Quote:
Originally Posted by AADFW
This is the very essence of the problem: people who accept and defend the indefensible business practices of the U.S. airline industry as an "acceptable" status quo for the travelling American public.
The fundamental problem is that we badly need a common-sense, comprehensive airline passenger bill of rights that would create de facto re-regulation of the industry. I'm not talking about price controls that would prove prohibitive for most people -- but rules that would cost all the airlines proportionately the same uniform compliance costs and raise fares accordingly to a level that would eliminate the "lowest common denominator" passengers described in Silent Bob's post.
Yes, some of the complaints on this board are unreasonable. Yes, some of the OPs are neurotic and/or flying novices. This does not excuse the outrages that Americans are forced to routinely endure in a free-for-all airline industry unregulated beyond FAA rules. We are entitled to basic fairness and consumer protection, and we should demand it from our legislators in Washington.
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Exactly what rules would you impose? It has been suggested that we model ours after the EU and standardize rules for compensation due to non-weather delays and cancellations and additionally limit the time the airline can hold people "captive" on a plane during delays. What else would you propose?
The problem with a "Passenger Bill of Rights" is that even now passengers have a sense of entitlement simply because they hold a ticket. Rules work both ways but even now some feel that the rules should somehow apply to everyone else but somehow their situation is so unique that the rules shouldn't apply to them.
When one buys a car one usually knows or should know just what the terms of the warranty are. What does/doesn't it cover and under what circumstances. If there's a warning label on the tank that says "Unleaded Gas Only" and you fill up with diesel then don't expect your warranty to cover any of the damage caused as a result.
The same is true with airline tickets. If one chooses not to read the rules and restrictions of that ticket and the airlines' contract of carriage they can't later clam they are not subject to the rules and restrictions because they were unaware of them. They entered into the contract by purchasing the ticket and in order to purchase that ticket they needed to click the "I Agree..." check box if it was purchased online. If one can't understand what "non-transferable, non-refundable, no value after departure if not canceled, cancellation or changes will be charged a fee" or that one needs to check in at least 45 minutes prior to departure and be at the departure gate at least 15 minutes prior then they should not be buying these tickets online! They should pay the extra fee and book trough the call center so they can be advised of these restrictions and rules.
In may ways the state of airline "customer service" which is a broad all-encompassing perspective is the fault of the American consumer.
We demanded low fares. What
we weren't aware of is that the demand for low fares comes at a cost to the airlines. A cost which is ultimately passed on to the consumer in the form of reduced service levels.
It would be great if we could walk up to a fully staffed ticket counter and after a short wait be told our 100 pound bag won't be a problem...they'll just overlook it this time because you're traveling to an important convention and have a ton of stuff. It would be terrific if there were six flights a day to our destination instead of just two so if we happened to miss the flight or it was canceled due to weather we would still get to our destination that day instead of two days from now. It would be nice if we had 35"-36" of legroom in coach instead of the typical 31"-32". It would be wonderful if there were eight flight attendants on a 737 who immediately fulfilled our every wish and whim. This isn't the '50's anymore. The "Texaco Boys" don't come running out when we pull in to get gas. The same is true for the airlines.
A "Bill of Rights" has to work both ways. Passengers who have grievances claiming it is within their rights to demand certain things better know all the wording and so should the airline agents. The problem is, as you mentioned, fares are likely to increase as a result. In this fragile economy I'm not so sure this is a good idea. Airlines are already hurting and if they raise fares to a point where the bargain hunters will no longer buy it will just create lower passenger loads leading to more schedule reductions and furloughed employees. It's a vicious cycle indeed.