“The airlines are going back to their old playbooks.”
(The Middle Seat: Airlines Revive Minimum Stays On Cheap Fares,
(The Middle Seat: Airlines Revive Minimum Stays On Cheap Fares,
By Scott McCartney, Wall Street Journal, August 19, 2008.)
Whenever I take pen (or keyboard) in hand to complain about things like flying, I realize that I risk sounding like some crabby, hard-to-please, Old guy. I’d like to think that nothing could be farther from the truth! (but my daughters would probably say I am really all those things!)
As I boarded the first of four flights to and from my destination of Manchester, Vermont on business last week, I was determined to try to re-connect with the joy of flying in pre-September 11 days.
I chose a “carrier” (as airlines now call themselves – pretty romantic name, huh!?) that I had a pretty good history with and avoided the three that have come to mean poor customer service in my mind (JetBlue, Northwest, Continental.)
In the current economic environment - and especially the need to control travel expense, I did not feel comfortable asking my employer to pay for a direct flight from Salt Lake to Albany. I have discovered that changing carriers pretty much ensures lost luggage, so I chose to fly both legs of two one-lay-over trips on the same airline.
I flew Southwest. It met all my requirements. And the price was not on the dreaded “out-of-policy” list for my employer. I noted right away that Southwest has instituted a new boarding procedure since the last time I flew with them – giving you both a boarding letter and now, a number too.
The addition of a number meant that you did not have to park in the A, B or C line from the moment you arrived at the gate and could remain in a seat, reading, eating or just people-watching until much closer to the actual board time. It has an added benefit for Southwest – their boarding gates no longer resemble a Greyhound Bus Station.
Southwest is the only airline which continues to turn a profit since JetBlue managed to find their way into the Red Zone last quarter. This is largely because they had the foresight to purchase fuel futures at a favorable price several years ago. This advantage won’t last forever, and based on what I experienced they are soon headed for the Red Zone with everyone else.
Southwest has a different, and much touted business model which includes many cost suppressing elements. And they are often held up as an employee and customer friendly organization.
If I am generous, they batted .500! Two of the four flight legs were miserable, one was acceptable and the other was truly good.
Why?
No one makes affordable seats for real people. They are too small for all but children and the anorexic. They just aren’t wide enough. After years of complaining, travelers less than 6’4” get the legroom they need (and everyone talks about legroom as if it were the Holy Grail) but how many jokes have you heard about the cart in the aisle taking off a shoulder as it zips on by? (I need detachable shoulders - even if I lose weight, these shoulders aren't getting any narrower!)
As an aside, I did have one very rare experience. I try to be cognizant of the approach of people coming up the aisle. I shift my shoulder just as they get close (without turning around - my one real talent!) I always miss at least one and get nailed. After being nailed by a very pleasant flight attendant (unusual these days) the flight attendant apologized. For me, that is a first. It was so rare as to be noticeable. It made that flight particularly good. In fact, she is probably why I said Southwest batted .500.
On the Baltimore to Albany leg, while I was hermetically sealed in that painted aluminum tube with wings and some motors bolted on, more intimate with the middle seat-mate than I ever wanted to be, I realized that for all the talk there is no truly revolutionary airline business model out there.
Do you know how you will recognize a revolutionary business model? The entrepreneur who crafts it will do revolutionary, customer-centric things.
First, they will buy commercial aircraft with no overhead bins and put everything you need to know or use (other than that silly little bathroom) in front of you on the television/computer screen on the back of the seat.
They will ban carry on luggage.
They will fill the plane from the back to the front.
They will know your preferences and group like passengers in like areas.
They will fix the lost luggage thing and give you your checked baggage as you deplane.
They will ensure you have the room you need to sit comfortably for 1 to 7 hours.
Do you know how you will recognize a revolutionary business model? The entrepreneur who crafts it will do revolutionary, customer-centric things.
First, they will buy commercial aircraft with no overhead bins and put everything you need to know or use (other than that silly little bathroom) in front of you on the television/computer screen on the back of the seat.
They will ban carry on luggage.
They will fill the plane from the back to the front.
They will know your preferences and group like passengers in like areas.
They will fix the lost luggage thing and give you your checked baggage as you deplane.
They will ensure you have the room you need to sit comfortably for 1 to 7 hours.
They will interrupt you only when they have to – leaving out the “on the left side of the aircraft you will see the Grand Canyon” or the “we’re twelfth in line for take off. Sorry – we’ll get there as soon as we can,” pilot-speak.
