4 ms·

Why not just more seats? If the cost of the flight is lower, people will buy it. They will, over and over. They kick and scream and say "this, this, THIS is the

Why not just more seats? If the cost of the flight is lower, people will buy it. They will, over and over. They kick and scream and say "this, this, THIS is the line I finally won't cross" and then they buy a cheap ticket. Here's Forbes on it back in 2015; https://www.forbes.com/sites/airchive/2015/01/14/actually-airlines-are-giving-customers-exactly-what-they-want/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/airchive/2015/01/14/actually-ai... , and here's someone else on it in 2016; https://www.businessinsider.com.au/scandinavian-airline-sas-ceo-2016-3 https://www.businessinsider.com.au/scandinavian-airline-sas-... , and someone else in 2017 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-what-us-airline-passengers-care-about-most-when-flying-hint-its-not-service-2017-08-05 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-what-us-airline-pass... Price. Price. Price. That's what passengers care about. Same story, over and over.

big_chungus 7y ago
The line for me is United's "basic economy". I'm pretty sure I'd have difficulty fitting in the seat because they're so small; I'm skinny enough, but have long legs. There's a line between "nice-to-have"s (extra room, early boarding, etc.) and things that make passengers plain uncomfortable, and that's it. This is true for a good number of others I know, too.
- EliRivers 7y ago
  Is that the line? How much of a discount would you need to cross it? 50%? 20%? If you wouldn't cross it, how many people are there poorer than you who almost, almost fly? There are a LOT of them. A LOT.
exhilaration 7y ago
I'm very much in this camp. Two weeks ago, my 6 member family took a flight on Frontier, one of the discount airlines, from Philadelphia to South Florida. The seats didn't even recline! But don't take that as a complaint, the fact that we paid $611.79 for 6 round trip tickets (and 2 checked bags) makes up for the slightly less comfortable trip and no pretzels. Fares like that make flying possible for so many more people now. If we had to pay $200 or even $300/ticket (instead of $100) it would have made the trip unaffordable.
- EliRivers 7y ago
  The seats didn't even recline! I'd actually pay a little more for seating that didn't recline (or rather, for the seat in front of me not to recline, but more than happy for that to be the case on all the seats). Genuinely would. Not a lot, but a little.
  - dzhiurgis 7y ago
    Second emergency exit row on Ryanair (AFAIK they fly 737's exclusively) costs about $30. It reclines but seat in front doesn't...

big_chungus 7y ago

The line for me is United's "basic economy". I'm pretty sure I'd have difficulty fitting in the seat because they're so small; I'm skinny enough, but have long legs. There's a line between "nice-to-have"s (extra room, early boarding, etc.) and things that make passengers plain uncomfortable, and that's it. This is true for a good number of others I know, too.

EliRivers 7y ago
Is that the line? How much of a discount would you need to cross it? 50%? 20%? If you wouldn't cross it, how many people are there poorer than you who almost, almost fly? There are a LOT of them. A LOT.

exhilaration 7y ago

I'm very much in this camp. Two weeks ago, my 6 member family took a flight on Frontier, one of the discount airlines, from Philadelphia to South Florida. The seats didn't even recline! But don't take that as a complaint, the fact that we paid $611.79 for 6 round trip tickets (and 2 checked bags) makes up for the slightly less comfortable trip and no pretzels. Fares like that make flying possible for so many more people now. If we had to pay $200 or even $300/ticket (instead of $100) it would have made the trip unaffordable.

EliRivers 7y ago
The seats didn't even recline! I'd actually pay a little more for seating that didn't recline (or rather, for the seat in front of me not to recline, but more than happy for that to be the case on all the seats). Genuinely would. Not a lot, but a little.
- dzhiurgis 7y ago
  Second emergency exit row on Ryanair (AFAIK they fly 737's exclusively) costs about $30. It reclines but seat in front doesn't...