Consider what happened on June 16, 2011
One of our most experienced Captains - with over 30 years of experience, thousands of hours of flight time and a degree in Aviation Safety - was in the cockpit, about to embark on a 3,000 mile trans-Atlantic overnight flight.
When pushing back from the gate, the auxiliary power unit (a backup source of electrical power) and the Hot Battery Bus (a critical source of primary electrical power) both failed - in other words, the plane had no electrical power and no radio communications. None.
After opening a window to verbally call down to the ground crew (the Captain’s only option), US Airways maintenance was able to restart the power unit, but offered no explanation as to why it failed or any reasonable assurance that it wouldn’t fail again.
With her years of experience, the Captain knew this was a serious problem, and not one she wanted to encounter again, in the middle of the night, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.
This Captain did exactly what she is paid to do: exercise good judgment by stopping the operation and to address the issue with US Airways’ maintenance staff. In the meantime, she had an airplane with nearly 300 passengers who were not only anxious for information, but they were getting increasingly hot. Diagnosing the electrical problems required shutting down the aircraft’s air conditioning and there were problems with a ground-based conditioning unit. While dealing with the maintenance issue, the Captain and her crew also had to monitor the situation in the cabin and make sure the temperature wasn’t unsafe - for passengers of any age or health condition - and balance those concerns against the goals of Customer Service agents who are frequently resistant to deplaning the passengers because of the pressure to be on time.
Perhaps if mechanics had simply started work on the problem when the Captain reported it, the situation would have worked itself out, but US Airways isn’t running that way with our current management. Instead, they embarked on a plan to intimidate the Captain and her crew to try to get them to fly the airplane without fixing it. Not only did mechanics try to convince her to disregard the problem, but her supervisor called her repeatedly and put tremendous pressure on her, specifically asking if she was “refusing to fly.” At US Airways, pilots who refuse direct orders are putting their jobs at risk.
But this Captain stood her ground. She was right and she knew it, and she deserves tremendous credit for placing her career at risk in the name of safety. So, what does US Airways do with a Captain with such strong character and superior skills? In this case, she was met by US Airways Corporate Security and escorted out of the airport! Furthermore, members of her crew were threatened with arrest should they try to interfere.
US Airways has since attempted to spin the reason for calling for security as a customer service issue - they claim that her “continued presence was creating an environment that reflected unfavorably on the Company.” Translated, this Captain’s presence represented the passengers’ only link to the truth about the aircraft’s condition, and the Company likely didn’t want them to get wind of the fact that their plan was to find a crew who would fly the airplane without fixing this known deficiency.
Do you think we have a problem here at US Airways? We are living a death from a thousand cuts, this is just one of those cuts. Our management has lost control
of the employees. Please do your research and consider the consequences of a continued Star Alliance relationship with US Airways.
Sincerely,
Dave Mudge
Captain A320
US Airline Pilots Association Calls for Termination of US Airways Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Compliance Paul Morell
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – May 9, 2011 – After numerous lapses in safety protocols at US Airways recently, the Board of Pilot Representatives of the US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA), which represents the airline’s pilots, has unanimously called for the immediate termination of the ranking official in charge of airline safety, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Compliance Paul Morell.
“Mr. Morell has repeatedly ignored USAPA’s concerns about the safety of our airline and has shown no leadership in remedying potentially catastrophic situations that face our pilots,” said Captain Mike Cleary, president of USAPA. “As such, we have asked the Company’s leadership and the Board of Directors to act quickly and decisively to terminate his employment at US Airways.”
In its communications with the US Airways directors, USAPA cited 17 specific issues to support its opinion that Morell is derelict in his duties to protect the pilots and passengers of US Airways.
“Mr. Morell has ignored or actively dismissed safety recommendations from pilots, despite the fact that the pilots are on the front line and dealing with these issues on a daily basis,” added Captain Cleary. “USAPA has reached out to Mr. Morell time and time again, requesting his input and guidance about how to alleviate the many safety issues that face our pilots. At best, we have received a dismissive or tepid response; at worst, complete silence. Our efforts to engage CEO Doug Parker and the Board of Directors on this issue have also gone unanswered, clearly demonstrating that they do not share
USAPA’s priority of putting safety above all else. Not one of the 17 specific issues we brought to the CEO and Board has been acted upon or even responded to.”