Frankly, if there is no in-flight emergency and we are going to be on-time, and I am comfortably reading my book, watching a show, or listening to music, why do I care what the current stacking number of my particular aircraft is? Did I insist on checking our aircraft registration number? Do I care what is on the tail? Do you think I care we are 12th?
Frankly, if there is no in-flight emergency and we are going to be on-time, and I am comfortably reading my book, watching a show, or listening to music, why do I care what the current stacking number of my particular aircraft is? Did I insist on checking our aircraft registration number? Do I care what is on the tail? Do you think I care we are 12th?
In the revolutionary business model - they will shut up and leave me comfortably alone, unless I need something and then they will be right there. (Not impossible - there are retail models that meet this demand.)
That revolutionary business model will know that I want lunch and charge me for it prior to the flight. They will allow me to change my mind, though, when I arrive in Baltimore late, and in my rush to the gate I can’t grab lunch and now in my starved condition I’m developing the beginnings of a headache.
That revolutionary business model will know that I want lunch and charge me for it prior to the flight. They will allow me to change my mind, though, when I arrive in Baltimore late, and in my rush to the gate I can’t grab lunch and now in my starved condition I’m developing the beginnings of a headache.
Shoot, they will know in advance that I like Sun Chips and a cold coke with minimal ice and won’t even have to ask me.
And since there are no more overhead bins, perhaps they will figure out how to get stuff to me without a cart in an aisle or an overworked flight attendant who has to act like – well, a steward or stewardess (since that whole “serve the customer” thing has now become a “herd the customer” thing.)
They will figure out how to let the guy in front of me sleep in a reclined position without cutting into my space – or jamming my knees when he suddenly flops the seat back. (This, of course, will keep me from tapping on the seat incessantly in order to annoy the reclined clod whose seat back is in my face.)
And why haven’t they done this already? Ah, come on, you know this answer. It is because those who determine how I will fly do not fly like I fly. They are out of touch.
In order to keep that revolutionary business model fresh, customer-centric and comfortable – they are going to need to fly their own flights just like an average Joe whose is trying to keep his, or his employer’s costs down. They won’t forget the customer focus groups. But they will also be a customer focus group of one. And when all their employees are customer focus groups of one, they will group them up and talk about what is happening to the customer experience.
And they will reward those customers who care enough to complain by listening to them, making changes and perhaps giving them an incentive to come back and see if you fixed it.
So there you have it. My positive thoughts about the future of air travel. Don’t hold your breath though, because those multi-million dollar CEOs are only worried about cutting costs and raising fares – they are going back to their old playbooks! There isn’t a creative thinker among the lot.
Those moribund CEOs and their equally short-sighted staffs continue to misunderstand that it isn’t just the discounters who are killing them. They are going back to their old playbooks and they are killing them.
Shoot, I told you three airlines I won’t ever fly again if I have a choice. It had nothing to do with fares. And low fares aren’t getting me back. It had everything to do with experience. Fix the experience. And fix it from inside that painted aluminum tube.
They will figure out how to let the guy in front of me sleep in a reclined position without cutting into my space – or jamming my knees when he suddenly flops the seat back. (This, of course, will keep me from tapping on the seat incessantly in order to annoy the reclined clod whose seat back is in my face.)
And why haven’t they done this already? Ah, come on, you know this answer. It is because those who determine how I will fly do not fly like I fly. They are out of touch.
In order to keep that revolutionary business model fresh, customer-centric and comfortable – they are going to need to fly their own flights just like an average Joe whose is trying to keep his, or his employer’s costs down. They won’t forget the customer focus groups. But they will also be a customer focus group of one. And when all their employees are customer focus groups of one, they will group them up and talk about what is happening to the customer experience.
And they will reward those customers who care enough to complain by listening to them, making changes and perhaps giving them an incentive to come back and see if you fixed it.
So there you have it. My positive thoughts about the future of air travel. Don’t hold your breath though, because those multi-million dollar CEOs are only worried about cutting costs and raising fares – they are going back to their old playbooks! There isn’t a creative thinker among the lot.
Those moribund CEOs and their equally short-sighted staffs continue to misunderstand that it isn’t just the discounters who are killing them. They are going back to their old playbooks and they are killing them.
Shoot, I told you three airlines I won’t ever fly again if I have a choice. It had nothing to do with fares. And low fares aren’t getting me back. It had everything to do with experience. Fix the experience. And fix it from inside that painted aluminum tube.
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