Do you really want to win back customers? Do you really want to alleviate air rage? Do you really want to make flying a more pleasant experience for passengers and crew? Then start communicating with the people who buy your tickets. When a flight is delayed, send a person out to the gate and tell us why the departure time has come and gone with no departure. Give us some information so we know how to answer our children’s repeated questions, so we know if we have time to go get a 12-dollar sandwich, and so we can call relatives and save them some inconvenience at the other end of our flight. You overload us with useless information when we’re on the plane — the types of clouds we’ll be passing through, the direction and speed of the wind in Toronto, the temperature in Chicago. Yet when we’re sitting in the terminal, you tell us nothing. Passengers want to know what time the airplane is leaving and what time it’s arriving. Give us that one small courtesy and we’ll listen to whatever else you need to say.
Dear Airlines
Posted on May 13, 2010
Posted in: Exasperating
Mostly Bright Ideas 
Mitch
May 13, 2010
I wrote something similar about the airlines on my finance blog. The overall problem is that they know we’re not going anywhere in the long run. We might pick another airline, but the truth is that none of us are going to start driving from the East Coast to Las Vegas as a rule; that just won’t get it done.
Taking the train is the same thing; days instead of hours. We take the plane because it’s convenient. Do they owe us at least some consideration; definitely. But I find that people tend to give you more then they need you more. And we’re almost at the point where we need the airlines more than they need us.
LikeLike
bronxboy55
May 13, 2010
You’re right. We need the airlines, because most of us don’t want to drive from New York to Las Vegas (and Tokyo would be even harder). But they also need us. Without bodies in the seats, the airlines are out of business. A little consideration, appropriately employed, would go a long way. And I’m not saying every representative of every airline is inconsiderate. Many of them are surprisingly pleasant, given the environment they work in. But during those frustrating times when your plans are unraveling because a flight has been delayed, some communication could make a big difference. As you said, though, we put up with more than we should because we don’t have options.
LikeLike
Mitch
May 13, 2010
And it’s a strange life when you travel a lot, which I’ve done. Once my seat was booked for 3 people, and I ended up in first class. Another time I was stuck less than 100 feet from my gate for 2 hours because another airplane was sitting there. Stuff like that is irksome, for sure, but luckily that type of thing isn’t as commonplace as a normal flight.
LikeLike
Jonathan
October 16, 2011
Hi Charles,
You’re definitely on to something here. I feel compelled to add another simple thing that they could do to improve their product – build in options for big/tall customers. I’m a very large guy and flying is tortuous, not just for me but also for the poor people sitting next to me. I would happily pay a significantly higher rate for tickets for the simple dignity that a extra inches of space to the sides and a few extra inches of legroom. I’m not asking for first class seating, just a few inches.
I’m convinced that airlines and amusement parks (roller coaster seats) miss out on more profit than any other companies due to their failure to provide options that cater to those of us who qualify as “husky” and “stocky”.
LikeLike
bronxboy55
October 18, 2011
Jonathan, flying has gotten more unpleasant for almost everyone, and I don’t see it improving anytime soon. As with retail store shelves, every square inch of space on a plane, train, or bus is looked at in terms of potential profit. Comfort is secondary, at best. I can see why the very wealthy have private jets. Imagine how great that would be.
LikeLike
marymtf
February 5, 2013
I can relate to your travelling woes, Charles. Airports look the same all over the world and I guess that the people running the airports must also have access to private jets.
LikeLike
bronxboy55
February 6, 2013
It’s weird to look back at these early posts, Mary. The voice and tone are so different.
LikeLike
marymtf
February 7, 2013
Yes, I did notice that your writing style is different now. But your opinions on issues were just as solid then as they are today and therefore worth the read.
LikeLike