So JetBlue is going to charge for pillows and blankets now, and USAIR for water and soda. And so, the great democratization of the skies continues. Air travel was once for the elite, people dressed up to fly. Air travel was heavily regulated and fares were very high compared to where they are now.
But then came the days when people asked good questions, like why aren't the airlines competing with each other? Why is it that air travel only seems to be for the rich, while all taxpayers help to subsidize their operations? And so, de-regulation occurred, and it was good. Airlines had to compete for your business, and fares plummeted. Air travel was no longer something simply for the elite; it was for everyone.
You want pillows and drinks? Fly business class. Fly Singapore Air or Cathay Pacific. You want bare bones transportation at the lowest price possible? Fly domestic US carriers in coach. Ladies and gentlemen, we have gotten what we wanted, and we are getting what we pay for. The days of frills and extras are gone, and the days of bus travel in the sky are upon us.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
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6 comments:
CW - All your comments are spot on, however, I just can't help but wonder whether, as part of their cost cutting measures, the airlines have fired all their Public Relations staffs as well. I can't imagine that it would be too hard to slip another nickle onto the fares of each passenger so the airlines could afford their Chinese made pillows and blankets that must cost around a nickle per gross AND that weigh less than a can of club soda. All they really managed to do was make passengers (who generally understand that fuel prices and CEO golden parachutes cost lots of money these days) pissed off. Even though I rarely use a blanket or pillow (don't want to be even more crowded in my coach accommodations) when flying, I found myself thusly pissed at the customer-dismissive delivery of their new policy. Jet Blew it in my opinion.
I guess they have figured out that we are addicted to air travel, and that we will put up with virtually any inconvenience and horror in order to get it.
High-speed rail and not just from DC to NY.
Couldn't agree more.
I think your point about the foreign air carriers at the end raises an interesting point about America's position in the global marketplace in general. A lot of foreign companies that have aspects of their operating expenses subsidized by their respective governments provide consumers with better service, frequently for not-too-much more money, which can sometimes make it harder to compete against them. Obviously US air carriers are sort of unique in that their solution isn't actually to compete in the market at large; they instead are competing only for the market segment that bases their air travel patronage predominantly on price points as opposed to other considerations (such as quality of the food, in-flight entertainment, leg room, whether or not they'll lose your luggage, the likelihood they'll overbook your flight and leave you stranded in the middle of the night in New York City to share a single-bed hotel room with Jacques, a Lieutenant Colonel from the French Air Force and God forbid they even offer to pay for that room even though it's their fault you're going to be a day late for your meeting, I hate you so much Delta Airlines....)
Wait, where was I? Oh yes. Obviously I'm not saying that we should subsidize or socialize American industry. American businesses should continue to compete to offer the best price for the best service (unlike those mopes at Delta). I'm also open to doing what we can to take the burden of providing healthcare off the hands of America's employers because that's one thing they don't have to worry about in most of Europe and Asia.
Great post; no doubt the subsidized airlines do it better.
I'm open to taking the health care burden off of employers, if it isn't shifted to government. A single payer system isn't where I'd like to see things go.
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