“Additionally US Airways’ management refused to participate in an external evaluation performed by renowned safety expert Dr. Terry von Thaden, who has performed more than 200 similar evaluations and has never, prior to now, had an air carrier refuse to participate in an evaluation,” Captain Cleary continued. “Her results – which indicated safety culture problems throughout US Airways – were dismissed out-of-hand by the Company.”
Dr. Sidney Dekker, also a well-respected safety expert who reviewed the results of the evaluation at USAPA’s request, noted that, “Most worrying is the extent of the dismissal of the safety culture survey and the suggestion that management has the safety problem pretty much under control.”
USAPA Safety Chairman Tom Kubik concurs. “Through the safety work conducted by Dr. von Thaden’s team, our pilots voiced their concern about everything from forced on-time departures to cost-cutting measures that erode the safety of our aircraft – and the Company turned a deaf ear to everything we said,’ said Captain Kubik. “Mr. Morell’s responsibility is to the pilots who work at US Airways and the passengers who fly with us, and he has repeatedly demonstrated that he is no longer able to fulfill this duty.”
In an attempt to remedy these problems and bring additional attention to the safety infractions occurring on his watch, USAPA has called for the immediate termination of Paul Morell. Any other action by the Company will be viewed by USAPA as insufficient and a direct threat to the safety of the pilots and passengers on US Airways.
I am starting to lose count of the times I’ve come down with a nasty chest infection after flying with EasyJet. Is this beyond coincidence? The inevitable consequence of traveling in any crowded space; or the particular hazards of air travel?
Have you noticed that actual flight times within Europe have become longer; and should you twist the gizmo in the panel above your head for fresh air, no air emerges.
This is because airlines fly slower these days to save fuel; and pilots have been asked to save more fuel by switching off air-conditioning units and reduce the amount of fresh air in the cabin and re-circulating more stale air.
But there is a risk of passengers and crew catching serious airborne diseases – such as nasty strains of influenza, bronchitis, tuberculosis and Legionnaires’ diseases.
At 30,000 feet (9,150 meters) the atmosphere in a plane has to be artificially created. At that altitude, the cabin is pressurized to 8,000 feet, the equivalent of sitting on a mountain top, except for the healthy breeze. Outside air is too cold and too thin for us to breathe so the aircraft ventilation systems draw in air and bring it to the correct temperature and pressure (by mixing hot engine air with outside cold air) and remove a lot of moisture, as high humidity can cause aircraft corrosion.
Whatever class you fly, the quality of the air will be the same – although the cockpit crew gets a separate source of cold fresh air, partly because of the heat generated by instrument panels and electrically heated windows. Pilots get about 150 cubic feet of fresh air a minute per person, compared with about seven cubic feet a minute per person cheek by jowl in cattle class.
The quality of re-circulated air depends on the efficiency of catalytic air filters and how often they are changed. (A short dry cough is typical of high ozone concentration – along with eye discomfort, nose and throat irritation and headache.) The new generation of HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters are said to remove at least 99.97 percent of all air particles 0.3 microns in size – which includes large bacteria but excludes viruses.
Evidence that poor air quality may cause serious disease is mainly circumstantial. This is due to a lack of research and the difficulty of tracking passengers after a flight and an incubation period of three to four days, which means that people don’t always link illness with a particular flight. Plus, there are no international standards on air quality, except for levels of carbon monoxide, ozone and carbon dioxide.
The FAA has set the maximum concentration of carbon monoxide at 50 parts per million (and ozone at 0.1 ppm, with a 0.25 ppm ceiling) and has proposed lowering the maximum concentration of carbon dioxide from 30,000 parts per million to 5,000 parts. The Civil Aviation Authority in Britain says it will follow suit. But that figure is still five times higher than the comfort guidelines for buildings. Pilots report that carbon dioxide levels are rarely controlled.
On my two milk runs – between London-Gatwick and Geneva and Nice – EasyJet is the only option with a monopoly on both routes. Surprise, surprise, fares are getting higher, flight options fewer, and planes are invariably chockablock – and stuffier.
As the late Anthony Sampson once said to me: ‘There are only two types of planes; full planes and empty planes, no matter what class you fly.’ Luxury means having an empty seat next to you.
