95% of Airline Companies Suck

[Clarkey]

I booked a flight to London England with Air Transat. They re-scheduled the flight for 5 hours later which just flat out does not work for me, it fubars up the rest of my trip.

I understand that delays and reschedules happen but they won't give me my money back. I paid for one thing, if I don't get it I want my money back. Supposedly there is some bullshart clause that says if I book 45 days before the flight they can re-schedule without reimbursal.

[Claeren]

In other news, 95% of airline customers complain a lot but then go and book solely based on the lowest price.




Claeren.

[HOOT]

This is why you should read the small print when paying for anything. I have worked in a few different industries all involving contracts and it use to blow my mind that would just sign away without even knowing what they were really signing.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by Claeren

In other news, 95% of airline customers complain a lot but then go and book solely based on the lowest price.




Claeren.

so thats a reasonable explanation for a very unreasonable policy? Thanks for being helpful, blue square worthy post.

I agree it's buyer beware but it's still pretty unreasonable.

[Claeren]

Originally Posted by Dan02

so thats a reasonable explanation for a very unreasonable policy? Thanks for being helpful, blue square worthy post.

I am betting there were at least 10 other airline options available. (To London there may have been a lot more than 10 options in fact.)

And of those I bet a number had more stable schedules and more flexible fare changing/cancellation policies.

But they were all more expensive.


I am pretty sure the cost of the flight has a relationship with the level of flexibility and service you get with it.


IF I go and buy a $4000 POS car and then complain when it doesn't keep up with a brand new $80,000 Corvette is that the cars fault or my own? When I complain about it here do people say 'ohhh you poor thing, who made that POS $4000 car?! Lets boycott them, those horrible people!" or do they say "you get what you pay for"?

It is not like the policies are not written down, people just don't bother to read them. Instead it is, "Oh look at this fare, I save $21!! woohoo! I am booking it!"





Claeren.

[jammies]

Originally Posted by Claeren

In other news, 95% of airline customers complain a lot but then go and book solely based on the lowest price..

In other other news, 100% of airlines have arbitrary rules regarding refunding and/or changing tickets that have no justification other than making profit on not delivering a service.

[4X4]

Yes, it sucks. The same thing happened to me with Zoom. They delayed the flight 24 hours and because of that I missed my flight from London to Rome. They called me 6 hours before the flight to tell me this and when I asked if they were going to reimburse me for the connecting flight that I'd be missing they said no. Too bad, so sad. You get what you pay for.

[Ice]

I'll tell you what I hate...overbooking. Oh sure, you can buy a ticket, you can get to the airport in plenty of time to get through security lines and check your bags and then when its time to get a boarding pass..."I'm sorry, we've overbooked, there's no seat for you. I can schedule you for a flight leaving tomorrow or put you on stand by for the rest of the sold out flights today."

[Claeren]

I was never trying to be mean or anything, and I am not trying to defend the industry.

I am sure it sucks for this guy to be in that situation.


My only point is that one behavior (customers chasing the lowest price before all else) has driven profit chasing airlines to offer the lowest price before all else. It is not some accident, they are not trying to screw you. They are offering what you demanded (the lowest price) and trying to do so at some profit (by screwing you out of things you didn't demand up front).

As the CEO of (the massive sized airline) RyanAir said on the BBC, air-customers complain and complain like nothing else but the next time they go to book a seat they always take the lowest fare.

So as CEO he has to offer the lowest fare even if people sometimes get screwed because the vast majority will re-purchase a cheap seat before they will purchase a more expensive seat with less risk of problems.

Airlines did not create the market, they merely reflect it back at you.

There is a reason that Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) have destroyed the Legacy Carriers, again, it is not some accident.

If you think there is actually a market for a full-service ultra-flexible trans-atlantic airline out there you should start one. I will warn you though that 97% (or something like that) of airlines fail.... like Zoom Air!



Claeren.

[Bagor]

If this flight is in the or the next few weeks then this is pretty common practice from lower cost airlines from my experiences.

Seems to happen a lot in September and March (for the fall and spring flying seasons). Something to do with daylight saving time changes I'm guessing but have no idea.

