GARY ROBERTSON

POINT OF VIEW Jan 31, 2005

With many of the nation`s top airlines in deep financial trouble, keeping customers happy is becoming increasingly important.

So what do customers want?

A new survey has found that the interaction they have with airline employees is nearly four times more important than any other factor.

In other words, if the ticket agent has had a bad day and snarls at you, that`s a minus.

If the flight attendant serving you dinner helps you wipe off a gravy spill, that`s a plus.

At the end of your flight, the pluses and minuses all add up to help you decide whether you like the airline.

Researchers at Rice University, who conducted the survey, found that women put the greatest importance on how they`re treated by airline personnel from the time they get in the airport till the time they step off the plane at their destination.

Men, on the other hand, mostly think about food.

(The new formula for airline success: Every female passenger is pampered from check-in to check-out; every male passenger gets a double Whopper hamburger at check-in, and a trip to the buffet line at check-out