And standards are slipping. If EasyJet is really serious about serving the business traveler it should offer pre-assigned seats to replace Speedy Boarding and for the same surcharge. The practice now is to coral the two sets of passengers (Speedy Boarders and Others) and have them standing around on boarding bridges for half an hour or more like cattle before they are allowed to stampede on to the aircraft.
It is only five years since EasyJet was the new kid on the block, with brand new Boeing 737s, young enthusiastic crews, with the fresh no-frills ethos based on the phenomenally successful model of Southwest Airlines in the United States.
I remember sitting with Stelios at London-Luton in November 1995 when the first flights were departing, sharing his enthusiasm in his battle with the Establishment – the ‘legacy’ carriers like British Airways, Air France, Swissair, Iberia, Lufthansa…
The challenge that no-frills carriers like EasyJet presented to the established carriers was not so much low fares but a whole new fare structure of ‘one-way’ pricing, depending on day and time of travel. And, of course, they pioneered on-line booking. (EasyJet used to display its phone number on the sides of the planes; nowadays, it’s EasyJet.com.)
And the Establishment followed suit.
Nowadays, EasyJet is the Establishment, with a fleet of some 175 planes, 20 bases across Europe, and 50 million passengers a year. British Airways and many of the other legacy carriers have retreated, focusing on their more profitable long-haul routes.
EasyJet is sometimes the only option on many point-to-point routes in Europe. You don’t even have the option of paying more for a better seat and better service.
Perhaps it is time for another new kid on the block.
Roger Collis, May, 2011
Nearly half (45 percent) of airline passengers admit to flirting while in the air, with 95 percent aspiring to join the Mile High Club, according to a ‘Valentine’s Day’ survey by Skyscanner a Scotland-based travel booking site.
The survey of over 1000 travelers revealed that one third of those who admitted flirting on board, ‘had a rendezvous after the flight,’ with 8 percent resulting in a relationship.
‘You are sitting next to someone for an hour or more, and the fact that you’re both traveling to the same place means you already have something in common,’ Karin Noble, a Skyscanner employee and a former cabin crew member, wrote in a statement from the site.’ Add this to the heightened effect that alcohol can have at altitude and the more relaxed ‘holiday mood’ that many travelers feel, and it tends to give people the courage to flirt with a fellow passenger, or even take things further, especially on long haul routes such as flights to Australia.’
There’s no doubt that the relationship between passengers sitting next to one another in a plane has a confessional element to it. Relaxed by food and drink, you can unburden your soul without trepidation, safe in the knowledge that you are unlikely to see your in-flight companion once the wheels have touched down.
A separate survey found that 20% of travelers already claim to be members of the Mile High Club and half of these had qualified for membership with a stranger they met on a flight.
Several high profile celebrities have enjoyed a bit of flirting in the air, it seems. Virgin boss, Richard Branson and actor Ralph Fiennes both claim to have taken it to the next step with membership of the Mile high Club.
That I should be so lucky: Invariably, the most attractive woman on the plane is sitting 10 rows in front of me. I wonder if the MHC offers ‘associate membership.’
The desire to get amorous at altitude has even spawned services that offer private flights specifically for joining the club. The Chicagoland Skydiving Center runs flights on a plane that has been converted for romance and comes complete with private double bed, champagne and promises of complete discretion.
However, a British firm offering similar ‘Mile High’ flights was recently shut down by the Civil Aviation Authority after two years of operation, as they were not satisfied that onboard safety criteria were being met – fearing that such in-flight action could be ‘too distracting’ for pilots. Not to mention cabin crew and other passengers. There may be scope for specialist dating agencies.
Research is only as good as the questions asked and the way they are phrased. I’d like to have seen some sort of scale - from exchanging pleasantries to serious chatting up. And knowing how many passengers joined the MHC with their regular partners. It would also be nice to have a ‘cross-analysis’ for gender, occupation, age and nationality. Did cabin crew male/female participate in the hanky panky?
I must confess that the most exciting in-flight adventures I’ve had have been in the mind. You can date whoever you wish; and no-one will ever know.
Frequent flier programs are probably the most successful marketing idea of all time. Since American Airlines launched AAdvantage, the world’s first FFP in 1981, more than 300 million travelers count miles with one or more of 200 airline programs worldwide, many of which have scores of airline and non-airline partners, hotels, car rental firms and credit card providers.
