High security, low service: Why aren’t airlines stepping up?
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I’ve been lucky to avoid the latest round of security mayhem, not having flown in the past week. But the missus flew United Airlines to and from Boston recently, and her report leads me to believe that the airline is, at best, missing an opportunity to build its customer base in light of the recent restrictions.
It’s irritating, of course, that one can’t take liquids onto the plane, even those purchased in the supposedly secure area past the checkpoints. And the UK even advises you not to have EMPTY bottles in your baggage. So the airlines are stepping up and serving more drinks in flight, right? Right?
Wrong. Not United. Tuesday’s flight 537 from Boston to Chicago featured a single beverage service from the cart. No walk-through with a pitcher of water, or coffee, or anything. I’m sure you could have walked to the galley and asked for a drink, but with the embargo on onboard fluids, this seems like particularly thin service, even for a short 2-hour 10-minute flight.
In the past few days, hotel chains like Omni and Wyndham have been trying to win over clients by promising free lotions, makeup, and toiletries. Avis is putting Procter & Gamble amenity packs on the passenger seats of rental cars. And the airlines?
United tries to sell itself as a premium brand within the domestic U.S. market. They advertise their Economy Plus and premium transcontinental service. They still have free headphones, pillows, blankets, etc. But the airline isn’t adding water to the catering order?
From what I’m hearing, other airlines are not any better, and haven’t made any effort to improve service either. Air travel is the epicenter of the security-related inconvenience, and yet the airlines aren’t doing much to help matters.
A smart airline would 1) make an effort to assure passengers that their time on board the plane will be a relief compared to the time in the airport. Getting more water on board, at a minimum, would be a start. 2) Then market the fact that the airline is trying to help. Blast an e-mail to its customer base, telling them what they’re doing to reduce passenger frustrations, for a start.
Seems pretty easy. It’s been over a week. Why hasn’t any airline stepped up?
Related:
The future of airport security: Predictions and wish-lists
tags: travel | UAL Corp. | United Airlines | water
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August 19th, 2006 at 12:54 pm |
I agree. It’s lack of service, lack of respect by the airlines for the customer that’s shelling out several hundred dollars that bugs me as much as the retarded new security rules.
How much is the customer also supposed to feel the pain of the nearly bankrupt airlines?
It would be so easy and cheap for the airlines to make the traveller’s trip a little easier by compensating for everything we can no longer take on planes. But they don’t. They won’t.
Flying is already vastly more bothersome and time-consuming than it was 7 or 8 years ago, and the airlines ignore it. Instead they float ideas about standing on flights instead of actual seats so they can cram more people into the space.
August 19th, 2006 at 5:09 pm |
I agree too. I think that airlines could be really gaining market share here. I know if I had a choice between flying an airline who offers additional “premium” services such as that extra glass of water or that extra trip down the aisle or an airline who is just chucking 2 OZs of water at me only 25 mins into a 3 hour flight, I most definitely will fly airline A with the extra services even if they are 20 bucks more expensive.
Rob
www.theairlinehub.com