An Orange Book Sparked a Conversation About Service at the Airport

Walk into a conference room at the Hilton hotel in Terminal 1 of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, and the first thing you notice is a tower of books.

 

Dozens of bright orange copies are stacked neatly into a tall display. On every cover are three bold Chinese characters:

Good Service.

This is not a bookstore display.

It is the setting for a book club.

 

On May 14, 2026, the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Service Quality Enhancement Committee held a very different kind of meeting here: the Hongqiao Service Brand Salon and Service Quality Enhancement Committee Sharing Session.

China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Spring Airlines, Hongqiao Customs, immigration inspection, airport police, ground services, Hilton, airport security…

Almost every key player in the Hongqiao Airport ecosystem was seated around the same table.

And what they brought with them was not another set of numbers on a PowerPoint slide.

They brought real stories about how the passenger experience was changing.

If you have ever queued, waited, or felt anxious in an airport, you understand why these innovations matter.

China Eastern Airlines Ground Services introduced a one-ID seamless journey, helping passengers take one less document out of their bags and spend a little less time waiting.

Hongqiao Immigration Inspection developed a coordinated smart-clearance initiative, using technology to make border procedures more seamless.

Spring Airlines moved its service compensation process online, so when something goes wrong, passengers no longer need to stand in another queue simply to get an explanation or resolution.

The airport police established the “Hongxi π” Junior Traveler Care Team, dedicated to protecting children traveling alone.

Airport ground services introduced an advance reservation service for passengers with special needs, allowing people who require assistance to be recognized and supported before they even arrive at the airport.

China Southern Airlines Ground Services introduced its “Board in a Moment” initiative, finding a new balance between operational efficiency and passenger experience.

Hongqiao Airport Customs continued to safeguard the country’s gateway while supporting the development of the aviation hub.

Hilton rethought the service touchpoints of an airport hotel, transforming “just one night’s stay” into a warm and memorable part of the journey.

And even airport security — a place most passengers simply want to get through as quickly as possible — was redesigned as a kind of “hospitality lounge.”

Behind the idea of redesigning service scenarios with a product mindset was a genuine attempt to rethink the experience from the passenger’s point of view.

Nine stories.

Nine different expressions of care.

That is precisely why the Hongqiao Airport Service Quality Enhancement Committee regularly organizes gatherings like this:

to make good ideas visible, and make good practices transferable.

The guest leading the book discussion was Cathy Huang, Founder of China Bridge and author of Good Service.

During the session, she shared one sentence that gave many participants pause:

“Great service does not happen by accident. It is designed.”

The statement carried particular weight in this room.

Because everyone present was, in their own way, designing the passenger experience every day.

Cathy guided the group through one of the book’s central frameworks: the CBI Model — Customer, Brand, and Internal Organization.

It begins with truly understanding what passengers need.

That means observing and listening like an anthropologist, rather than relying on assumptions or past experience.

At the brand level, every service touchpoint should reinforce the same story and experience.

At the organizational level, great service should not depend on the exceptional performance of one individual. It should be something that can be replicated, sustained, and passed on.

Cathy also revealed a hidden feature built into the book.

Good Service comes with an embedded AI agent called “Sister Cathy.”

By scanning a QR code, readers can start a conversation directly in WeChat and apply the methodologies from the book to their own work scenarios.

It turns the book from something to read into something to practice with — anytime, anywhere.

A book, plus an AI companion.

That is an additional gift for every reader.

At the end of the event, every participant left with a copy of Good Service.

But what they took away was more than a book.

It was a question:

What do our passengers truly need?

It was a method:

How can we turn a good idea into an experience that can be consistently delivered and replicated?

And it was an expectation:

When we meet again, perhaps everyone will have a new service story to share.

Hongqiao Airport is using conversations like these to make good service deeper, stronger, and more enduring — one improvement at a time.