AAdvantage’s more than 66 million members have earned billions of miles for flying, redeeming their miles for millions of awards, including flights, lodging, dining, shopping and much more.
Some FFPs have as many as 200 partners. So nobody needs to fly to earn miles. Many airlines make money from FFPs by selling miles to program partners. United Airlines and American Airlines are said to generate more money in this way than by selling airline seats. . FFPs enable airlines to build a data-base of travelers, especially very frequent travelers, with the opportunity to build a direct relationship with them.
The three major airline alliances, Star Alliance, One World and SkyTeam, allow travelers to earn and redeem miles on their partner carriers – a total of 49 major carriers. Thus, by pooling mileage in one or the other account; for example, by giving your Lufthansa number to United Airlines, or vice versa, when you fly with either carrier. This has allowed many travelers to reach gold, or platinum status by concentrating their miles on a single program. Sometimes it pays not to use the obvious choice, such as your home carrier, but to earn miles on a partner airline.
But airlines do not make it easy. Remember that frequent flier programs are a marketing tool for airlines; they are not run as a benefit to travelers. Loyalty is not measured in miles alone, but in how much revenue you bring to the airline; rewarding people who pay the most for their tickets.
‘I’ve accumulated enough miles for a free flight, but when I try to book, the airline tells me that there are no award seats left on the date I want to travel.’ ‘I tried to use miles for an upgrade to business class but the airline told me that I was not traveling on an “eligible fare.”’
These are typical laments of frequent fliers, frustrated and angry at finding themselves snagged in a thicket of arcane rules and small print of airline frequent flier programs. As everybody knows, it has become far easier to earn frequent flier miles than to redeem them; too many miles are chasing fewer airline seats.
No wonder insiders estimate that there are a staggering 14 trillion unredeemed miles floating around in the system, earned by 250 million mileage junkies, each typically members of 3 to 5 frequent flier programs.
Loyalty is not measured in miles alone, but in how much revenue you bring to the airline. Few airlines outside of North America allow you to earn miles on any published fare or allow you to use miles for upgrades. Typically, European and Asian carriers only award miles on the more expensive, fully-flexible fares.
But if FFPs are so successful, why is it that the number of unused miles is increasing dramatically? Insiders estimate that a staggering 14 trillion unredeemed miles are floating around in the system.
This is because it has become far easier to earn miles than to redeem them; too many miles are chasing fewer airline seats. Airlines therefore have devalued the currency, making it harder to redeem miles with a thicket of arcane rules, such as blackout periods for the days you want to travel fly, limiting the number award seats available on certain flights, and expiry dates.
And some miles are more equal than others. This is because individual programs have different rules, such as award levels or the category of fare that earns you miles; which has left travelers confused and frustrated. This may have diluted loyalty towards a particular carrier by ‘commoditizing’ miles.
And don’t expect reciprocal perks and recognition, even or especially, if you carry a gold or platinum card. You may not get top priority on the waiting list or the run of the best lounge with an alliance partner airline.
There’s no such thing as a free flight. Travelers should ask themselves ‘Do you want to pay top dollar for a full-fare ticket and earn miles that you may find hard to redeem, or forget the miles and buy a discounted business-class ticket for less than half the published price?’
Back in my corporate days, before miles entered the travel equation, recognition, in the form of membership to airlines VIP clubs, was by ‘invitation only.’ Working in Geneva, I became a member of the Swissair ‘Travel Club.’ This delivered privileges, such as priority wait-listing, escorting to the plane by the station manager, a reservations hotline, and impromptu upgrades.
The ultimate status symbol was wafting into the first class lounge with a green (economy) boarding pass ostentatiously stuck in your top pocket.
Perhaps it is time to reinvent the wheel.
American Airlines is launching an Express Seats service allowing travelers to purchase seats in the first few rows of coach (economy) - including bulkhead seats in that cabin.
Travelers who purchase an Express Seat are able to board with ‘Group 1’ of General Boarding for their flight, allowing them the convenience of being among the first coach travelers on and off the plane.
