What’s with American airlines these days? A consumers perspective..
I feel compelled to spill the beans on the other news from my recent travels. No longer will I put up with such a shambles. Someone has to say something! Here are several commandments I wish to issue all international American operators with immediate effect:
1. You will not rearrange my flight times without prior notice, even if these are less than an hour in nature. Half an hour longer in certain airports is half an hour too long. Leaving earlier just isn't civilized.
2. You will not forget to ask me if I packed my own bags, been asked to carry something for someone, and only ask if I am carrying dangerous firearms (what is a non dangerous firearm I feel compelled to ask but dare not – to do so would involve more time in the said airport).
3. You will not tell me you are operating a 'reduced beverage service' and then only offer me either water or the option 'with ice' as though you are treating me like royalty. You will not then try to sell me a credit card and have the captain come online and announce in an apologetic voice, thank you for flying an American Airline in such a way that they clearly hope you forget the experience.
4. You will not attempt to ever fly me on a connecting flight from Philadelphia ever again so long as I shall live.
5. You will not attempt to charge me $5 for the loan of second grade headphones with specialised two prongs (thus justifying the price) so I can watch films that were on my netflix list before Christmas 2004.
6. You will not charge me $5 for a gin and tonic and then forget the lime (and the gin as far as I could detect).
7. You will not charge me $5 for a glass of red from Chili when I could have bought a buckets worth for that back home, or $5 for a glass of champagne only for the label to read sparkling 'white' Californian wine. Also, you will not to try convince me that 5 Euro of my hard earned money is the same as $5. In your dreams! You've just made a buck on me – charge please (and they then pay the 2% visa charge – oh wait – it's cash only! Hmm… can you spell stocktake?)
8. You will not provide me with chicken OR pasta as a source of nourishment when there is clearly no difference between the two. Ever, ever, ever. Lest you want it and the plate its served on adorning your flight attendant and book reading lights.
9. You will not announce on the tannoy half way through a transatlantic flight that, and I quote, "there is absolutely no need for you to press the attendant button on your console," ever. Lest you want 700 passengers in tandem doing JUST THAT.
10. You will not employ people who really dont want to be there, who are as incompetent as to ask whether you would like a plastic glass with your red wine from Chili (assuming instead that you would like to sup from the bottle as they do when they finish work) or sleep half way through their 8 hour day thus taking up 6 seats (notice how they always appear refreshed at the end of their travels only to go on and sleep in a hotel for another 8?).
Jet Blue – you're excused – you're excellent at what you do. The rest of you should be ashamed. I for one would rather pay an additional $100 a flight to be guaranteed friendly service, a decent meal and a couple of free drinks for my trouble at checkin. What ever happened to that old age of civilized travel? All of this in the name of cost efficiencies? Enjoy your decline, I'll be supping to it from my plastic cup nursing a sore index finger.
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problem with airlines in the states. there is just no real growth or potential. everyone that is flying is already flying.
most airlines dont have the brains to actually go out and offer a better experience like Jet Blue does. nor do they have the credibility left to raise the money to go out and make said changes.
so what they do is rip people off as much to make some money to just stay afloat.
compare this with airlines in places like India, you have clear distinction in what an airline offers.
you have Kingfisher and Jet which offer luxury and comfort which shows in their costs.
Go which is the upper end Discount airline reliable and affordable.
Deccan which is basically low end, get you from point to point, late and scared but cheap.
additionally the growth for airlines in developing coutnries is immense.
airlines in the states should pander over to these places and set up strategic partnerships offer their intelligence or lack thereof and try and make a go of it.
money wont be made in America, you will meet your costs at most.
I hear you. I could never understand why bloody Lufthansa on my way to Berlin feeds me with pasta! No meat at all for the ticket priced at $982 in the economy class!!! I never eat that kind of food except for when I am flying with them. Is it impossible for the money I paid to give me some nice cheese and fish???
You won’t believe it, but the food that I liked was served (now get ready) on AirFrance.
Also, I was amazed at the flight operated by a small Italian airline AerLingus. On a 50 minute flight from Munich to Genova the Italians served smoked salmon and champagne NOT IN PLASTIC, but in the real glasses and real plates!
American airlines are the worst. 6 years ago they gave you a cold hamburger at the airport while boarding. Now they don’t give you anything at all. And if you want to have a cup of StarBucks coffee which they “proudly serve” and then a glass of water to take a pill, you get a reply that absolutely shocks you: “This is a 1 drink flight”. Is that the country where marketing came from? You can die on the flight – they won’t care.
The way I fly from JFK to Kiev is I get my alcohol and food at the airport before boarding and then fall asleep for the whole flight. I don’t care what they serve and what kind of old movie is on their stupid screens. I have my iPod.
I agree with you 100% Dr. Hair, with one exception. Continental Airlines seems to do a superb job, or at least they did when I flew from Rochester to Gatwick during the 05-06 spring break. But that was the only time I flew internationally on an American carrier, simply because my Virgin Atlantic package from Rochester got cancelled due to weather conditions and Continental Airlines was their U.S. partner. I was dreading the flight initially, but was quite shocked at the superb quality and value that I received in the end.
Even low cost airlines in the Middle East do a much better job than American airlines do, even though American airlines have been in the business for many many years and low cost airlines back home have just started to show over the past 2 years.
at the same time try flying someone like Air India (though shady, they have incredibly good food and bevvy, thought the inflight entertaiment sucks)