Sunday, February 28, 2010

Air Travel Expectations

There's lot of buzz in the industry about customer satisfaction these days. The extreme cases are things like Kevin Smith being pulled off a Southwest flight for being too fat. I've never seen Mr. Kevin Smith in person, so I can't really say one way or another. I'm not a fan of his movies, but I don't think I'd have kicked him off the plane. I just don't see his movies.

However, I began to take more note of people around airports when they are unhappy. Every time I go to work, I ride on a plane. All day when I am at work, I am around airplanes and those that are riding on them. Every time I go home, I ride on an airplane. Things go pretty well most of the time. But, the design of the air transport system itself is not very robust. There are an incredible amount of variables, and most of them are interdependent. What does this mean? It means that if one part of the system falls apart, then a lot of other things are affected. Think Jenga, near the end of the game. This is especially true with all the harsh winter weather systems the US has been experiencing the last few months.

Most people tend to take these things in stride. They understand that shit happens and getting to your destination safely is more important that getting there on time. If you rush things with "on time" being more important than safety you might end up in a fireball on the ground. You'll be on time, but you'll be on fire. Or dead. Or both. Well, I guess there's no reason to worry about that meeting you were going to. Or anything else for that matter. Hell, you're dead! You won't even have to help clean this mess up!

What I've had a hard time understanding is those few people that, when in this situation of delays and cancellations, really blow a gasket. Now, I'm not saying that you are totally out of line for such a gasket blowing, I am just wondering where you meet a guy with a name like "gasket." Aaaaaanyways...

There are indeed some people that just fly off the handle when something goes less than perfect with their air travel plans. It's just not practical to have these expectations and then build the rest of your personal schedule around that. However, I think this flaw in passenger perceptions is one created and fueled by the advertisement industry. Every time you get on a flight you're told about "on time this" and "on time that..." Over and over. Every commercial you see on TV is never one that shows a long line at security. It never shows a newly GED'd TSA person rifling through your underwear because they felt like it. It never shows a delay. Never shows an aircraft swap. Everything is all wonderful and great in the advertising world. Who in the hell are these people that make this shit up and what are they on???

It would be a far better idea to be honest in advertising. Think about it! "Hey, welcome to PilotStig Airways. In the last 5 years, we've run about 10mins late on most of our flights. However, we haven't crashed a single damn plane! Thanks for joining us!" Let's compare that to XYZ Airline... "Ladies and Gentleman, welcome aboard XYZ Flight 1234 with service to New York LaGuardia. It's our pleasure having you on board and we hope you enjoy your flight. We are expecting an on time departure. Please think of us again when booking your next air travel experience. Here at XYZ, the most on time airline, we value your safety and comfort. Thank you for choosing to fly with us. Last year, we only crashed 2 aircraft. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight to LaGuardia."

Which company would you chose based on those two cabin announcements?

The fact is, flights get delayed and/or canceled for a lot of reasons. Weather is a common one. Mechanical problems are another. But think about it... you're buying a ticket on an airplane. You are trying to get from A to B. That's it. Transportation. That is the product that you are purchasing. Maybe it works as expected and maybe there are some let downs. Not too different then many other products you buy. Let's say, you don't like the product the airlines have to offer and you want another one. The automobile has been a phenomenal invention. It's staggering to think how much of an impact the automobile has had on the human race. How many people out there drive to work? Or drive to the store? Raise your hands. I thought so.

Driving has its issues as well. Lets say you're trying to get from Dallas to New York City. That drive will take a loooooong damn time. If you had bought an airline ticket, you will get there in one day, and spend a day there, then come home then next. 3 days. If you drive, you will be looking at at 2 days each way... 4 days in transit to spend the same 1 day in NYC. That's 5 days total for this trip, versus 3.

Airline travel is very cheap for long distances. Don't buy that? Lets just run through an example. DFW to JFK. Google Maps shows that drive taking 25 hours, covering 1,588 miles. Let's assume you drive a car that gets 24MPG. Why did I chose that number? Because I always value the word of 1980s football players when choosing what car to purchase for my family, that's why! Howie Long keeps running his pie-hole about how great the Chevy Traverse is, while cashing a very large check from GM for doing so. So, for travel time, we're now looking at 4 days of driving with 2 nights hotel stay in, say Knoxville, TN. (roughly 1/2 way) Lets look at some costs:

Gas:
1,588 miles / 24MPG = 66.16 gal @ $2.66/gal = $176.03(one way)

Hotel:
2 nights @ $100/night = $200.00

Food:
Oooooh, lets go on Rachel Ray's $40 a day for 4 days travel = $160

Oil:
You're driving 3176 miles round trip, time for an oil change! $38

What are we looking at here? $750.06 Not to mention 25 hours of your life that you will spend in a car, and never get back.

Let's say we need to do this trip next week. Prices for some airlines with taxes included are:
American: $372
Delta: $388
US Air: $389
Continental: $394

I think people default to the "I'll just drive" argument because they feel that is an option that will put them more in control. They are behind the wheel. They can go when they want, stop when they want, so on and so forth... And that's a fair point. Doesn't get you there any faster, but that sense of being in control of your own destiny does have some value to it. When you are one little part of the airline travel experience, you are one of several million passengers traveling. Not everyone can be treated like royalty.

Let's consider a different angle. When was the last time you took a long road trip? Did you hit any traffic? Did that slow you down? Did you ever miss an exit? Did you ever get lost? Have you ever had a flat tire? Did that delay your arrival time? Did you ever pull over to a gas stop and look around for something to eat, but never find anything all that good. If you did find something good to eat, did you ever stand in line for a long time trying to pay for it? Ever had shitty coffee at a gas station? One this is for sure. The bathrooms are a LOT bigger than in airplanes.

My point is, all modes of travel for long distances have their short falls. They all have their costs as well. Airlines are a steal when you are flying a distance such as the scenario we ran through here. Even with checked bag fees. You are paying very little for the service of air transportation, so keep your expectations low and take lots of deep breaths. Getting there at all is indeed more important that making damn sure the flight isn't running a single minute late.

Keep in mind also that your ticket price is paying for the multi million dollar CEO salaries. Not to mention all those bonuses, too. Also keep in mind that whats left of your ticket price after the CEOs take their cut is what pays for the aircraft, Jet A, maintenance personnel and the flight attendant and pilot salaries.

And people act shocked that a regional first officer makes less than $20,000 their first year? Please...

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