Express Seats are available to all American Airlines’ travelers and can be purchased exclusively via airport self-service check-in machines at anytime from 24 hours to 50 minutes before scheduled flight departure for travel wholly within the United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Introductory prices for Express Seats (based on distance) start at $19 per flight. Examples of starting prices on popular routes: St. Louis to Chicago O’Hare, $19; San Francisco to Dallas/Fort Worth, $29; Boston to Chicago O’Hare, $29; New York JFK to Los Angeles, $39; Chicago O’Hare to Honolulu, $39.
There’s nothing new under the sun, they say. Some twenty years ago, the Canadian carrier Wardair (long since subsumed by Air Canada) offered quality at reasonable prices with a single standard of cuisine and service throughout the plane and a ‘Big Seat’ option. No matter how much you paid for your ticket, you could trade up to a Big Seat in the front of the cabin for about 50 Canadian dollars.
From the beginning of September 2010, the cost of an economy ticket will include a single check-in item of luggage with a maximum weight of 23 kilos. The previous limit was 20 kilos. The maximum permitted combined measurements of the bag (height plus length plus width) will be 158 centimeters.
The aim of the new rules is to serve customers better and to clarify the procedure,’ said Anssi Komulainen, Finnair’s SVP Customer Service. “Economy Class passengers can now take a heavier bag on their flight than before as part of the price of the flight.’
Business Class passengers, Finnair Plus Platinum, Gold and Silver members, oneworld tier members and holders of more highly-priced economy class tickets will be permitted to take two items of baggage, each weighing a maximum of 23 kilos, totalling 46 kilos.
Finnair is also extending the option of paying for excess bags and weight online and in advance. From 1 September 2010, payments of excess baggage and weight fees paid on the Internet will be as much as 30% cheaper than when paid at the airport.
The new rules apply also to passengers who buy only flight tickets on Finnair leisure flights (AY2001-AY3000) on or after 1 September 2010. The rules for passengers traveling as part of a tour operator package will change 1 April 2011.
Rules for carry-on baggage remain unchanged:
-Business Class, Finnair Plus Platinum, Gold and Silver members and Finnair Club members: one bag with the maximum outside dimensions of 56×45x25 cm or 22×18x10 in., plus one briefcase or laptop computer, regardless of travel class. A total of two pieces, with a maximum combined weight of 10 kg or 22 lbs.
-Economy Class: one class-flights, flights within Finland and leisure flights: one bag with the maximum outside dimensions of 56×45x25 cm or 22×18x10 in. One piece only, with a maximum weight of 8kg or 17.5 lbs.
Caveat emptor is the watchword for airline travelers in whatever class to check carefully rules for both checked and carry-on baggage – especially if they are ‘interlining’ from one carrier to another on multi-sector flights – especially when transferring from a legacy carrier to a no-frills operator.
1 A cat flew across the Atlantic Ocean eight years before Charles Lindbergh. The cat, named Wopsie or Whoopsie, was a stowaway aboard the dirigible R34 when it traveled from Scotland to New York in 1919. The cat wasn’t the only creature who beat Lindy to a trans-Atlantic flight. More than 80 people also did. But Lindbergh was the first to fly solo.
2 Qantas, the Australian airline, is a former acronym for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services. That name is strange, but others may be stranger. Airline pilot Patrick Smith, who writes a column for salon.com, suggested that two of the worst airline names ever were Russia’s Kras Air (”always just an H away from infamy,” wrote Smith) and Taiwan’s U-Land Airlines (”That’s right. U-buy, U-fly and U-Land it yourself.”).
3 In 1987, American Airlines removed one olive from each first-class salad for a savings of about $40,000 a year. In a more recent cost-cutting move, American announced in 2004 that it would get rid of pillows on its MD-80 planes for an annual windfall of about $300,000. The next year, Northwest Airlines ditched free pretzels in coach class on its domestic flights, saving $2 million a year.
4 Joseph of Cupertino, a 17th century Italian priest, is a Roman Catholic patron saint of pilots and air passengers. Known as the “flying friar” because of his reported ability to levitate, Joseph annoyed his fellow churchmen, who banned him from attending choir or visiting the refectory for 35 years.
5 National Airlines launched an ad campaign in the early 1970s featuring attractive young flight attendants — then known as stewardesses — and slogans such as “I’m Margie. Fly me.” A group called Stewardesses for Women’s Rights picketed the airline’s offices and complained to the Federal Trade Commission about the ads. National was forced to tone down the campaign by including other airline workers. But somehow the idea of “flying” someone like, say, Ralph the baggage handler seemed a bit less alluring.
