American Airlines did it. Then United Airlines did it, followed almost immediately by US Airways.
Am I talking about the controversial $15 fee for the first checked bag. No. I’m talking about putting customer service last.
American even admitted as much in a recent announcement, saying customer service was its lowest priority that would be taken care of later. The others don’t need to say a thing. Their actions speak louder than words.
As customer satisfaction with the airline industry is at an all-time low, United and US Airways have followed in lockstep. United, the same airline that has managed to lose more money than all other major U.S. airlines combined; the same airline that has three out of ten flights arrive late; the same airline that has been declared the worst airline ever; has decided to throw what remains of their abysmal customer service into the toilet bowl.
US Airways — despite the rantings of its chief executive — is headed down the same flight path. It’s taken customer service to a new low by charging for soft drinks, including bottled water. Remember, we still can’t bring bottled water through a TSA security checkpoint.
These actions will have immediate repercussions for summer travelers. They include:
• Slowing down check-in at kiosks.
• Slowing down check-in at curbside.
• Slowing down check-in at counters.
• Slowing down boarding at the gates.
• Slowing down TSA security inspections.
• Creating battles between passengers for overhead space.
• Creating ill will between passengers and flight attendants.
The Transportation Department needs to take a stand now. It needs to put a series of emergency regulations into place to force airlines to reveal the full cost of a flight in their online listings and all advertisements. These costs must include all of the newly added luggage fees and fuel charges that are being used to deceive the buying public, by the airlines’ own admission.
American surprisingly states their intent to deceive customers with this fee hidden from consumers reserving flights. The airline’s talking points noted, “If AA were to raise fares by $15, it would be moved to the bottom of the search results in today’s era of online shopping and significant market share would be at risk if other airlines didn’t match the fare increase, which often can be the case.”
Fellow bloggers are suggesting ways to get around these new charges or to limit other airline fees that will offset the new baggage charge.
Others are exploring how this changes the relationship of the airline to your luggage. Once luggage was part of the contract of carriage. Now, with luggage charged separately, we will probably need a separate contract to deal with luggage after the first series of lawsuits over lost luggage. FAA rules apply to the contract of carriage. The Interstate Commerce Commission deals with air freight, I believe. This is far more than only a new fee. The legal ramifications will be developing as we move forward, or backwards depending on your point of view.
Meanwhile, United Airlines, with a straight face, announced that it is simply giving customers what they desire most. I realize that many of us are appalled at this $15 first-checked-luggage charge. However, United must have strong (and secret) customer service surveys that tell them this is what their customers are demanding.
How stupid do they think we are?
Finally, United Airlines, like American has no system in place to take care of these charges prior to customers arriving at the airport. Meaning the problems with check-in at the airport kiosks, curbside and at the counters will create airport hell. United and US Airways, like American, are putting customer service last. They claim that they will sort it all out later. But they won’t.
These airlines could not have figured out a more customer-unfriendly way to raise money. I still think this kind of fee will have to be abandoned in the face of operational reality. Unfortunately, we’ll have to suffer while the airlines, according to United’s chief operating officer, are “tailoring our products and services around what our customers value most.”
At this rate, American, United and US Airways can keep reducing their capacity as planned. Fewer are going to fly with them if they have another choice.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
If airlines are coming up with these baggage fees as a way to raise money due to higher fuel costs, then I have a solution that will make people much less unhappy: Raise the airfares. It’s a pretty simple business premise that you need to at least break even in order to survive. Rather than tack on all of these ridiculous charges, figure out what the flight will cost to operate and divide it by the number of available seats. Add on 5% or so to make a profit and start selling tickets. Given that people who are taking any sort of liquids with them are forced by TSA to check the luggage, the least the airlines could do is to include the baggage handling costs in the price of the ticket.
Until travelers have real alternatives to airlines (other than staying home), airline executives know they have unlimited license to abuse their customers by racing to the top with fees and racing to the bottom with deteriorating “service.” They know that no matter how horrible they make air travel, passengers will soon be back standing barefoot in TSA queues awaiting yet another round of cramped seating, lost luggage, delays, surly service, and new fees for everything. So executives gleefully squeeze, slash, and burn their employees as well as their customers, since their duty is to their shareholders and certainly not to their customers. And besides, their entitlements to continually-increasing bonuses and bankruptcy-proof pensions are guaranteed no matter what happens.
Obviously, if air travel becomes bad enough business travelers will turn to video teleconferencing and leisure travelers will decide that there are plenty of great vacation spots close to home. But like all executives, the fine folks who run airlines care only about this quarter’s numbers; the inevitable decline in business from former passengers who have been pushed beyond the breaking point is a problem for a future quarter– and dealt with easily enough by further cutbacks. In the meantime they’re desperate, so they focus on their real priorities (themselves and Wall Street) while throwing everything else out the window. As usual, the customers are at the bottom of the list.
What can we do about it? In the short term, we don’t have to wait for air travel to get worse before we replace business travel with electronic conferencing (when that’s possible), or spend our vacations exploring the great places we’ve overlooked in our home towns. I’m sure we all have better things to do with the money (and stress) we save by forgoing air travel.
In the long term, we can complain to our elected representatives about the lack of good alternatives to air travel and automobiles. They have long delivered the transportation policy airline lobbyists bought with their campaign donations. But if enough of us complain they’ll have to listen to us as well.
FLY SOUTHWEST!!!
No baggage charges, decent people and they still actually give you a soda in the cabin.
One of the worst pieces I’ve ever seen on Tripso. Hey, Mr. Leocha, try doing some research – you might learn that the Interstate Commerce Commission was dissolved in 1995, and never had jurisdiction over air freight. Further, the fact that an airline charges for something doesn’t take it out of the contract of carriage – ever hear of fees for overweight bags, which have always been around, or for unusual items, like surfboards? Have you ever seen seen an airline contract of carriage, Mr. Leocha? I doubt it, given the nonsense that you’re spewing – you’re just babbling. And when the airline industry has serious problems, I’d like to hear from someone who’s informed.
Love your website! I am a rare coin professional who travels a few times a year to conventions. I am seriously considering stopping my air travels altogether because it has become such a hassle. Hassles are inevitable in anything, yes, but this just seems to be getting worse. I do fly Southwest when I can. I have always had good experiences with this airline, and In fact, they got me home in rough weather, more than once, which really means a lot. I had my fill of United Airlines years ago. On a fight to Oregon, a family of three came onboard…mom, dad, and 3-yr-old child…and they did not sit the family together! They had to look for other passengers to switch seats. It happened fast, cause the plane was pretty full, but what sense did that make?