Airlines: We Lost Our Passengers

Airlines suffered record drop in traffic in 2009: IATA

Jan 27 05:19 AM US/Eastern


International airlines suffered their biggest decline in traffic since 1945 last year as passenger demand fell 3.5 percent, the International Air Transport Association said Wednesday.


Freight also fell, by 10.1 percent, as "full-year 2009 demand statistics for international scheduled air traffic that showed the industry ending 2009 with the largest ever post-war decline," IATA said in a statement.

"In terms of demand, 2009 goes into the history books as the worst year the industry has ever seen," said Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the world's biggest airlines' association.


"We have permanently lost 2.5 years of growth in passenger markets and 3.5 years of growth in the freight business," he added.

 
 
Wait, I thought that 2001 was the worst year, all those losses, needing bailouts.
 
But no, a year in which no US aircraft were destroyed by terrorism, and they had their worst year.
 
Hmm.
 
A few suggestions then, and of course, just my opinion, but heed the warning or find yourself losing more passengers every day until 1-2 airlines go belly up, and the others begin cutting routes.
 
We are tired of waiting in lines to wait in a line to get on an aircraft that sits, in a seat that is uncomfortable, with flight attendants that sell us drinks and food.
 
I don't recall the exact specifics, but if a large aircraft, 777, filled its First Class with paying customers, the rest of the plane could sit empty, and the airline paid for the fuel and all costs associated with the flight, to their destination.  That is less than 16 people in First Class and the flight is paid for.  There are 16 seats, one of those seats is used by the crew.  15 paid seats and the flights is paid for.
 
So - how about you remove 16 seats from the aircraft. That is two rows.  One from the very back, allowing the final section of the plane to have a few more inches each, and one from the mid-section of the plane, providing more room to those overcrowded passengers.  Spread the seats out, give more room, leg space, elbow room ... in general, more space.   Provide everyone with the same movie options as they have in First Class, albeit you could charge for the additional films not regularly provided.
 
Provide a meal without cost, refill the drinks, and offer the peanuts or crackers without charging.
 
Do these things and you will make EVERYONE on the plane happier, you will secure a clientele that will not abandon you for another airline.
 
Expedite.  Expedite.  Expedite.
 
No waiting around.  You do not need to wait.  Stay on schedule.  If you are more than 5 minutes late taking off, you should refund 10% of the ticket cost, back to the passengers.  Yes, there are ways to accomodate this: planes will not land and take off every 15 minutes.  A plane may be scheduled to land at 10 am, but it is late.  That is fine because the next flight doesn't leave until 11:30 am.  Plenty of time to get the plane in, emptied, cleaned, and restocked.  That means you do not have 20 flights a day from the gate, only 15.  Those 15 will all be filled and you will be able to add additional flights that will also be filled.  There will always be a gate available.  Not all airlines run 24 hours a day.  Move the next flight to another gate.
 
More cost you say?  Not really.  What will happen is your profits will drop a bit, BUT you will fill every aircraft, even the additional planes added.  You will secure a clientele that will NOT abandon you, and in fact, your numbers will grow.
 
Expedite the process - your inane questions are just that, inane.  If a terrorist gave me a bag to carry, do you think a) I would tell you, or b) I am stupid enough to carry it.  If I am, I sure won't tell you.  If I have a bag, it is my bag, and whoever packed it, clearly must have my confidence.  Your questions are not going to suddenly alert me to a hitherto unstated suspicion - oh my god, my wife packed it, I always wondered if she worked for al qaida and wanted to get rid of me.  I never thought the hijab was anything important, nor was her interest in learning Arabic, but your question made me realize how .... bloody inane your questions really are.  Or what about while you were in the airport - could someone have gotten to your bag.  Sure, I left it alone for a few hours, I wanted to see what would happen, and yeah it is a little heavier, but I never thought anything of it.   I am just not sure the point of those moronic questions, except to waste time.

That is something we are tired of.  Provide the male or female who usually stands at the end of the line with a hand held machine that can do something - perhaps provide details on flights or times or gates.  This will assist some passengers who get to the counter and proceed to waste time by asking idiotic questions.  You want gate 21b ... up the escalator and watch for the signs.  About 4 gates in.  21b, 4 gates after the security checkpoint.   This may, MAY save some time.  Idiotic questions will still be asked by morons who should not be flying.  They ask questions even though they know the answers, fearful that the airline changed the rules to trick them.

  Boarding:  Allow First Class and Business Class on first.  Then STOP for 5 minutes.  At the end of the 5 minutes, allow old people, handicapped, families with small children to board, and then stop for 5 minutes.  Why?  Because these people clog up the arteries when passengers are attempting to board the aircraft and then we get in long lines and just stand waiting.  Add the 5 minute wait period between boarding, stop and actually end boarding for that time.  It helps clear the arteries and will expedite boarding for all those able bodied people without issues.  Then ask if anyone who has any physical or mental condition that requires tremendous effort to put their bags up in the racks, to board.  Send someone on with them to throw their bags into the rack.  Then board the rest expeditiously - starting with the BACK of the aircraft first.

On Board:  When the plane is in flight, the flight attendants do not need to disappear.  Be available.  We just paid hundeds of dollars to sit on YOUR aircraft, serve us.  Sure, don't wash our feet, that is a little overboard, but we deserve some degree of consideration.  You give them goat and feta cheese and champagne/juice if they choose, in First Class, the least you can offer the Coach passengers is a soda or juice, crackers maybe, and go ahead, we don't need glass drinking cups, we can use plastic.
 
Security:  On all flights, get a sky marshall on board.  If the government doesn't provide one, get your own, charge us all $2 more per flight, but get one on every flight.  At the gate, have a final security check point, as they do at Heathrow.  A dog, that can smell explosives, sits at the side while everyone is checked a final time.  Is this slowing the process?  Not really, remember, the plane isn't on the ground, we have time.
 
 
Provide me with the security I need to fly across 3000 miles of ocean and not be blown up, treat me well, provide me with reaosnable services and ample room, and I will fly, even more than I do now.
 
Otherwise, I will cut back, and continue cutting back - why bother, I can be harassed on the freeway, I don't need an airport.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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