6 The producers of the 1980 comedy film “Airplane!” considered talk show host David Letterman and singer Barry Manilow for the lead role of washed-up pilot Ted Striker before settling on actor Robert Hays. The co-pilot played by basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was originally written for baseball star Pete Rose. According to the Internet Movie Database, Rose was offered $30,000 but lost the part after asking for $35,000, which he wanted to spend on an Oriental rug.
7 Ten soldiers boarded a plane at California’s Fort Hunter Liggett in the early 1960s, expecting a routine training mission. Instead, once they were airborne, the crew announced that an engine had stalled, the landing gear was inoperable and the plane would attempt to ditch in the ocean. Then the crew issued an odd demand: The soldiers would have to fill out insurance forms. After they dutifully did so, the plane landed, safely and routinely. The episode was an Army experiment to measure soldiers’ performance under stress. Not surprisingly, a control group on the ground filled out the same insurance forms more accurately.
8 Last December, passengers preparing to take off on an Aeroflot jet from Moscow to New York revolted when the pilot appeared to slur his words over the loudspeaker. Officials of the Russian airline tried to calm them. According to the Moscow Times, an airline official said, “It’s not such a big deal if the pilot is drunk. Really, all he has to do is press a button and the plane flies itself.” But the passengers stood their ground, and the crew was replaced. The incident was another black eye for Aeroflot, remembered for a 1994 flight in which a pilot let his 15-year-old son take the controls. The boy accidentally disabled the autopilot, sending 75 people to their deaths.
9 When Amelia Earhart helped organize the New York, Philadelphia and Washington Airways in the early years of commercial aviation, the in-flight lunch consisted of hard-boiled eggs and saltine crackers, chosen because they seemed unlikely to contribute to airsickness.
10 A passenger boarded a Chicago-bound plane in Washington, D.C., in 2003 and handed a note to a flight attendant, asking her to take it to the pilot. The note read, “Fast. Neat. Average.” The pilot had no idea what it meant and alerted authorities, who detained the passenger for questioning. The note was part of a well-known code at the Air Force Academy, based on cadets’ answers on a dining-hall survey. If all had gone well, the passenger’s note would have been returned with a note reading “Friendly. Good. Good,” and the passenger would have been invited to visit the cockpit. But the pilot was not an Air Force grad, and the passenger missed his flight. As an Air Force spokesman noted, “Obviously, the world has changed since 2001.”
Source: chicagotribune.com
Where on earth will it end? Is a la carte pricing just the flavor of the month or the magic bullet of the decade? Or are the so-called ‘legacy’ carriers simply grasping at straws?
I was strutting my usual stuff at an ‘a la carte airline pricing’ conference the other day – that the airlines had only themselves to blame for the disastrous fall in premium cabin sales (10 percent of passengers but 40 percent of revenues) by failing to understand that their ‘branding,’ their class system as it evolved over the past 40 years, had got out of sync with the evolving needs of business passengers, et cetera – when news came through that British Airways plans to make travelers pay to choose their seats before they fly.
So you’ve chosen a fare – based upon time and class of travel, and how flexible you need to be – and now BA has the chutzpah to charge cattle-class passengers £10 each way for flights within Europe and £20 long-haul; £60 in long-haul; and another £50 in an emergency exit row. How about auctioning prime seats for peak and off-peak flights on different days of the week, or at different seasons? Come to that, how about selling ‘season’ tickets to seasoned travelers; or a ‘corporate row’ of seats in a prime section of the cabin?
Presumably, ‘default’ seating for the ‘unreserved’ will be the dreaded ‘pig-in-the-middle’ seat between the wide-bodied couple hoping they can spread out over that extra seat between them. Shall we soon see charges for cabin baggage, and the ‘real estate’ of the overhead racks above your head?
By the time they have paid for checked-in luggage – and failed to un-tick the box for ‘optional’ travel insurance – travelers may well find that the price of an air ticket they have purchased online have more than tripled when it comes to the final amount charged. Most major airlines, including American Airlines, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Delta, have introduced baggage fees. BA now charges £40 to check in a second piece of baggage on long-haul flights; and £35 for short-haul flights. And I have just heard that a few major airlines in the States, including American, Delta and United, have imposed yet another fee of $10 on travelers on ‘key’ holiday travel days.
