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BCG Medium Operations Customer Experience

Fasten your Seatbelts

#Travel

Practice this intermediate operations case interview question from BCG in the Travel sector. Includes detailed problem prompt, clarifying questions, structured framework, and expert recommendation. Part of ProHub's 835+ consulting case library.

ProHub Comment

This case tests both quantitative and qualitative analysis skills. Candidates must identify that ID check is the primary bottleneck through process flow analysis, then evaluate capital investment options (automated scanners vs. efficiency improvements) against throughput requirements and passenger satisfaction goals. The case rewards structured thinking around operational constraints and long-term vs. short-term trade-offs.

Estimated Time 26 minutes
Difficulty Medium
Source Duke
47 / 100
Our client, Fort North International Airport has seen a 40% increase in passenger complaints on its feedback portal over the past 6 months. The Airport Director is unsure why the complaints are increasing. They want your help to diagnose the paint-points of the travelers and identify levers to improve customer satisfaction.

Clarifying Information

  1. Goal: The client wants to quickly improve customer satisfaction rating so that they can charge airlines higher.
  2. Changes: There have been few new flights added in the last 1-2 years.
  3. Timeline: Clients wants to identify the problem as soon as possible and implement changes in the coming months.
  4. Types of passengers: Both domestic and international.
Mock Interview
Interviewer

Our client, Fort North International Airport has seen a 40% increase in passenger complaints on its feedback portal over the past 6 months. The Airport Director is unsure why the complaints are increasing. They want your help to diagnose the paint-points of the travelers and identify levers to improve customer satisfaction.

You

Thanks. Before analyzing, I'd like to clarify a few key questions...

Interviewer

Good question. Let me provide some background information...

You

Based on this, I suggest analyzing from these dimensions...

AI Score
Structure Analysis Communication Business Sense Quantitative
Practicing...
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Practice this case with AI Mock Interview

Fort North International Airport faces a 40% surge in passenger complaints over 6 months. The core issue is operational capacity constraints in the security screening process, particularly at the ID check stage. The recommended solution is investing in automated body scanners to increase throughput from 1,800 to 2,700 passengers/hour, exceeding the required 2,334/hour threshold.

Key Insights:

  1. Bottleneck identification through sequential process analysis: ID check (75% efficiency, 18 sec/passenger) is the primary constraint, though body scan is secondary concern at 80% efficiency
  2. Quantitative trade-off analysis: Option B (automated scanners at $6.5M capex) provides long-term structural improvement vs. Option C (staffing efficiency gains) which offers quick relief but less sustainable solutions
  3. Customer experience holistic view: While complaints cluster around security/throughput (IDs #1, #3, #4, #8, #9), secondary issues exist (cleanliness, signage, amenities) requiring parallel attention but lower priority
  4. Implementation risk mitigation: Phased rollout, staff training, and pilot testing during off-peak hours are critical to avoid operational disruption

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