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It's not always the customer's fault. On my trip to Europe last summer I booked a flight that had a 4 hour layover. Several months after I booked it, they changed the flight times and my layover was reduced to 90 minutes. Now that was still enough time and I didn't mind it but that certainly gives less room for error.
I'm going to Wyoming in August. When booked my ticket the layover going out was 2 hours. Just last week I got a change notice and it was reduced to 55 minutes. I'm very nervous about that because if I miss that flight then I'll be stuck in Texas overnight.
Last fall I went to Michigan and initially booked a flight with a 2 hour layover. Months later they changed the 2nd flight on that leg and it made me have a 6-hour layover in Reagan airport. That sucked!
So yeah, that's one of the reasons why most of us hate airlines. I have been getting big schedule changes (and hour or more) on most of my trips lately. Don't know why this has become a bigger issue for me all of a sudden. Bad luck, schedules just moving around more often now, etc?
Even if the schedule doesn't change, the fact that airlines offer a one hour connection to an international flight cannot be blamed on the passenger. The passenger doesn't set the schedules or the minimum connection time; the airlines do!
99% of the problems that people have when traveling by air is either management's fault (e.g., overscheduling a hub which then creates delays, or setting a minimum connection time too short that causes misconnects, or understaffing to save a buck, etc.) or the weather. Technically speaking, a mechanical delay is the airline's fault, but practically speaking it cannot be avoided. Even brand new planes get mechanical problems from time to time. Only an extremely small number of people, out of the millions and millions of people who fly every year, cause problems all by themselves (i.e., being disruptive).
Passengers would be much less upset at delays if the experience were not so awful/stressful from the moment they arrive at the airport -- some of this is management's fault, some of it is the TSA's fault for being idiots, and some of it is airline employee's fault for being rude to people. Passengers have ZERO control over all three of those.
Many of the situations you posted are kind of dumb for passengers to be super mad about. On the other hand, there are plenty of things that airlines do that deserve ire and that that's what sparks rules and regulations to be passed. Let me tell you about the time where we were on the first flight out in the morning and someone had not filed the paperwork for the fire extinguisher so the aircraft could not leave. Is that something that should have been caught by ground crew?
It's not just the airlines. There is an unbalance of power against the consumer. We come to the table as individuals alone seeking some service or product. On the other side of the table are contracts shaped by teams of corporate lawyers, lobbyists, organizations, all who have worked for years to perfect ways to pass, as much as possible,all risk of doing business down to us when we sign on the dotted line.
As for the last comment, really? You expect pilots to be understanding of passengers, then you throw in this little gem of ignorance.
Naw man. I don't expect you to like it, or be understanding. But when the OP pilot comes back swirling from his echo chamber about how terrible it is that people gripe about a company not delivering on a promised and prepaid service, I feel like dishing up some of that customer service I've grown to expect from the airlines and feed it right back.
To be honest, with just short of a million miles flown, I know the answer to all my questions. I'm posing them because in any other industry it makes the airlines look like a bunch of flakes. For real it's not on the pilots or the customer service people or the service people. It's the structure at the top and the realities of the industry. The airlines have done a pretty good job about tying up their employees to limit what they can do, and they've invented some nasty tricks as well.
So if dis awesome pilot wants to flame, we got all kinds of stories to flame back with. The fact is that it's turned into a crappy industry, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. So we just gotta decide for ourselves if we're going to spit fire at one another, or if we're going to hold our tongues, try and be polite and just bear one another.
In the meantime, I hope you're watching out for the handicapped on your flights. You guys are going to kill someone someday and nobody's even going to know.
For real it's not on the pilots or the customer service people or the service people. It's the structure at the top and the realities of the industry. The airlines have done a pretty good job about tying up their employees to limit what they can do, and they've invented some nasty tricks as well.
This is spot on. It is the executives that make the rules, not the poor employees that must enforce them. However, if the employees made the rules, we would probably run the airline to the ground because we would give the customers (and fellow employees) what they wanted and the airline would go out of business.
