Thursday, June 26, 2008

Airline Empathy

It is not often that I feel sorry for the plight of airlines. They have done just about everything possible to turn off even their most loyal adherents. Bad service, inconsistent on-time performance, overbooking, fuel surcharges, and a policy of nickel and dimeing us to death have made us more and more frustrated with them.

Now they have moved to a new level of irritation by going from nickel and dime charges to multiple dollar grabs with strict overweight luggage fees, first as well as second bag charges, and now some airlines have even taken away the peanuts and pretzels, which in themselves were almost an insult to nutrition in the air.

But unfortunately airlines need the revenue to survive as oil prices go sky high. It is too bad that the airlines don't give us some credit for at least moderate intelligence. Instead of just increasing fares to cover costs as most businesses do when faced with rising business expenses, they try to hide the increases in these never-ending add-ons. They are afraid of us.

They believe we will not travel if we see the real price up front. They think that somehow we won't get it. That we won't notice how much we have actually paid for our travel if they kill us instead with a death of a thousand cuts instead of one quick slash, to paraphase an old Chinese proverb.

We need to support our airlines... especially in these troubled times. We need to try to keep the route services we have, and nothing will kill them quicker than low load factors. So I will continue to travel even though it hurts the pocketbook more than in the past.

I just wish the airlines would grow up and stop treating us like fellow children.

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