Now Even Smaller, The Airline Cartel Going to DI$CPLINE the Market

[boutons_deux]

‘Discipline’ for Airlines, Pain for Fliers

At this week’s meeting in Miami of the International Air Transport Association, the annual meeting of the world’s top airline executives, the buzzword was “discipline.”

Here is Delta Air Lines (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/delta_air_lines_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org)’ president, Ed Bastian: Delta is “continuing with the discipline that the marketplace is expecting.”

Air Canada’s chief executive, Calin Rovinescu: “People were undisciplined in the past, but they will be more disciplined this time.”

And American Airlines (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/amr_corporation/index.html?inline=nyt-org)’ chief, Doug Parker, said the airlines had learned their lessons from past price wars. “I think everybody in the industry understands that,” he told Reuters.

Got the message? “Discipline” is classic oligopoly-speak for limiting flights and seats, higher prices and fatter profit margins.

This year, that discipline seems to be working: the I.A.T.A. projected this week that airline industry profits would more than double this year to nearly $30 billion, a record.

Having recently paid nearly $1,500 to fly round trip on United from Newark to Indianapolis, on a cramped plane on which I had to hunch over to reach my back-row coach seat and complimentary cup of water, this came as no surprise. What’s good for airlines isn’t necessarily good for consumers, as years of mergers and consolidation are now making clear.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/06/12/business/airline-discipline-could-be-costly-for-passengers.html?_r=0

Wealth extraction,

no competition,

shitty service,

fees, fees, fees,

penalties,

high prices,

and no alternative, with BigAuto, BigOil, BigAir having KILLED high-speed regional rail, and the Repugs intent on killing even little ol' Amtrak.

Last time that airline profits were this high in the 1960s.

[baseline bum]

Have you ever ridden Amtrak? I think I'd rather ride Greyhound.

[boutons_deux]

Have you ever ridden Amtrak? I think I'd rather ride Greyhound.

Have you ever ridden France's TGV? or taken the Channel Tunnel? or ridden Euro trains?

I took Amtrak from San Clemente to San Diego, wasn't bad at all, about the same as regional commuter train around Paris, but slower.

[TeyshaBlue]

I took a train several times in Europe. It was ok but nothing compared to the bus we chartered. The train reminded me of Amtrak at the time....(late 70's).

[baseline bum]

Have you ever ridden France's TGV? or taken the Channel Tunnel? or ridden Euro trains?

I took Amtrak from San Clemente to San Diego, wasn't bad at all, about the same as regional commuter train around Paris, but slower.

I took Amtrak between California and Texas and shit was ridiculously slow and expensive as hell. Every other train had right of way and we sitting still lots of the time. What does Europe having great rail have to do with Amtrak?

[boutons_deux]

What does Europe having great rail have to do with Amtrak?

a comparison to show how bad, neglected, blocked passenger rail is in USA vs Europe.

[boutons_deux]

10 Companies That Act Like They Hate Their Customers

5. United Airlines

In the U.S., there have been so many mergers that only four airlines—United, American, Southwest and Delta—now control 85% of domestic air travel (http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2013-06-21/airline-industry-changes). The result of all this consolidation: higher fares and worse customer service. According to the Department of Transportation, airline-related complaints increased by 26% in 2014 (http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-and-worst-airlines-1421254623). The number of lost or delayed bags increased by 17% between November 2013 and November 2014. And the larger United has become, the more customer service has suffered. In a November 2014 commentary for the New Yorker, Tim Wu listed a variety of ways in which the United/Continental merger had been terrible for consumers (http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/leaving-united-airlines-after-merger), from soaring baggage fees to ruder flight attendants to escalating fares (some as much as 57% higher on routes that became uncompetitive thanks to the merger).

Wu noted that baggage fees “soared to as high as $100” and that “change fees, which have always been outrageous, grew higher (http://www.cnbc.com/id/100660764): $200 for domestic, $300 for international.” Wu was also critical of how United’s new pre-boarding policies affected people with small children. Wu complained: “I suppose that everyone has his breaking point. For me, it was while trying to pre-board an overcrowded flight to Miami with a noisy baby in my arms, only to be ordered back in line by a curt agent. At that moment, I realized that United had quietly eliminated the traditional practice of pre-boarding ‘passengers with small children,’ choosing to favor a few elite fliers over the convenience of everyone else.”