If you can, sit on it for a few days. You might get a e-mail from the other airlines saying their slots have changed also (I'm just speculating here).

[Claeren]

An article on American airlines popped up today funny enough:
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080920/airli...r_service.html

Airline executives are unapologetic about the need to raise more revenue through fee and fare increases to cover their hefty fuel bills. They also say that certain offerings that were free to everyone before are still free for premium passengers like elite frequent-fliers and those people who travel in first class or business class.

And it is worth mentioning virtually every American carrier (other than SouthWest) is losing money.



Claeren.

[Bagor]

A BBC hardtalk interview with Michael OLeary of Ryanair where he defends expanding the company as others are going under.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programme...lk/7558118.stm

[The Ditch]

Ha, Ryan Air is a terrible airline, what a joke it was, even though our flights were something ridiculous like $1 than we had to pay fuel costs. We thought the plane was going to fall apart.

Doesn't matter how much you pay, I got bumped from first class from Maui to LA, next flight three days later, no compensation. Airlines have free license to do whatever they want.

[Claeren]

Originally Posted by The Ditch

Ha, Ryan Air is a terrible airline, what a joke it was, even though our flights were something ridiculous like $1 than we had to pay fuel costs. We thought the plane was going to fall apart.

Doesn't matter how much you pay, I got bumped from first class from Maui to LA, next flight three days later, no compensation. Airlines have free license to do whatever they want.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryanair

RyanAir, despite being named worlds least favorite airline and 'having a reputation for being outright nasty' in terms of customer service has seen explosive growth, now close to 50 MILLION passenger trips per year.



Why? Because people say they care about more than price, but then shop based almost only on price.

Only when fares are equal do passengers start considering other aspects of the flight. Often, even $1-$10 can be the difference between one airline and another regardless of other aspects.




Claeren.

[Temporary_User]

I always purchase travel insurance along with my flights. If something happens such as delayed flight, lost baggage etc. I get reimbursed. I've never had to use it, but it's nice for peace of mind.

[Nuje]

Yyyyyep. Travel insurance is very cheap, and very worth it. While I never had to take advantage of it either, a simple phone call to whoever insures your car, or house (whichever is cheaper if you do it separately) will have them do it, then swing by whenever it's convenient.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by The Ditch

Ha, Ryan Air is a terrible airline, what a joke it was, even though our flights were something ridiculous like $1 than we had to pay fuel costs. We thought the plane was going to fall apart.

Don't they pride themselves on being one of the airlines with no fuel surcharges? I'm guessing you're talking about airport taxes which all airlines add on.

As for the plane I'd imagine CAA standards are pretty enforced in Europe. Anyways what were your expectations for a $1 flight?

Originally Posted by Claeren

Why? Because people say they care about more than price, but then shop based almost only on price.

Quoted for truth. I could care less if I get a free ham sandwich or drink when the price difference is in the 100s.

You get what you pay for. A no frills trip from A-B.

[The Ditch]

I didn't expect much, we knew it was a terrible airline but we needed to get to Karlsruhe on short notice and that was the only airline that was heading there at the time.

[Clarkey]

I booked this flight based on the schedule first and the price second, I think there were other cheaper flights.

I didn't read the small print. I'll admit naivete on my part, I assumed that in purchasing a ticket from point a to point b at a specific time, I would be guaranteed to get that or get my money back. If I go to Walmart and buy a vacuum but then open the box to find a toaster I am going to return it for my money back, obviously the airline industry doesn't work that way.

What are the good airliners? I've had good luck with WestJet domestically and Cathay overseas.

[NuclearFart]

I'm a big fan of Westjet myself, and absolutely loathe Air Canada. If the price difference is less than 30$, I'll always go with WestJet.

Westjet is always friendly and actually willing to help if there is ever an issue. AirCanada? I'd say 90% of my customer experience with them has been downright terrible, bordering on rude, and it feels like they really take my business for granted. I also suspect they are cancelling/rescheduling flights at the last minute if they don't have enough passengers/cargo to make it worthwhile for them. I've never had that happen with Westjet, ever.