24th in a series of occasional articles on venture businesses

Now that Japan has entered an era of low economic growth, Air Link Co. Chairman Yasuyuki Takimoto gives higher priority to pleasing customers to lure them back, rather than simply expanding the scale of his travel business.

"Many of our customers repeatedly come back. We aim to raise the level of customer satisfaction. And the more we learn about our customers, the better we can serve them," Takimoto, 52, said.