The way it still should be.

W

wzgrza

Well-Known Member
After sitting here bored a little, and browsing youtube, I came across a couple of old, and even new Airline Commercials.

What happened in the U.S that flying is no longer special? Is it because the airlines stopped treating it as something special? Or is it because the public stopped looking at it as something special?

In other parts of the world flying and traveling is still something special.. maybe not to the same level as in the past... but none the less, and one thing I notice is that the airlines that treat it as something special, are the ones at where flying still is a positive, and fun experience.

Or maybe its just these airlines that have the money to make it like this..

This is probably a more rhetorical question..

But either way, it's the way it should be. I wish we saw more commercials like this in the U.S. Flying needs to get revived and made special again. I bet if it did, people would be willing to spend an extra 5-10$ on a ticket... I know I would.

[yt]fqsM_j74OF8&NR=1[/yt]

[yt]fbKmdGUXRDA&feature=related[/yt]

[yt]TR7JApjgIGw&feature=related[/yt]

[yt]HSOjeTkgx0M[/yt]

[yt]evytTRbVhmY&feature=related[/yt]

If anyone has anymore good ones, post'em up. :)
 
I've noticed that flying south of the border, particularly in Latin and South America, you get a glimpse of what the golden age of passenger travel was like...Not necessarily in terms from the airlines and their service, but from the passengers themselves...

In my travel experiences to this region of the world, its not uncommon to see people fairly well dressed for flights, and what I find to be incredible, is the grand arrival party they recieve by hundreds of relatives and friends as they get off the airplane! The hand clapping is also sorta cool in a corny way!
 
Flying is simply mass transit.

People think no more of getting on an airliner than they think of getting on the subway. And they want it to cost about the same too..... ;)
 
I'm glad flying is nothing like this anymore, it has opened fast, efficient and safe transportation over long distances to the masses and I think that's a good thing. I'm all about raising ticket prices to make enough money to pay for the product (or re-regulating), but I'm not all about raising the pretentious level to the point that only WASP's can get on jet's.
 
jtrain609 said:
I'm glad flying is nothing like this anymore, it has opened fast, efficient and safe transportation over long distances to the masses and I think that's a good thing. I'm all about raising ticket prices to make enough money to pay for the product (or re-regulating), but I'm not all about raising the pretentious level to the point that only WASP's can get on jet's.
Click to expand...

That is my biggest beef, is that people don't want to pay enough to cover the actual cost of the product! Prices at the pump have gone up tremendously, yet they scream bloody murder at ticket price increases to cover the rising price of jet fuel.

If someone buys a ticket, and they want to wear flip-flops & tank tops, that's their business. It's not going to affect how I, as an employee, treat them. (Wearing flip-flops might impact their ability to safely evacuate the aircraft in an emergency, but no one thinks about that..... :) )
 
Coca-Cola is fizzy sugar water with brown coloring--but they convince you you have to have it.

A BMW or Mercedes is just a car... a piece of transportation--but they convince you it will make you more successful or sexy or whatever.

Thousands of types of fitness equipment is total crap--but they convince you you have to get them so you can get "six pack abs" or "buns of steel" (and that they actually WORK)


What do all of these (and many others) have in common? People are convinced to pay silly prices for things they don't need because they've been convinced that they should by advertising. Putting an air of exclusivity on something doubles its price tag as well. Doesn't matter if something actually is better--just that it is portrayed that it is, and better yet, if not everyone can have it.

There's room out there for the low-cost carriers (heck... I work at one of 'em), but there's no reason why at least a few airlines couldn't "class up the joint," raise the prices, and sell not the transportation but the experience.

- No overbookings
- Significantly more leg room
- Better (or for that matter any) food/drink
- Top-notch service

While a lot of folks would still go for the "mass transit" that Amber mentioned, some would like to have that kind of airline service.

Heck, people eat caviar because they think it's ritzy... they'll obviously do ANYTHING to appear rich...
 
Air New Zealand i think still treats flying as special and a privelage to have.
this commercial kind of shows that..

[YT]2qOHTbd_yhA[/YT]

its really quite an interesting thing to watch.

p.s sorry about it only being a link, couldnt get the flash box to work.
 
