I recently began using the newly installed Pod transport system at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 Business Parking ,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Byk8LcPovOQ, and was mildly surprised at the ability to transport the high flying executive from parking to terminal in a matter of minutes. As somebody who flys a considerable amount between the UK and continental Europe, this is a fantastic upgrade in service and shows to some extent the future of travel in the next 10 years.
Not only was the experience quick, quiet and efficient , but it changed the whole initial stress levels relating to flying in today's political and economic climate . It also shows that whilst Heathrow Terminal 5 may come have come in for a lot of criticism in the early days of operation, this pod transport system is something that deserves applause. Its not cheap, but then new services and products never are. It does however significantly reduce the time it takes to get from the parking bays to the airport terminal and in doing so, make the whole concept of travel a little more bearable.
The reason I chose to comment on this pod experience, is that it highlights the need to remember that to some extent our enjoyment of a particular service is shaped by the type of "experience" we as customers are faced with in all our daily engagements, whether buying a coffee at Starbucks or getting on a plane at Heathrow. It also means that experience shopping begins and ends with the "pod experience" as the return journey after a tiring business trip is as important as the beginning of that voyage.
Retailers and Service Providers should recognise that both the journey to and from the intended transaction are as important as the purchase of the product or service in question.
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