Indeed, where will it end? Add the in-flight costs for meals, drinks, pillows, seat-back videos and the like, paid for by swiping your card each time, and the cost of a flight becomes a moveable feast. Figuring out the best deal for the route will mean figuring out the extra fees in advance. And online booking could become a nightmare with a blizzard of options. Good luck to corporate travel planners.
A la carte can work well for the traveler, provided it is transparent and offers them choice. After all, why pay for meals and drinks that you don’t need – subsidizing the chap next to you who is eating drinking everything in sight; or for checking bags if I only have hand baggage. And I certainly do not mind paying for ‘speedy boarding’ on EasyJet if it enables me to get an aisle seat in an emergency exit row with more leg room.
But I believe it can only work on short-haul travel; or long-haul travel with a one-class cabin – such as Air Asia’s low-cost flights between London and Kuala Lumpur. .
Major airlines have not understood that the no-frills model they have adopted in a frantic attempt to re-invent themselves as low-cost carriers on short-haul routes, can only work for them for essentially single-class travel (forget BA’s fatuous ‘moving curtain’ to segregate Club Europe passengers from the hoi polloi) on short-haul routes.
A la carte pricing is meaningless in the classic multi-class cabin system that has evolved on long-haul routes – if only because price and ‘quality’ differential has become so large. First class can cost twice the price of business class, which in turn costs up to four times more than a flexible economy ticket and up to 20 times more than the cheapest tickets in the back cabin; while premium economy costs at least three times more than the cheapest economy fare. A la carte can only work within each type of cabin.
The basic promise of the premium cabins is to have a bigger seat with hierarchical degrees of recline, and more legroom. The bells and whistles are just, bells and whistles.
And what happens if some prime seats are not reserved? Will there be a scramble for them once the plane is in the air? What if they are given away indiscriminately before departure? I can think of few more tempting incitements to air rage.
Here comes KLM with its new ‘economy zone’ on inter-continental flights – an a la carte option in economy. Pay between $112 and $210 for ‘3.9ins more legroom and back supports that can recline twice as far,’ whatever that means, for a single leg of the journey.
Skytrax Research (www.airlinequality.com) can help you figure out the best, and worst, seats in premium cabins, along with seat dimensions and seating tips, on long-haul flights, for more than 325 airlines around the world. Seat plans at www.seatguru.com show you which seats to ask for, and which to avoid, on more than 60 airlines, including Air France, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Qantas. Select an airline and an aircraft type, move your mouse over the seating plan, and seat descriptions will appear (green designates a ‘very good seat,’ yellow, ‘be aware!’ and red, a ‘bad seat.’ Seatplans.com (a rival to Seatguru.com) offers seating plans, class by class and aircraft by aircraft, and flight reviews for about 80 airlines.
Flatseats.com compares first- and business-class ‘lie-flat’ beds and (nearly horizontal) ‘angled flat-seats,’ together with ‘sleep comfort ratings’ for about 40 airlines around the world.
Meanwhile, Janys Harvey, a reader in Paris, writes, ‘For years I have bought three adjoining seats in economy and slept like a baby, completely flat. The price is always much less than business class and you get more real estate. But don’t forget to bring an extra pillow.’ Except that another reader (this is a true story) found the two seats two he had booked to stretch out in were on either side of the aisle.
So caveat emptor. And be aware that airlines are adept at changing aircraft type at the last minute, sending the best laid advance seating plans into disarray.
And think about this: whenever did dining a la carte in a posh restaurant work out cheaper than the set menu?
Ryanair, the Irish bargain-basement airline, which excels only in deepening the no-frills experience, is now claiming to be ‘the world’s favorite airline’ – an appellation which for years was the proud strapline for British Airways. Ryanair claims to have carried twice the number of passengers than BA during the month of June.
Oh, how the mighty are humbled.
BA made a loss of £201 million in June (attributed to a continuing fall in premium traffic) is shedding thousands of jobs, and is controversially asking its staff to work for one month without pay.
Virgin Atlantic, its bitter rival, which seems to be in relatively better shape, is also shedding jobs and trimming routes.
Meanwhile, easyJet, which claims to be ‘the UK’s largest airline,’ announces that it is opening 15 new routes across Europe for its 2009/10 winter schedule.