Another season of Finnair’s Quality Hunters is on the runway this time together with Finavia (Helsinki airport). As Finnair’s CEO Mika Vehviläinen put it: “we wish the Hunters are with an open mind and write constructively.” There are high hopes for the Hunters, but higher hopes for Finnair and Finavia to execute the results.

This Quality Hunt does not seem (only?) a marketing gimmick, but actually a part of Finavia’s & Finnair’s strategy to bring their service to a higher level. Finnair’s Jarkko Konttinen sums that “good service no longer is enough, we are building an excellent one.” Service is taken for granted, the next level of service is experience. One of the hunters, Mette Hansen, has actually studied Experience Economics at Århus University (and due to this, I will certainly set my observation on her) says: “Experience is service of a higher level.” Hail to that!

Experience. Is it personal or can it be common, and how to distinguish them from one another? Did F&F just launch seven individuals to the world to experience something of their own that they will report openly? Or can the hunter sniff the experience that touches most of the people? Most importantly, F&F’s biggest task is to interpret these personal hunches to practical solutions. A huge amount of data of observant minds is nothing without proper analysis. Boy, I look forward to that!

Quality Hunters –project uses social media and interaction therein to bring out the common mind: out of conversations and comments provided by the Hunters solutions may be born. According to Finavia’s Johanna Metsälä at least one task born out of this Hunt will be carried out. Sounds like quite a lot of hassle in creating a “hassle-free and smooth passenger experience.” Anyway, I do hope F&F attain good results and experience out of which many can be brought into practice.

Moreover, I wish that many more companies would look into their services to interpret the seen and hidden factors therein.