MQAAord said:
That is my biggest beef, is that people don't want to pay enough to cover the actual cost of the product! Prices at the pump have gone up tremendously, yet they scream bloody murder at ticket price increases to cover the rising price of jet fuel.
Click to expand...

And the JC myth of the "screaming" customer who just refuses to pay enough continues.
 
flyover said:
And the JC myth of the "screaming" customer who just refuses to pay enough continues.
Click to expand...

So you're saying fares have increased to totally compensate for the price of fuel? (Not taking into account employee concessions, because I would hate to think that the employees are paying for the higher fuel bill.....Higher fuel prices should equal higher ticket prices, not lower employee pay.) Do ticket prices go up without consumer groups complaining?
 
What's odd is people pay $40 to overnight an envelope from LA to Ny. Yet you can go on JetBlue.com and often buy a ticket for a whole person to go for $99. Plus you get DirectTV and drinks. And Blue snacks. The envelope weighs under 16 ounces, the body 150+?

Thanks that make you go hmmmm.
 
Honestly, do most of you guys really get treated with that much disrespect? I find that most of the population still has a respect for the pilots up front, despite the occasional dbag that we hear about. Besides, respect is a two-way street; I've seen plenty of pilots be pretty rude to passengers in the terminal.
 
MQAAord said:
So you're saying fares have increased to totally compensate for the price of fuel? (Not taking into account employee concessions, because I would hate to think that the employees are paying for the higher fuel bill.....Higher fuel prices should equal higher ticket prices, not lower employee pay.) Do ticket prices go up without consumer groups complaining?
Click to expand...

Well that's kind of irrelevant since airline fares aren't cost-based and haven't been since deregulation. The only relevant gauge is revenue. The ability to lower fares, sometimes below their strict per-seat cost, directly led to the revenue boom of the 90s and that strategy is still critical today.

Sure "consumer groups" and "the media" may have things to say about fares. They are usually inaccurate and irrelevant but they do say things. But in 30 years in this industry I've yet to find the customer "screaming bloody murder" about the fares.

The airlines publish their fares, with the intent of extracting as much revenue as possible from each market and each flight, and the customers either buy or they don't.

The main point to me is that JC'ers should be savvy enough about the industry to know how fares are set, instead of thinking you can price seats based on cost. If they could see this it might help them understand what factors have to change before they can have a stable career. And that blaming the customer is not a solution, or even a correct view of the problem.
 
[yt]V64IMaou8lU[/yt]
[yt]1nPd-kWXspQ[/yt]
(wish I could find the longer version)
[yt]xGTiFPd1o_U[/yt]
[yt]pD0RHc451ZI[/yt]
[yt]nFcJepMncqs[/yt]
[yt]FLGWP_mvDHk[/yt]
 
I always point out cruise ships. 100 years ago they were mass transit across the Atlantic and hell in their equilvalent of coach class. Now people sail on them as a destination not just to get places. I think the airlines could make it a good ride, but as others have said they don't because joe blow wants cheap tickets.
I think pilots still get respect, I tell people I'm a student pilot and they're often impressed by that. :rolleyes:
 
Doug Taylor said:
Sure Dave, that's just here at JC, no? :)
Click to expand...

No, it's not, I admit. But come on guys!!!! Even if you can't quite get that pricing airline seats isn't like pricing gasoline at the pump, at least stop blaming the customers. I mean, I'm a customer now. And it's not my fault!!!!!
 
Fly4Pay said:
There's room out there for the low-cost carriers (heck... I work at one of 'em), but there's no reason why at least a few airlines couldn't "class up the joint," raise the prices, and sell not the transportation but the experience.
Click to expand...

Somebody has already done this. They call it NetJets.

But you've gotta pony up to get the "experience."
 
flyover said:
I mean, I'm a customer now. And it's not my fault!!!!!
Click to expand...

It's all your fault, man.

Hangovers, global warming, the value of the US dollar, and my inability to go to the Cheesecake Factory without bitching about how I'd much rather a smaller portion prepared correctly, rather than a massive plate done poorly.

It's all you man. YOU.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top