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You don't seem to understand. You are no longer waiting for 8 hours on a plane (which happened such a small number of times as to be statistically irrelevant). Now for that .0001% of flights that happened on, you likely get stranded and left to your own devices during weather events as all flights are preemptively cancelled.
Do you know why churches don't build parking lots that can fit the Xmas crowds? It's because it doesn't make sense too. Yet here we have dozens of posters screaming for larger parking lots. I will keep warm from all of their anger and hate when the minister requires more tithing to pay for the larger lot that goes unused the other 51 weeks a year.
The old law wasn't bad. If an airline cancels a flight, then it must pay to place customers on another flight, even if it's a competitors. So, the airlines started not announcing that they were cancelling a flight until there would be no other options available.
Churches don't need to build parking lots to fit Xmas crowds. They simply need to offer more church service times than normal. What they don't do is sell assigned parking spaces to multiple people and let the ushers figure out who's left out in the cold.
Ever seen a railyard? Miles of surplus rolling stock sitting there? They keep that because their main consumers are also powerful. The industry has seen the failure of TWA, Eastern, Pan AM, US Airways and tons of smaller outfits. An executive whose priority was on time delivery would have taken some opportunities to snap up some bargain rate planes. Case in point, Hawaiian Airlines...how long have the lead US carriers for on-time delivery?
Now you could say their planes don't offer much to do. You could say their long haul flights are generally going to be more on time. What you'd be missing is that people don't mind it as much so long as they know they're getting from A to B on time. There's no anxiety. I don't need to lose myself in a movie.
You'd also be missing the fact that it, as an airline, has chosen an area it wants to do well in and is focused on that. It's mission doesn't seem to be to buy up access to ever terminal and create a monster it can't manage.
If the big guys can't manage a standard of quality and consistency, then they're too big to operate and the government should break them up. Did United-Continental truly drive a better approach to air control, or did it simply knock out another voice that might rebel in the march to fee everything and anything and reduce capacity that might otherwise be helpful in getting people from A to B on time.
It's time to release the dogs of government on these clowns.
I see the problem. You're buying the wrong ticket. The cheap tickets you're buying are non-refundable. There are fully refundable tickets. It's nowhere near as simple as you seem to think. Again, it's a financial decision. By overbooking, the airline makes more profit. If the ability to overbook is removed by regulation, the airlines will make up for the lost profit by raising the ticket prices. Again, the discomfort of the few is passed on to everybody. Unintended consequences...
Of course I buy the "cheap" tickets as so do the great majority of all airline passengers. I would prefer they stop selling refundable tickets. Raise the price, they will anyhow. It would be to the airlines benefit and to the majority of travelers. Problem solved.
So I'm sitting waiting out a maintenance delay and the comments I'm overhearing from my fellow passengers(the joys of deadheading out of uniform) are always inspiring.
One lady can't stop asking her husband "Why don't they inspect the airplanes before they leave the gate!?".
Really lady? You think we just wing it? You think things can't break even after they are inspected? How about we do it your way, lady. We will inspect everything on every plane before every flight. That amounts to a "C" check. Your flight should departing in a few weeks.
Folks complain about having to sit on airplanes too long, we get the "Passenger Bill of Rights". Now instead of long delays, the airlines cancel everything so that they don't risk a $24,000 fine per passenger for a delay of over 3 hours. Congrats, your complaining earned you a one way ticket to "Not Going Anywhere". Enjoy your multi day sit wherever you are. Good luck finding a car rental or even a hotel room. Hope you like sleeping at the airport.
Folks are complaining that they are going to miss their international connection that only leaves once per day. Really, you booked a 1 hour connection on the only flight that day? I love your gambling spirit.
"Why won't you tell us what's going on?!". Lady, they told you it was a maintenance delay with an update in 30 minutes. What, you gonna go down there and help the mechanics? I'm sure your impressive knowledge of aviation will solve this maintenance riddle quickly. Tell them you're with the FFA.
"I'm never flying this airline again!" Really??? This is only airline in the world that has maintenance isssues? Be glad you're not on Allegiant. Your odds of experiencing an engine failure are only slightly higher flying in Soviet Russia after the collapse.
Suffice to say, if passengers got what they wanted, the airlines would be out of business and these entitled, ignorant, morons could drive everywhere. The laws of unintended consequences must be confusing for the average person.
