3 ms·

It is absolutely bad business. I'd happily (and do) pay ~10% more to fly with a more pleasant airline, and I know many people who are the same.

moonka 10y ago
I fly a few times a year, and it's gotten to the point where I just look at the few airlines (Alaska, Virgin, Jet Blue, Southwest) I can stand, rather than starting at an comparison site looking for deals. If they don't fly there, we've made alternate plans if possible (different cities, driving, etc). Last on the list is to fly another airline if we absolutely have to.
solipsism 10y ago
To answer the question "absolutely" you need a little bit more than your personal experience.
- toomanybeersies 10y ago
  Well we have the fact that Air New Zealand is making record profits, and keeps winning various awards largely due to their impressive customer service (a large part of which is their amazing safety videos). Whereas Jetstar, a low cost competitor, struggles to run a profit.
astronautjones 10y ago
I would give blood for JetBlue based on my experiences with them in the past, but now that I live in a major city that they don't (read: cant) serve, I have to deal with the options our system has afforded me, and often pay a premium to fly on other countries' national airlines that are regulated by their citizens. This article is pretty shallow, but points to a common problem we see in software, with much larger overhead. As you grow to a point where you're serving something close to a majority of consumers as the lone option, and you have corporate "responsibilities"(i long for a better term, as doing that is not responsible in a general sense) how do you cater to those who are less vital financially? It's just infeasible to do that for airlines trying to turn a profit. I often imagine the Eisenhower plan being deployed under current umbrella, and end with the idea that I'd probably have to change transport seven times if I wanted to drive coast to coast. I know for Delta, for example, I have at least ten friends that have been stranded for over 12 hours (and up to 36) by problems either logistical or technical. And only those with sizeable Twitter followers are able to shame the company into action... Airlines have to distinguish, because the cost of service to the provider is so wildly high. It's probably the most opposite support model of software, but in the deregulated age, we can't expect anything less. It's nigh time that we let the state ensure equal transportation for everyone. Don't get me started on the cost of passports
- toomanybeersies 10y ago
  Passports are about the same cost in New Zealand as the USA. To be honest, if you can't afford a passport, you can't afford to travel overseas. A passport costs as much as a one way trip to Australia. You don't need a passport to travel domestically in the USA do you?
NicoJuicy 10y ago
Nope, you probably are more willing than 80% of the people. The people who hang out here aren't representative for the population. It's all about the numbers :)

moonka 10y ago

I fly a few times a year, and it's gotten to the point where I just look at the few airlines (Alaska, Virgin, Jet Blue, Southwest) I can stand, rather than starting at an comparison site looking for deals. If they don't fly there, we've made alternate plans if possible (different cities, driving, etc). Last on the list is to fly another airline if we absolutely have to.

solipsism 10y ago

To answer the question "absolutely" you need a little bit more than your personal experience.

toomanybeersies 10y ago
Well we have the fact that Air New Zealand is making record profits, and keeps winning various awards largely due to their impressive customer service (a large part of which is their amazing safety videos). Whereas Jetstar, a low cost competitor, struggles to run a profit.

astronautjones 10y ago

I would give blood for JetBlue based on my experiences with them in the past, but now that I live in a major city that they don't (read: cant) serve, I have to deal with the options our system has afforded me, and often pay a premium to fly on other countries' national airlines that are regulated by their citizens. This article is pretty shallow, but points to a common problem we see in software, with much larger overhead. As you grow to a point where you're serving something close to a majority of consumers as the lone option, and you have corporate "responsibilities"(i long for a better term, as doing that is not responsible in a general sense) how do you cater to those who are less vital financially? It's just infeasible to do that for airlines trying to turn a profit. I often imagine the Eisenhower plan being deployed under current umbrella, and end with the idea that I'd probably have to change transport seven times if I wanted to drive coast to coast. I know for Delta, for example, I have at least ten friends that have been stranded for over 12 hours (and up to 36) by problems either logistical or technical. And only those with sizeable Twitter followers are able to shame the company into action... Airlines have to distinguish, because the cost of service to the provider is so wildly high. It's probably the most opposite support model of software, but in the deregulated age, we can't expect anything less. It's nigh time that we let the state ensure equal transportation for everyone. Don't get me started on the cost of passports

toomanybeersies 10y ago
Passports are about the same cost in New Zealand as the USA. To be honest, if you can't afford a passport, you can't afford to travel overseas. A passport costs as much as a one way trip to Australia. You don't need a passport to travel domestically in the USA do you?

NicoJuicy 10y ago

Nope, you probably are more willing than 80% of the people. The people who hang out here aren't representative for the population. It's all about the numbers :)