Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Airlines eye crueler ways of making passengers miserable

latimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 120 posts

Re: Airlines eye crueler ways of making passengers miserable

#51

Post by mikybee93 »

brotoss wrote: post #18
CompelTechnic wrote: post #3

For short flights, I do not mind the development of "standing seats." Airline margins will remain razor thin and the savings will be passed to the subset of customers who choose to be more cramped. There WILL continue to be "premium economy" or similar for those who choose it, that is undoubtable. If the price sensitivity tradeoff of customers ultimately dictates that these standing seats do not gain adoption, I woul…

Delta's NET income for 2018 was $3.95 billion dollars

Apparently they have over 180 million passengers a year[0]. That means that, at most, they're making $7 per passenger. It's not like they're gouging their customers.

[0]https://news.delta.com/corporate-stats-and-facts

Re: Airlines eye crueler ways of making passengers miserable

#52

Post by argv_empty »

mlrtime wrote: post #16
PaulHoule wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't believe that "customers want cheap flights more than they want comfort". Really customers have about as much choice in the comfort of a flight as they do in the cost of health care services. For years it has been "pay 4 times as much as economy or suffer", in the last ten years they've introduced "basic economy" which at least is realistic. I might rather fly in a widebody on a domestic flight but I don't get…

People vote with their dollars, many legs have multiple options and multiple seat options. Almost everyone goes with the cheapest option. I've flow from NYC to Chicago $90 round trip. It's incredible how inexpensive flying as become.

I'm fine with paying a bit extra for more comfort and better service on a flight, but anything short of double the cost of the cheapest coach-class ticket never seems to get me that.

Re: Airlines eye crueler ways of making passengers miserable

#54

Post by rootusrootus »

rhexs wrote: post #13

Currently flights effectively have no room left anymore -- I have absolutely no idea why the seats on short-haul flights have the ability to recline. It's impossible to use a 15 inch laptop if the person in front of you moves their seat back. If Delta removes that ability, I'll start flying with them exclusively. Have back problems? Feel free to pay more to sit in first/economy plus/whatever. I'd obviously also suppo…

> Have back problems? Feel free to pay more to sit in first/economy plus/whatever.

Have freakishly long legs? Feel free to pay more to sit in first/economy plus/whatever.

I like this game. :)

Re: Airlines eye crueler ways of making passengers miserable

#55

Post by PaulHoule »

mlrtime wrote: post #16
PaulHoule wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't believe that "customers want cheap flights more than they want comfort". Really customers have about as much choice in the comfort of a flight as they do in the cost of health care services. For years it has been "pay 4 times as much as economy or suffer", in the last ten years they've introduced "basic economy" which at least is realistic. I might rather fly in a widebody on a domestic flight but I don't get…

People vote with their dollars, many legs have multiple options and multiple seat options. Almost everyone goes with the cheapest option. I've flow from NYC to Chicago $90 round trip. It's incredible how inexpensive flying as become.

Soon after the 2008 financial crisis I flew from Ithaca NY to Washington DC multiple times for about $100.

These flights went through what is now American's hub in Philly.

I thought, gee, I'd like to take my son to Philly but then I found they charged $400 for the flight from ITH to PHL.

When the pricing obviously is disjoint from the cost to provide the service, the airline industry just can't expect us to take anything they say about pricing and service seriously. It's just like it is with these pharmacy benefit managers.

Re: Airlines eye crueler ways of making passengers miserable

#56

Post by brianwawok »

PaulHoule wrote: post #47
brutus1213 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a naive comment. The airline industry is hardly competitive. You do realize the issue is the limits on gates. Please visit Canada and our shitty airline and telecom monopoly/oligopoly to understand how airlines can lower service, make money and pass almost nothing back to customers.

What I can say is that if you to any other country, developed or not, the flying experience seems to be better than the US. For instance: * not getting groped by the T.S.A. * not having to book a flight a month in advance to get a good price * paying less * being treated like a human being

TSA precheck solves the first one

Re: Airlines eye crueler ways of making passengers miserable

#58

Post by mikybee93 »

rootusrootus wrote: post #49
mikybee93 wrote: post #15

This makes no sense to me. Airlines are adding another option that is cheaper. How is that a bad thing? If I don't want the cheaper option, another airline will offer me a more comfortable one and I'll pay for it. What is there to be upset about here?

The problem is that what will actually happen is this new option will become default, and the old cattle class will now be an upgrade, and it won't cost what it does now, it will be 2x as much. There must be some MBA that figured out that someone who will pay a little extra for comfort will probably pay 2-3x as much if you push.

That isn't what has happened historically, in this market or in others. I don't know why so many people seem to expect this to happen now.

If Delta decides to implement these seats and then charge 2x as much for the current seats, United will choose not to and nobody will fly Delta unless they absolutely have to.

Competition keeps this sort of thing from happening.

Re: Airlines eye crueler ways of making passengers miserable

#59

Post by rootusrootus »

mlrtime wrote: post #16
PaulHoule wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't believe that "customers want cheap flights more than they want comfort". Really customers have about as much choice in the comfort of a flight as they do in the cost of health care services. For years it has been "pay 4 times as much as economy or suffer", in the last ten years they've introduced "basic economy" which at least is realistic. I might rather fly in a widebody on a domestic flight but I don't get…

People vote with their dollars, many legs have multiple options and multiple seat options. Almost everyone goes with the cheapest option. I've flow from NYC to Chicago $90 round trip. It's incredible how inexpensive flying as become.

I've been trying to vote with my dollars for a long time. The problem is that what used to be economy is now premium and it costs twice what the current economy seats cost. There is no gradient, it's cattle class or $$$$$
Post reply on HN