still as essential as ever. The short-term opportunist approach may reap some quick rewards. But it will never provide a relationship with the kind of confidence and trust that can be so beneficial in the longer term.

Jointly evaluating, analysing, developing and implementing may sound like more work. But both sides tend to agree that, in the longer term, it is a far more satisfactory approach, and a far more productive one, too. And this is exactly what Swissport aims to intensify in future, further developing the dialogue with its airline customers.

To do so, Swissport’s sales organisation has created "MYport – tailor made solutions", a programme that is designed to address its airline customers’ needs more individually, comprehensively and flexibly than ever. Whether it’s a total outsourcing approach à la SWISS, a preferred partnership agreement like with AirBridge Cargo, global network deals as with KLM and Air France or a regional package of the GOL kind, Swissport will be putting a clear and consistent emphasis on dialogue – listening, understanding, and accommodating – to turn a business relationship into a genuine partnership that offers maximum value to both the parties involved.

Swissport International Ltd.

Swissport International Ltd. is a major force in the global ground and cargo handling business. Currently, it serves more than 70 million passengers, and provides ramp handling for over 2 million aircraft. In 2004, SPI reported revenues of USD 1,136 billion and employed more than 21,000 people worldwide. The number of stations served by Swissport rose to over 180. The combined volume of cargo handled is more than 3 million metric tons.

Spectrum of Services

Swissport offers a full range of value-adding airport services to its customers, including:

Aircraft maintenance Aircraft servicing and cleaning Airport aviation security Cargo and mail handling (on-/off-airport) Catering services Executive aviation handling Flight operations and crew administration Fueling Load control and communications Operation of airport lounges Passenger and baggage handling Ramp services Representation and accommodation Surface transport of passengers and crews Station supervision and administration Unit Load Device control and management Outsourcing and global packages

Geographical scope of operations

Swissport currently operates in 41 countries: Algeria, Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, Uruguay, the United States and Venezuela.

Latest developments

True to its strong track record of industry firsts, Swissport is now introducing exciting new insourcing, collaboration, structured partnership, and franchising models as well as comprehensive, streamlined service packages for no-frill carriers. In 2005 the company concluded important agreements with ABC, Air France and Swiss World Cargo and announced new station openings in Algier, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Korea, Scotland and Sudan. Moreover a global contract with SITA for CUSS Kiosks and the start-up of Cargo operations in Amsterdam could be announced.

More information is available at www.swissport.com

 

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