Number one rule
If a person is giving you money, don't make your problems thier problems.
Whatever the airlines should be, could be, the reality is:
1)The companies set the rules. The flight attendants and the pilots have to follow those rules. The flying public is just that, the public. They're no different than the people who scream at a McDonald's worker because they don't like the kind of fries they serve. Like the clerk is going to run right out and whip different fries out of his butt.
If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: if you have a complaint, go to the top. Write the company. Complain to the CEO. Screaming, swearing, threatening, and harassing the employees (in this case the pilots, flight attendants, and staff at the airport) accomplishes nothing except making you look like a fool.
2) No one can change the weather. Not you, not the pilot, not anyone in the airport. If it's too dangerous to fly, it's too dangerous to fly. If you are mad about sitting in a plane or mad about having a flight cancelled, think about the fact that 30 years ago, there wouldn't even be flights leaving in that kind of weather. Or think about the fact that some planes have taken off or landed in terrible weather and that was the last thing they did.
3) You people sitting in the seats think you're the customer and the customer is always king. Boy, do I have a newsflash for you. The pilot is king, after him the copilot and the flight attendants. And you better do what they tell you to do. For one thing, they've had more training and know more about the plane than you'll ever know. If something happens, it's the decisions of the pilots that will determine whether you crash or not and it's the flight attendants who will save your lives if something does happen. So give them a little respect. They earn it. And remember, they're professionals, NOT babysitters for the flying public.
4) Things happen. Put on a set of adult panties and deal with it instead of whining like a two year old.
5) Yes, you pay to fly on the airlines. And if you don't like the airlines, you're free to not fly and find another way to travel. You pay to get from Point A to Point B very quickly. Yes, you too are deserving of respect, but customers have responsibilities too. One of those responsibilities is to realize you're not the only passenger on the plane. Another one is to act your age. There's a few more, but I'm sure you can figure them out.
6) If I had to babysit (and that is the right word) grown adults who act like children, who complain like children, who need to be coddled like children, and get sworn at, yelled at, threatened, abused, and sometimes physically assaulted by these same so-called adults, and I had to do that for hours every day, I might snap too. The next time you get a rude flight attendant, maybe it's because she or he is up to here with people. Instead of being rude back, try a smile. Aggression begets aggression. Sometimes all it takes is you not responding in kind to someone who's clearly had it for the day (and who, after working with the public, doesn't occasionally?). Employees of any business are not perfect people. They have bad days too, and usually customers are the reason. So on those occasions, try to be the bigger person.
Another reason is to practice some self control. The man or woman who gets used to letting his anger out is someone who is apt to lose it with his or her boss, spouse, clients, or kids the same way. Seriously, is that the memory of you that you want your kids to have?
Actually airlines outright cancel very few flights in normal circumstances- it looks bad in the all-important DOT statistics reports (said reports are also the reasons why airline commonly pad expected flight times by 30-60 minutes, depending on route, in order to keep the all-important on-time arrival rate high).
The more likely result of the three hour rule is that something like 80% of flights are an improvement for passengers in danger of lengthy delay because the airline is forced to prioritize some things and be more efficient. Or alternately allow passengers to remain in more comfortable gate areas while a problem is resolved. Yes, it can occasionally cause problems with pilots and crews going illegal, but after years of the new rules, that does not seem to be a major problem.
I fly a lot of business, domestic and international. A lot of customers a horribly entitled and have a clear need to take a chill pill, calm down, learn to dress like adults, loose weight, and take a bath, not necessarily in that order.
We are all stuck in a metal tube in a seat that might be 18 inches wide, yes both armrests have to be down,
if you can't fit in one seat, buy two.
If you need a seat belt extender you need two seats.
The overhead lockers have a size and weight limit, my bag with a week's worth of business and casual clothes fits, your 600 Lb. crate will not and don't ask the cabin crew to help you lift it up, if you can't lift and hold it above your head it's too heavy.
If you are flying economy which I do domestically, then you will see the best and worst of humanity.
The crew is there for safety, not to look after you as if you were royalty, the airline will not miss your "Never flying this airline again" two times a year revenue.
Most of the time the cabin crew do an excellent job, they are professionals who work hard long hours, they are not your personal servants.
Just got home after a long trip, some people should not be seen or heard in public.
Agree with OP and this.