Wu, who described the merger as a “consumer sinkhole,” is not the only one complaining. In its 2014 report (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-04-10/business/chi-airline-complaints-20140410_1_frontier-airlines-alaska-airlines-southwest-airlines), "The Unfriendly Skies: Five Years of Airline Passenger Complaints to the Department of Transportation," the consumer-oriented OSPIRG Foundation described United as “one of the most complained-about airlines (http://www.ospirgfoundation.org/reports/orf/unfriendly-skies?__utma=1.1204055807.1432777210.1432777210.14 33290473.2&__utmb=1.4.10.1433290473&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1433290473.2.2.utmcsr=google%7Cutmccn=(or ganic)%7Cutmcmd=organic%7Cutmctr=(not%20provided)&__utmv=-&__utmk=184548390).”

6. American Airlines

If one dislikes the customer service at United, American Airlines isn’t likely to be much better. According to OSPIRG’s report, American “has generated increasingly more complaints per 100,000 customers since 2009” and “is now one of the most complained-about airlines.” Canceled flights were a common complaint in OSPIRG’s report, while “other top problems were about baggage, customer service” and “issues with reservations, bookings, and boarding.” A big part of the problem is American’s size: it became the largest airline in the U.S. when, in 2013, it merged with U.S. Airways. American, U.S. Airways and America West used to be three separate companies that were competing with one another; now, they are one big company (http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/the-american-airlines-us-airways-merger-aint-over-till-its-over/2015/03/26/e5ea0d0e-cf27-11e4-8a46-b1dc9be5a8ff_story.html) and consumers are the losers.

http://www.alternet.org/10-companies-act-they-hate-their-customers?akid=13205.187590.LB0Tm-&rd=1&src=newsletter1037716&t=1

BigCorp to customers: "Give me your money, and FUCK YOU"

[101A]

Have you ever ridden Amtrak? I think I'd rather ride Greyhound.

Government took over passenger rail in this country, and purposely made it a non-option to appease the big donor airlines and automakers (writing from memory/belief - could be some myth here). Kelleher was a primary opponent of the Texas project 25 years ago.

Europe's rail system is fantastic; cheap, fast & convenient. That's not just from city to city, either; the systems within the big cites are all nice and efficient, as well (at least the ones I've tried). Flying within Europe is, therefore, relatively cheap as well. It has to compete with 200 mph trains.

With the collusion, errrr, discipline the US airlines are focusing on - it's making long-distance travel in this country relatively VERY expensive. As someone who lives in Pa, but works & whose extended family are all in Texas - it's very obvious. Also, with the limited flight, layovers/connections are ridiculous, especially when flying from two non-hub cities (Pittsburgh to SA, for example). From my house I can be in Paris (flying out of JFK) in about the same time it takes to get to San Antonio (Flying out of Pittsburgh - I live 90 minutes NE of Pitt).

(damn, I'm sounding more and more like a liberal on here).

Obama sucks.

[ElNono]

Flying used to be great in the 90's, tbh... cheap, all perks included... arrived at the airport, get in the plane, fly and relax... good seats, free food, free headphones...

Now you better be 2+ hours early, go check your bags and $$$ bag fees. Oh, you're charging for carry on also? More $$$. Wanna "upgrade" to the forward seats on the tourist cabin so you can get out quicker? That'll be a few more $$$.

Finally out of the ticketing area, you mentally prepare yourself for the 30+ min lane through security, where you'll be playing the alleged criminal beta cuckold for a while.

Passing through earns you the right to enter the airport's theme park. God forbid you're thirsty after that ordeal, that $3 water bottle might start looking tempting.

Time to get into your plane, and you have 30 people all crowded up on the gate entrance waiting for their "boarding group" to be called up (you forgot to pay up for "boarding prioritization", didn't you?).

Reach your seat, try to find some room for your carry on (sometimes an adventure in itself if you're bringing anything bigger than a backpack), practice some yoga to fit in the "new, remodeled" seats that have barely any leg room, then wait.

Wait, wait, wait. There's two more seats open, and you know you won't be moving until they herd two more people in.

