Boyd Consulting on the "Passenger Bill of Rights" Witch Hunt.

[CFIse]

I'm guessing you have no idea what airlines do concerning "these issues" and adhere to the strange idea that anything short of a perfect performance proves malfeasance on the part of the airlines.

These events are rare, which is amazing considering that airlines are attempting to run all-weather, reliable hubs. What most airlines do now (as Boyd says) is cancel flights in anticipation of ice events. Delta famously did that when the Super Bowl was in Atlanta. The forecast missed and several thousand fans had to do marathon drives in perfect weather to get to the game, or missed it.

It's never going to be perfect. It can't be legislated to be perfect. It's strictly political preening.

You seem very confused. Neither I or anybody who is pushing for a passengers bill of rights thinks it's going to produce perfect performance. What it will do is provide for a specific penalty for wildy under-performing. Nobody is entitled to compensation for being 30 minutes late. Being held on an outbound aircraft 10 hours, being held on a diverted aircraft 8 hours or as was recently done abandoning passengers in Nebraska without any communication on what to do next, are all things that if an airline was financially motivated to mitigate those circumstances they certainly could.

For example, let's say 3 hours sitting on the tarmac at JFK is a reasonable amout of time to wait in blinding ice storm trying to depart, if it's not going to happen in 3 hours and there was a financial incentive to get the people off hell yes JetBlue would have found a gate.

Yes it's a rare occurence. So is pre-meditated homicide resulting in the death penalty, but we're perfectly happy legislating that, there's no good reason not to legislate this. Because - CLEARLY - the airlines cannot self-regulate on this issue.

 

[CFIse]

Customers who "get what they pay for" are at best indifferent with no brand loyalty. Exceed their expectations and you have a happy, loyal customer. That's why the fees are stupid. Every business that manages to make their customers feel like they got more than they paid for will be in business for a very long time.

Except we know for a fact that doesn't work in the airline business. The recent list of offerings for an improved product have all died on the basis that the bulk of leisure fliers will fly anything to save $5. We know that, it's a fact, no current airline can survive offering a superior product.

 

[tonyw]

Clearly you don't. The idea is not so much that people want more than they paid for, it's that smart businesses try to exceed their customer's expectations so they feel very satisfied and want to repeat the experience. This is about as 101 as you can get.

Please don't patronize me. I was a co-owner in a successful bar for about six years. And if someone wanted to pay rail prices for top shelf stuff, well, he didn't get it. If he wanted to order a drink for happy hour prices after happy hour was over, he didn't get it.

If someone had an issue with that, guess what? I didn't want him as a customer. Get the hell out of my bar and don't ever come back.

My attitude as a business owner was that I will give you what you pay for and I'll do it in a courteous and professional way.

Want champagne for the price of beer? Ain't happening.

If there are customers who want to get more than what they paid for, let someone else handle them. I'm not going to let someone like that eat into my profit margin.

And that in the end is what it is all about -- making profits.

The airlines should be no different.

Personally, I figure some airline ought to get smart and figure out if they can be like Coach or Louis Vuitton. Women are falling all over themselves to buy those bags for ten times more than they can get a similar bag for at Wal-Mart or Macy's.

If an airline can get itself perceived as a prestige brand and a status symbol for providing a commodity service, they will be able to make money while others do not.

It's not impossible. Look at Coach's margins for bags that are made in China just like the rest of them!

 

[kellwolf]

Except we know for a fact that doesn't work in the airline business. The recent list of offerings for an improved product have all died on the basis that the bulk of leisure fliers will fly anything to save $5. We know that, it's a fact, no current airline can survive offering a superior product.

Damn, hell froze over. I agree with CFIse, here. There are no "loyal customers" in the leisure travel business anymore. Who's got the cheapest fare? That's where they're going. Airlines X, Y and Z raise fares, but Airline W has a fare sale. Why is that? So they can grab the travellers that are saying "Dayum! I have to pay another $10 now on Airline X!" Frequent flier milage was a way to get loyal customers, but the credit card companies ruined that FAST.

Yeah, we're in a service industry, but Disney doesn't have a theme park right next door with the same rides, characters and parades. They can raise their prices and people will still pay. Airlines don't have that luxury.

 

[flyover]

Please don't patronize me. I was a co-owner in a successful bar for about six years. And if someone wanted to pay rail prices for top shelf stuff, well, he didn't get it. If he wanted to order a drink for happy hour prices after happy hour was over, he didn't get it.

And this came up all the time right? Because I happen to be a successful bar patron (although I don't think I "patronized" yours) and I'm constantly amazed at the number of people that come up to the bar and start arguing about the prices, demanding happy hour prices after happy hour. What a pain!

My attitude as a business owner was that I will give you what you pay for and I'll do it in a courteous and professional way.

I'm guessing there was someone, maybe the other co-owner, who did little things to try to increase business and develop customer loyalty. Specials, hire friendly waiters/waitresses, train them well, keep the place clean, etc. etc. Those things that make your customer feel that he/she got value for their money.

If there are customers who want to get more than what they paid for, let someone else handle them. I'm not going to let someone like that eat into my profit margin.

Again, it's not about people wanting more than what they paid for. It's about smart businesses that make it a point to exceed expectations. This is so basic I can't imagine you have never even heard of this idea? Especially being a successful bar owner.

If an airline can get itself perceived as a prestige brand and a status symbol for providing a commodity service, they will be able to make money while others do not.

Oh wait, you have heard of it. My mistake.

Never mind.

 

[Velocipede]

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