tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133703253863123050.post7097935850702493464..comments2024-02-21T03:48:52.674-05:00Comments on Flying Lessons: America's Schizophrenic Approach to Airline PolicyChristine Negronihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15190247339367487575noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133703253863123050.post-49616140086084785252013-11-23T16:35:04.939-05:002013-11-23T16:35:04.939-05:00I'm surprised that no responder has yet raised...I'm surprised that no responder has yet raised the issue of service. In my experience flight attendants on non-US airlines (except BA) understand that passengers are paying customers, upon whom their incomes depend. US FAs act as though they're doing the pax a favor. Grumpyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794125449178765054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133703253863123050.post-90881847113791166502013-11-22T17:45:47.069-05:002013-11-22T17:45:47.069-05:00Hi, Christine
I have to take issue with your refe...Hi, Christine<br /><br />I have to take issue with your referring to the piece in The Atlantic as being excellent.<br /><br />While it is true that airfares did steadily decline, am I the only one to notice that the decline stopped in about 2000, and since then have variously been flat and now are rising again. This is even more apparent if you extend the data series all the way through 2013, with airfares 3.9% up in Oct 2013 compared to Oct 2012, compared to an inflation rise of only 1%.<br /><br />And, am I the only one to notice that the airlines are now enjoying record profits?<br /><br />The DoJ was very right to object to the AA/US merger, and very wrong to then abandon its position in return for some specious trivial 'concesssions'.<br /><br />The DoJ was also wrong, albeit successively less so, to approve all prior mergers too, but being wrong in the past should not be used as a reason to be even more wrong in the present.<br /><br />The expression 'two wrongs don't make a right' springs to mind.<br /><br />When you say 'fares are so low that most people don't think twice about hopping on an airplane' I think you'll agree that was a loose bit of rhetoric, rather than a scientific statement based on facts.<br /><br />Oh, did I mention that in the last twelve months, August to August, domestic air travel decreased by 0.9% (and the US population as a whole increased by 1%, so really this was a 2% decrease). Air fares are no longer low. I find myself being asked to pay twice what I used to pay for travel on most routes I frequent, and believe me, I do think twice and do travel less regularly.<br /><br />All the best<br /><br />David Rowell.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11217347199960372466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133703253863123050.post-40609296155970108422013-11-22T17:36:46.616-05:002013-11-22T17:36:46.616-05:00Interesting article, coming from MENA and living ...Interesting article, coming from MENA and living in the USA I view US carriers as domestic operators with a side international business. Emirates operate to cities in the USA which have no direct US airline competitors, so what passenger traffic is Emirates taking away from Delta in particular. No foreign carrier competes within the US market and they rely on US airlines to provide feed through code share or alliances. On the contrary foreign carriers increase domestic traffic on US airlines. The problem is capacity control which has prevented domestic markets from expanding and a fetish with ancillary fees to produce anemic profits. US carriers have forgotten there are markets in MENA, Africa and Asia that have millions of immigrants in the USA and a rising middle class that wants to travel and visit their friends and relatives here. Does the USA need an aviation policy, sure they do, every country needs one. Oussama's Takehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17804888569746656075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133703253863123050.post-73097039025138761042013-11-22T17:33:54.407-05:002013-11-22T17:33:54.407-05:00As an advocate for persons with severe psychiatric...As an advocate for persons with severe psychiatric disorders, I find the use of the term "Schizophrenic" in the title offensive. Schizophrenia is one of the most severe and disabling neurological disorders known to mankind, and using this term outside of the health care field is, in my opinion, inappropriate. How would a person with Cancer feel if we titled the blog, "America's Canceric Policy" or someone with Alzheimer's "America's Alzheimeric Policy". Please respect those individuals with Schizophrenia and their families who suffer. Thank you. - Ed FrancellAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07199997813552766918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133703253863123050.post-60557664485351494522013-11-22T16:14:50.465-05:002013-11-22T16:14:50.465-05:00Patrick, I don't think anyone is demonizing th...Patrick, I don't think anyone is demonizing the Gulf airlines. Certainly not the folks I interviewed and not me. Were there any serious complaints about the Gulf carriers, they wouldn't be as successful as they are in grabbing market share. America's governmental failure to recognize air travel as the economic driver, as you stated, is the crux of the problem. Thanks as always for sharing your thoughts and directing us to your blog, which is always a fun read.Christine Negronihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15190247339367487575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9133703253863123050.post-22555473156887060352013-11-22T16:04:44.331-05:002013-11-22T16:04:44.331-05:00Good story Christine.
I agree with the sentiment ...<br /><br />Good story Christine.<br /><br />I agree with the sentiment of ALPA and my pilot colleagues, but at a certain point this becomes a little xenophobic. Let's be clear: this isn't about demonizing foreign carriers, who are only doing what they have every right to do. The problem is our own government's failure to recognize air travel as the economic driver that it is. Meanwhile, our airlines, too, sometimes seem hellbent on outsourcing and code-sharing away their global networks.<br /><br />As a complement to your story, readers might enjoy my own complaints, here...<br /><br />http://www.askthepilot.com/the-decline-and-fall/<br /><br />Patrick Smithhttp://www.askthepilot.comnoreply@blogger.com