In some ways, it's always going to be the corporate PR shell-game of doublespeak and outright lies. In other ways, there probably will be some changes in the new airline that they really think you're going to like. The first two concrete examples provided in the story are decidedly anti-customer however, at least, certain customers. Pre-boarding active military is a nice gesture, but boarding them w/first class is really no big deal. If they're flying coach they still will have first pick of the overhead bins (and that, more than anything, is the advantage of pre-boarding). Lowering the unaccompanied minor maximum age to 11 (from 14 for US Airways previously) might impact some people negatively but I doubt it impacts much.
While neither of the above examples should provide fliers with too much heartburn, it's always worrying when two airlines merge that the newly combined company will keep the worst of both while discarding the best. Time will tell on that front.
Of more interest to me were the reader comments, in this case, a couple of specific comments that illustrate just how uninformed/irrational some people are regarding air travel. I've said before (and I'll say again) that I view anonymous, on-line comments to be where intelligence goes to die. I feel so strongly about it that I've disabled them on this blog, and see no compelling reason to bring them back. (As a matter of fact, interaction on my twitter feed and e-mail is still fairly strong) I do occasionally glance at them however, just to see what the brave and anonymous are saying.
For illustrative purposes I will now highlight a few:
donsanedrin
Hey, maybe the stewardess can actually acknowledge you as you board onto the plane instead of chatting/gossiping with her co-worker, and just makes a glancing look at you and then turn back to her friend while never stopping the conversation.
And when I ask if there is any room in the over-head compartment for my single carry-on, because every other moron has placed their carry-on and their backpack up there, not just say "Oh, I don't know, you may have to check that in" and then proceed to walk away.
That would be a start. Try aiming higher. Try to surpass the quality and service of Greyhound Bus employees.
First, it's Flight Attendant not "stewardess". Which leads me to believe that "donsanedrin" either a.)hasn't flown much since the 60's or b.)treats the FA's rudely and doesn't deserve an answer. In my experience most (granted not all) FA's are moderately helpful when you just treat them with minimal politeness.
The next comment however is my absolute favorite:
Paula Schlinger
When it comes to customer service how about:
1. More leg room for everyone?
2. Stop nickel and diming us by charging for every little thing?
3. No more canceling flights or no good (e.g., weather-related) reason?
When AA enacts these, then I will know they are serious about customer service!
Let's take this from the top:
1. If you include "more leg room for everyone" then you'd have to remove seats. If airlines are forced to remove too many seats then they won't be able to operate at a profitable margin. See: repeated bankruptcies.
2. The "nickel and diming" to which the commenter refers is the natural extension of people demanding fares that are at the lowest possible price. I'm not a fan of checked bag fees, but there are some fairly simple ways to avoid them that are available to *most* fliers (certainly not all). Free meals are a non-issue to me and you can still go to the bathroom for free and, except for Spirit, you still have access to a fairly wide selection of non-alcoholic beverages. When those things go away, then they'll be "nickel and diming you for every little thing."
3. This one is my favorite. If you think a weather delay is "no good reason" then you either don't understand the dangers of flying in inclement weather, or really understand how the entire aviation industry works. Now, granted, some airlines leave a lot to be desired when it comes to communicating weather delays etc. and some do a horrible job untangling after things go blotto, but that's an entirely different issue than being forced to cancel a flight due to weather.
I highlight these comments to prove this point: With some people, no matter what the airlines try to do it's never going to be good enough. I've seen from several people who say "I'm never flying United again because of what they did to Continental." The problem w/that logic is that it's the Continental team that's in charge at UA. Your beloved airline is the one that's doing this to you, not United.
I feel that I've been as hard a critic on the airlines as anyone. I don't like baggage fees but I understand them. I don't like having to pay for a premium economy seat for slightly more legroom but I understand why space is a commodity on a plane. I don't like United's recent devaluation and many of the changes they've made to thin the ranks of the mid and lower-tier Premiers but I understand the business reason why they're doing it. I "get" weather delays. I also "get" mechanical delays. These things happen. What's more important is how the airline responds to the delays when they happen, and how satisfied I am with the ultimate result.
To me, the real issue is the elimination of the loyalty customer as a target. In their place airlines are courting high-value business and other premium cabin customers and people who are willing to pay more for premium seats. In the future, as this becomes more commonplace, I think that we'll see some normalizing on valuation coming for the business cabins especially. Upgrading to a premier economy seat is already the norm, and I expect this to expand. And yes, there will be more, not fewer, fees going forward.
What the airlines are trying to do is rid themselves of groups of passengers with whom they cannot win. From people like those in the comments demanding premium cabin service at bargain basement prices to (admittedly) low-to-mid level elites, such as I, who played the game of accumulating the most miles for the fewest dollars possible and then using said miles and status to get upgrades and book award flights. People like us were loss leaders for the airline that they'll gladly wave goodbye to as we stand stamping on the tarmac while their planes taxi for take-off.
And I don't blame them one bit. I'd probably do the same were I in charge. Nor am I stupid enough to say that "I'll never fly United again." Quite the contrary. I will be more than happy to fly with them when they offer the cheapest rates to the places that I want to go. When a cheaper option is available on another carrier however, United will not be getting my business because air travel is now a white good. To be honest, there's very little difference between the legacy domestic airlines when it comes to customer service and value and, when flying Internationally, they actually fall very far behind. Yes, they can be (at times) slightly cheaper than the International carriers but not always. If you catch a good sale you're more than likely to beat the tickets of the (now) Big 3 and you're likely to get better customer service to boot. Here's the rub: Even the best International carrier had to cancel flights during this week's Winter Storm. That's a lesson a lot of people need to learn.