You hear the door closing, then "Hey folks, this is your captain speaking, it looks like the line of planes is fairly long today, please relax and we'll be outta here soon". Then wait some more, sometimes without an AC going on a planed chock full of people.

If you're fortunate to be flying a 4+ hour destination, you'll be graced with a bag of peanuts, and the option, for a sum, to enjoy a glass of wine, while you enter your credit card info to use the wifi connection (if available) or pay up for the headphones to watch that movie in a 4" screen (if the shoddy touchpad happens works). Hopefully you're savvy enough to bring your own gear.

What used to be a 5 hour flight is now a 9+ hours adventure of milking you dry for every penny you might have! Joy!

I gotta say, international flying is still closer to the 90's experience though (depending on the airline).

[baseline bum]

Reach your seat, try to find some room for your carry on (sometimes an adventure in itself if you're bringing anything bigger than a backpack), practice some yoga to fit in the "new, remodeled" seats that have barely any leg room, then wait.


Took a 14 hour flight on a 777, no fun at all with legroom made for 5 year-olds. I was so happy when the return flight was on a 747 since the seating arrangements were designed for actual humans back when those were made.

[baseline bum]

Government took over passenger rail in this country, and purposely made it a non-option to appease the big donor airlines and automakers (writing from memory/belief - could be some myth here). Kelleher was a primary opponent of the Texas project 25 years ago.

Europe's rail system is fantastic; cheap, fast & convenient. That's not just from city to city, either; the systems within the big cites are all nice and efficient, as well (at least the ones I've tried). Flying within Europe is, therefore, relatively cheap as well. It has to compete with 200 mph trains.

With the collusion, errrr, discipline the US airlines are focusing on - it's making long-distance travel in this country relatively VERY expensive. As someone who lives in Pa, but works & whose extended family are all in Texas - it's very obvious. Also, with the limited flight, layovers/connections are ridiculous, especially when flying from two non-hub cities (Pittsburgh to SA, for example). From my house I can be in Paris (flying out of JFK) in about the same time it takes to get to San Antonio (Flying out of Pittsburgh - I live 90 minutes NE of Pitt).

(damn, I'm sounding more and more like a liberal on here).

Obama sucks.

Makes sense.

[baseline bum]

JscQXDsSgco

[ElNono]

Took a 14 hour flight on a 777, no fun at all with legroom made for 5 year-olds. I was so happy when the return flight was on a 747 since the seating arrangements were designed for actual humans back when those were made.

It's crazy bad, and I'm relatively tall, which makes it even worse, tbh

[CosmicCowboy]

Jet blue is still pretty nice and I'm a big (6'5") guy. Fuck American. Ill drive to Austin to fly.

[ElNono]

Jet blue is still pretty nice and I'm a big (6'5") guy. Fuck American. Ill drive to Austin to fly.

Yeah, I actually tried Southwest last time, and it wasn't halfway bad. Although you don't really save a whole lot unless you get some of their deals.

[baseline bum]

Yeah, I actually tried Southwest last time, and it wasn't halfway bad. Although you don't really save a whole lot unless you get some of their deals.

I remember in the 90s when I hated flying them because of the 737s. The 727s on American and United has so much more legroom. Fast forward to 2015 and those fucking 737s feel luxurious as hell. :lol

[pgardn]

The rail in Europe is great.
Switzerland was especially good, all the public transport was fantastic.
Other places can get pretty packed. They need to use the Japanese body suits on the tube in London.

[ElNono]

I remember in the 90s when I hated flying them because of the 737s. The 727s on American and United has so much more legroom. Fast forward to 2015 and those fucking 737s feel luxurious as hell. :lol

The only thing you need to get with them is the Early Bird check in ($12.50 per person/per flight). Everything else is included, including 2 bags per person, and the upgrade is worth it, as it automatically checks you in and you get early entry into the plane. The last time we traveled, we had seats in the front row with extra leg room in 3 of the 4 flights. On the other one, we sat like in the 3rd row upfront, which was great for early exit.

[pgardn]

Airplanes are just a crowded mess. I've gotten use to just sitting and letting everyone off.
If I have a tough to make connection I politely run over people.


One or the other.

Good thing I am able to sleep really soundly. Wake up ,and one of the two legs are asleep.
Altogether, it basically sucks.