3 ms·

> The article lacks some statistics and research. In fact, I believe there are statistics out there that contradict the article's suggestion that there aren't

by nandemo 16y ago

> The article lacks some statistics and research. In fact, I believe there are statistics out there that contradict the article's suggestion that there aren't significant and consistent differences between airlines. http://www.airlinequality.com/ http://www.airlinequality.com/ I don't know if this particular website is unbiased. But at least in my limited experience, the Japanese companies (JAL and ANA) and Swiss Air are much better than American Airlines, Continental and Canadian.

notahacker 16y ago
Sure, Skytrax surveys can draw conclusions about average difference between airlines but they don't really account for the variance in flight quality, which is one of the chief factors that discourages people from paying a premium for a "quality" airline...there's no guarantee of even acceptable quality by paying more and most LCCs offer a safe and tolerable environment. Moreover, their sample is necessarily skewed away from the many people who use price as their main or only differentiator between airlines. A quick glance at the reviews section of the same site will show plenty of low ratings for "top" airlines and good ratings even for the likes of Ryanair (an airline that actively seeks negative publicity for its customer care in order to create the perception its tickets are cheaper than they actually are). I think its fair to say that few people fly for the intrinsic pleasure of being strapped into a seat in a narow metal tube, so "premium" airlines are mostly about minimising the displeasure. Other than seat comfort, arguably the main factors that can make a journey deeply unpleasant are largely uncorrelated with price. Unpleasant neighbours can happen anywhere, and many LCCs are statistically more likely to depart on time than their higher priced competition (their business model depends on it and they avoid busy hub airports) I considered creating an airline guide type site but shelved it because I'm just not convinced the consumer interest is there. Now if someone could make the process of booking _other_ aspects of a holiday more engaging and differentiated (forget price comparisons, wildly disparate customer reviews and grainy pictures in favour of something engaging, social and interactive) I think they'd make a mint.

by nandemo 16y ago

notahacker 16y ago

Sure, Skytrax surveys can draw conclusions about average difference between airlines but they don't really account for the variance in flight quality, which is one of the chief factors that discourages people from paying a premium for a "quality" airline...there's no guarantee of even acceptable quality by paying more and most LCCs offer a safe and tolerable environment. Moreover, their sample is necessarily skewed away from the many people who use price as their main or only differentiator between airlines. A quick glance at the reviews section of the same site will show plenty of low ratings for "top" airlines and good ratings even for the likes of Ryanair (an airline that actively seeks negative publicity for its customer care in order to create the perception its tickets are cheaper than they actually are). I think its fair to say that few people fly for the intrinsic pleasure of being strapped into a seat in a narow metal tube, so "premium" airlines are mostly about minimising the displeasure. Other than seat comfort, arguably the main factors that can make a journey deeply unpleasant are largely uncorrelated with price. Unpleasant neighbours can happen anywhere, and many LCCs are statistically more likely to depart on time than their higher priced competition (their business model depends on it and they avoid busy hub airports) I considered creating an airline guide type site but shelved it because I'm just not convinced the consumer interest is there. Now if someone could make the process of booking _other_ aspects of a holiday more engaging and differentiated (forget price comparisons, wildly disparate customer reviews and grainy pictures in favour of something engaging, social and interactive) I think they'd make a mint.