from bad to worse
11 April 2006
It’s been a long time since air travel was glamorous. That certainly comes with affordable air travel for the masses, but the situation is getting worse. Even a few years ago I’d get a meal (albeit an awful one) on United and Northwest flights, but today you’ll shell out $5 for a box of packaged snacks. If I want a Lunchables – and I don’t – I’ll carry it on.
So, recent changes in mind, it’s not surprising that the 2006 Airline Quality Rating study found that passengers submitted 17% more complaints in 2005 than they did the year before. MSNBC’s article on the survey notes that customer satisfaction for the year was the lowest it has been since 2000.
Northwest now charges $15 for an aisle or front-of-cattle-class seat. There’s no extra legroom. At least United’s Economy Plus adds 5” of legroom for the additional cost. Southwest, on the other hand, doesn’t charge extra for anything, and their complaint rate is the lowest in the industry – .18 complaints for every 100,000 passengers. What’s the trick? Is it that not offering anything means there’s nothing to complain about? In contrast, Alaska Airlines now has some of the worst numbers in the industry. They used to offer great service (as John Dvorak has discussed), but quality and on-time performance have taken a dive.
According to J.D. Power’s recent satisfaction survey, three of the top five things customers are satisfied with are in the terminal. One of them is crew attire – apparently customers either care greatly about this, or there’s not much to be satisfied about. The top three worst areas? Personal space, overall amenities, and seat comfort.
The airlines are trying to cut corners wherever possible, which is understandable. Fuel prices are driving them deep into the red, and they’re grabbing at anything nearby. In charging for what was once complimentary, they should be able to save greatly. Alaska once calculated that removing five magazines per aircraft could save $10,000/year in fuel costs, so every little bit counts. What they need to consider, however, is quality. If I have to buy my meal onboard, could they please make it worth buying?
Read these comments
Just eat a shitload before you get on a domestic flight. Or sleep through all the meals, like I do.
Food costs in airports are on the rise too, and in many cases they started out higher anyway. I’m typically stuck in MSP on long layovers, and I don’t really feel like a $6 beer or $9 hamburger most days. Back home at SeaTac it’s not a problem, because food vendors are required to match ‘outside world’ prices, but that’s not the case everywhere else.