Back in mid-March, kind of as a joke I posted that if U.S. airlines were going to get government cash, they ought to give us more leg room and hip room.
It isn’t a joke any more, even now that the CEO of Boeing, who builds their planes, says one of the majors will likely crash and burn before the pandemic ends.
What we are seeing now is that some airlines — after making passengers stand six feet apart in line, then seat passengers three abreast. Are you freaking kidding me? Even with masks, passengers are entitled to six feet of virus-free space.
I live in Pennsylvania, so I am calling out #BobCasey and #PatToomey, but you can do the same in your state.
The airlines are getting billions to keep them out of the financial gutter. It’s time they stop kicking passengers to the curb. You would think that when times are bad, they would treat their few customers good. You would be wrong.
Most airlines are carrying about 10% of capacity. If they treat us right, they might get it up to 35%. That’s a big “if.” They need us more than we need them.
Hey #Congress — listen up. Tell the FAA what passengers want, actually demand.
While Americans are sadly getting bigger, airline seats are getting smaller. Stop that.
Seats. Get them back to a comfortable size — leg room and hip room.
Baggage. No charge for the first two bags checked through. (Southwest doesn’t charge for baggage.)
Carry Ons. No charge for anything you can carry on.
Middle seat. Not to be sold, period. No additional charge to passengers on either side.
Cheaper fares. Business 101. To attract more customers, lower prices.
Emotional support animals. A puppy or kitty, OK. No more miniature horses, peacocks, pigs, or turkeys. We’ve had it with the damn petting zoos.
Meal fees. Remember when meals used to be free? We do.
Change fees. When the customer has to change flights, no charge. Why should there be a charge for simple changes passengers can make themselves?
Load from the rear to the front. That way aisles aren’t jammed. It’s simple.
Larger restrooms. Get them back to as big as they once were. They are impossibly small now.
Seat selection charges. Stop it!
Online bookings fees. Stop it! You save money when passengers do it themselves.
Movies, wifi. It should be covered by the fare.
Food. You know, it’s not that bad.
Work with us and we’ll work with you.
Keep screwing us and we will laugh as you go bankrupt and start selling your jetliners to Bangladesh.
Agree, if they want to stay in business then make sure you reasonably satisfy the customer.
HAPPY THURSDAY !!!
Sorry Stu,
You missed the boat ( your flight ) on this one. Until aoc gets her way ( climate change = no planes ),you are at the mercy of “big business”. Just how much profit does an airline need to make, before they are satisfied ? DUH ! LOTS MORE ! THE SKY’S THE LIMIT ! ( couldn’t resist that one ).
We need them, period. Or in the street vernacular, “they got us by the short hairs” !
NO PETS, NO EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS ! If you can’t lean on a human for a few hours, drive !
Congress should be looking after the public, but as we all know, they ar part of the problem. DRAIN THE SWAMP !
Tony
The Green Plan will NOT ground airlines. I wrote about this months ago. Call up the plan and read it for yourself. Lots of socialistic ideas, but NONE about grounding airplanes.
I was being factitious, Stu. You can’t be serious when you mention aoc ( small letters-small person).
Tony, an awful lot of people believe what you said. That’s what motivated me to go to the document. It is misrepresented by many on the Right. Some of it is crazy, but not THAT crazy. Not a word about fossil fuels, either. Here is my report https://stubykofsky.com/green-new-deal-seems-a-bit-red/
you are arguing about some one that should have stayed as a bartender. anybody that takes her seriously should have their voter registration card ripped up.
what about you admitting that you missed your flight
You are 100% right Stu…and just last night on NBC, story of a doc who got COVID on a crowded flight back tot he U.S….and he took EVERY precaution (N95 mask, gloves, wiped down all of the surfaces) but was jammed into a ton of passengers, some of whom also have COVID! #NOBAILOUT until there is a post-COVID Passengers Bill of Rights, all of which you mentioned….
Thanks. I saw the report about the doctor. I can’t how airlines can get away with jamming people in.
Oddly enough, competition in the airline industry has had the opposite effect of competition in virtually every other industry: telecommunications benefited greatly by the breakup of AT&T’s monopoly; the auto industry competes vigorously; the price of TV sets, computers, and all the ancillary equipment related to same fell to incredible lows, thanks to competition. But the airlines? It seems one is greedier than the next. (I exclude Southwest in many areas because that airline seems to care a bit more than others about passengers.) I can hear the CEOs in my head as they ask their planners: “How many more seats can we cram in if we push all the seats closer together? Can we make standing-room only flights?
How about eliminating bathrooms? Can’t do that? How about charging a fee to take a leak? How about an exit fee…can’t leave the plane without paying?” And so on. Frankly, the Greyhound Bus company treats you better.