I knew someone whose daughter had final stages of MS. MOM wanted to take her to Vegas. Daughter could not move was in a wheel chair and in diapers. Mom called airline and asked if stewardess could help her out. Pick up daughter to put her in seat since mom was too old, etc. 'flight is only about 2 hours' They said NO, rightly so. And she tried to argue with them! I told her flight attendants aren't hospice nurses.
Dang the arrogant entitlement of people!
Of course I buy the "cheap" tickets as so do the great majority of all airline passengers. I would prefer they stop selling refundable tickets. Raise the price, they will anyhow. It would be to the airlines benefit and to the majority of travelers. Problem solved.
OH please, there is no basis in reality that the great majority do. If I know for sure I'm going, emergencies in two day. I buy nonrefundable. If I book out more than 2 weeks, I buy the refundable or have travel insurance that cover my ticket.
You prefer they stop selling refundable tickets? Which airline do you own BTW?
I knew someone whose daughter had final stages of MS. MOM wanted to take her to Vegas. Daughter could not move was in a wheel chair and in diapers. Mom called airline and asked if stewardess could help her out. Pick up daughter to put her in seat since mom was too old, etc. 'flight is only about 2 hours' They said NO, rightly so. And she tried to argue with them! I told her flight attendants aren't hospice nurses.
Dang the arrogant entitlement of people!
I don't have enough information to pass judgment on the Mom. Maybe this'll help. Maybe not:
1)Was the daughter's final wish to go to Vegas?
If so, I can understand a Mom being fierce in her efforts to give their daughter their daughter's dying wish. But, I agree, its not the flight attendants' fault or job.
2)Was the trip to Vegas really so the Mom could gamble, and she had no other way to attend to her daughter?
If so, that's some serious entitlement!
3)Was there any way someone could have directed the Mom to other services that might have helped her?
I don't know. Maybe there are charities that help people give their loved ones their loved ones last wish. Maybe there are small private air charter companies that could have helped. Not saying the airline's job is to help the Mom, but I am saying that if this was a compassionate-case situation, the airline would have earned her undying love (and positive report to others) had they taken a small additional step and directed her elsewhere.
Anyway, you could be right, the Mom was just crazy self-centered entitled. You know more about it than I. But, my point is there could be cases that the same facts, as you present them, would not really reflect anything like self-centeredness. It'd reflect "I love my child and want to give her her dying wish." It'd be nice if we could expect compassionate engagement--not to say willingness to provide a service they really are not qualified to provide--from the airlines in such a case. But everything in my experience tells me that having such an expectation would be foolish. And that's a big part of the problem.
You still get the no shows money they paid for their ticket.
Not necessary so. The Customer could have canceled before flight time and make a switch using those funds. There is the "flat tire rule/2 hour rule"--if the Customer arrives within two hours of their flight time they can go on a later flight. Or if they cancel within a certain amount of time they can use those funds for a later date. Non-refundable does always mean the airline gets to keep the money. Many times there are conditions that the funds can be used later.
Alright, you are making me speak up. You should have empathy/sympathy. When I was being interviewed for my job for an Airline 18 years ago I said the day I lose empathy is the day I should leave Customer Service. Still there and still love going to my job everyday.
If you can't have empathy because you messed up someone's day--whether or not "if was your fault or not" then maybe there is a better job out there for you. You stand there representing the Company you work for --you choose that job. If you can't have some compassion for a Customer --who has been inconvenience, regardless whether or not it was the Airline's fault, then maybe Customer Service is not for you. It can be a tough gig being a Gate Agent/working for an Airline delivering bad news. Not everyone is cut out for it. It takes patience, it takes empathy, you have to remember not to take it personally and take care of Customers the best you can.
Sympathy: the feeling that you care about and are sorry about someone else's trouble, grief, misfortune, etc.
Empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another
I prefer the word empathy rather than sympathy--pretty much the same meaning.
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Daughter could not move was in a wheel chair and in diapers. Mom called airline and asked if stewardess could help her out. Pick up daughter to put her in seat since mom was too old, etc. 'flight is only about 2 hours' They said NO, rightly so. And she tried to argue with them! I told her flight attendants aren't hospice nurses. 
Alright, you are making me speak up. You should have empathy/sympathy. When I was being interviewed for my job for an Airline 18 years ago I said the day I lose empathy is the day I should leave Customer Service. Still there and still love going to my job everyday. 
