When I read the article on the attitude of Ben Baldanza, CEO of Spirit Airlines, in the New York Times business section this weekend entitled Don't Come Crying To This Airline I was blown away. How brazen. The word the article used was outrageous.
Though I've long thought that the airlines should charge more for the things that passengers use on board, even though this is perceived as an unpopular thing to do given airline balnce sheets, I've maintained that if service is good people would be willing to pay. Although when I found myself bent over my luggage on the floor of Gatwick airport in a mad dash to re-jigger my luggage to avoid excess baggage fees on a Ryanair flight, I was cursing the idea. And that brings me to the heart of the matter. Providing that people know about and anticipate the fees I think they'd be willing to pay them. Given that fees add much needed cash to an airline balance sheet given how low fares are going this summer we can expect more, not less, of this kind of pricing. What's still missing on to many flights is the "good service" part. Lets hope that this time of deals brings an incentive to restore good service as a way of luring passengers. Now that's the spirit I'm talking about!
Comments
Mar 31, 2009
I agree; service is all but extinct. While you “get what you pay for” its how you get it that makes the difference.
I hate to side with Spirit, but they are fairly straight forward about it… I would hope that people read this and realize that you get what you pay for.
If I could just add, travel is an extremely dynamic undertaking. You run the risks of weather, mechanical, and air traffic delays, just to name three. When you travel you should be prepared for changes and delays and you should plan mitigation strategies for them.
I sincerely hope that this type of airline doesn’t become the industry standard. My guess is this. When all of the airlines become like Spirit, the one that charges a few bucks more and offers service is the one that will put the “Spirit” types out of business.
Apr 02, 2009
I hear you Rick! I hope people realize that too. I think what we're likely to see is a division of airlines where there are still low cost, or shall we say, "No Frills" airlines for dirt cheap fares and then there will be a "Service Plus" group of airlines that cater to a more upscale leisure and business traveler offering services and amenities for a higher ticket price. This is what low-fare carriers were trying to do in the first place. But what's partially wrong with the system now is that the major airlines started trying to compete for that business. Now the lines are so blurred that airlines don't know which group they belong to. Frankly, I don't think anyone is particularly happy with this current strategy.