Totally understand owning your own airplane. What I wonder about it is if ride sharing for planes could ever become a reality and do for air travel what Uber/Lyft did to the incumbent taxi drivers. Lot of planes and small jets just sitting at regional airports 99% of the time.
This is spot on. It is the executives that make the rules, not the poor employees that must enforce them. However, if the employees made the rules, we would probably run the airline to the ground because we would give the customers (and fellow employees) what they wanted and the airline would go out of business.
Perhaps, but I'd give yourselves more credit than that. The airlines were forever losing money because management's perpetual uninspiring answer to market share after deregulation was price wars, and the race to the bottom in terms of cutting everything to lower price. Now, with everything cut back, the ones with the greatest capital raising potential can work on the opposite. Charging for everything, and keeping the small oligopoly happy.
However, if all carriers HAD to provide the same expenses in order to fly in US airspace, it might actually become a great way of increasing air travel quality and allow operators to not merely fall over themselves trying to offer the lowest cost seat. It can be argued that this is mercantilism, but it can be made to work.
Case and point would be Germany, albeit not for flying, but for general industry. Long laughed at for their free education, long vacation, enormous social benefits and extreme environmental considerations, it surprises most when they find out their capital surplus (and exports) are larger in surplus than even China. Smart regulation, geared at setting effective minimums in order to do business in an area, can be extremely effective at weeding out crapshoot pretenders that drag down quality in search of price. When the field is evenly set, and tech advantages retained, there's no reason to bring down price.
So, while it's expensive, maybe spare planes could be made available, or longer scheduled maintenance time. Maybe additional service support members could be hired. And maybe the country needs every provider to offer it even if they're only flying in the US. Maybe a ticket price goes up to $1000 again. Maybe that's ok. Cuz I'm not sure what a US pilot makes compared to one out of SE Asia or Mexico, but I'm guessing US workers really don't want this to be a price only comparison.
But management wants to keep cutting. Cutting salaries of workers (some of whom also don't get paid while the plane just sits there) and benefits to consumers. So go ahead and let Congress start beating on these f'tards. Someone needs to wake these guys up, and if fines and rights have to be regulated at a rate of charging for everything else, then we're off to the races.
Okay, but now you are getting into a whole new realm. In theory, I would agree with you, that it would be a better system to have more government-insured consumer protections in place, but there are a few problems that would have to be addressed:
1. Our government is incompetent. They can't even do their job, like balancing the budget, making a tax law that can be comprehended by the taxpayer (a.k.a. air traveler), passing laws in a reasonable timeframe without filibustering, etc.
2. Government would have to sit down with corporations and come up with practical slutions, something that would not be allowed by the liberals who think corporations are the root of all evil. Yes, in Germany and other countries, they understand, as America once did, that "the business of government in business".
3. It is true that that if all airlines are required to follow the same rules, none would be disadvantaged and the whole industry would rise to a higher standard of service. However, what about foreign competition. It's only a matter of time before foreign airlines are allowed greter freedom to operate withn the US. Could you imagine the reaction from Free Traders when we suggest they follow our rules: "You can't do that; it would cause a trade war." This is the same misguided logic that destroyed American consumer product manufacturing.
4. The American tradition of lassiez-fair is much stronger here than in smaller countries like Germany. Whereas it is customary for governments of small countries to have close relations with their one major airline and maybe a few smaller ones, the US has traditionally had many airlines and it was considered better to let them work things out themselves. This is changing as consolidation has given us only a few majors and a few low-cost carriers, so maybe what you propose is more likely. But it should be recalled that even those who you would normally expect to be pro-regulation (Democrats) were major proponents of Deregulation. It was believed that it would help the consumer. And it did by lowering ticket prices. But as a result, airlines had to cut costs elsewhere.
5. Suggesting that it is okay for ticket prices to go to $1000 again would be tantamount to suggesting we raise gas taxes a few cents to pay for better roads. "You can't do that! You are anti-poor people. It will destry our economy." etc.
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.
it's so refreshing to know the high esteem in which you hold those who pay your salary. Good thing you know everything there is to know about their jobs but maybe your crown is on just a bit too tight.
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