Attention All Passengers by William J. McGee Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: William J. McGee
of
discussion.â
Where I do agree with Snyder is that the focus on
tarmac delays has seemed to overshadow much larger passenger issues. In 2010,
shortly after the DOT enacted the new rules, the head of a large domestic
airline said to me off the record: âYou got your tarmac delay rules, what do you
want now?â Thatâs not to detract from the experiences of those who have been
trapped on airplanes and not provided water, food, and lavatories for hours on
end. But those passengers make up an infinitesimally small statistic; meanwhile,
the rights of tens of thousands of passengers are abused every week owing to
âroutineâ overbookings and flight delays and cancellations. Snyder says, âI
agree. There are very few people impacted by tarmac delays. And a lot more are
impacted by other factors every day.â
âWe Owe Him Nothingâ
Some carriers actually seem to embrace
their public disregard for passengers. Take Spirit Airlines. A USA Today profile in 2009 quoted Ben Baldanza
referring to his company as âthe McDonaldâs of the airline industry.â It also
referenced the infamous tale of Baldanza accidentally responding directly to a
customerâs email requesting a refund for a flight delay; Baldanza had written:
âPlease respond, Pasquale, but we owe him nothing as far as Iâm concerned. Let
him tell the world how bad we are. Heâs never flown us before anyway and will be
back when we save him a penny.â Meanwhile, the DOT repeatedly levies fines
against Spirit for false advertising and failing to provide bottom-line pricing
inclusive of fees.
An employee at Spirit recently told me about a
warning from a Spirit veteran: âIf you want to succeed here youâre going to have
to forget everything you learned at other airlines.â My friends Larry Bleidner
and Irene Zutell are frequent flyers between their home in Los Angeles and their
families on the East Coast, but even they were shocked when they attempted to
save a few bucks on Spirit. Although they encountered five-hour delays in both
directions, they were never provided updates, explanations, or apologies, and
they watched as their delayed flight simply rolled off the information display
screen near the gate as the pilot shrugged. Bleidner says, âThe misery index was
like on a New York City subway stuck in a tunnelâbut thatâs back when it was a
buck. Youâd expect at least a modicum of respect from an airline.â On another
journey, Zutell was horrified to spend five hours on the tarmac with her young
daughter while an inoperative lavatory was fixed: âThey stuck us on a plane for
five hours so they could fix a bathroom for a two-hour flight. Even my
five-year-old knew it didnât make sense.â
I hear such airline war stories repeatedly, so Iâm
always questioning my perspective. I met up in Washington with Charlie Leocha,
director of the Consumer Travel Alliance, and asked his take on the big picture.
He told me: âI think weâve moved from an industry where all competition was
based on customer service. Once the industry was deregulated, the real
competition became price competition. Then two things happened. First, price
became more important. Second, airline executives no longer were aviation
people. They became MBAs. And passengers were no longer passengers, they became
statistics.â He underscored how important LaHood has been: âFinally the DOT is
helping us out. Itâs critical. Because we have no standing in the courts due to
federal preemption. Therefore we have the rights of medieval serfs because we
cannot petition our noble lords and masters at the airlines. So we petition the
DOT to intercede on our behalf.â
In the end, Raymond LaHood, a former congressman
and one of two Republicans in President Obamaâs cabinet, did what neither the
House nor the Senate could do: he strengthened passenger rights. First came
discussion.â
Where I do agree with Snyder is that the focus on
tarmac delays has seemed to overshadow much larger passenger issues. In 2010,
shortly after the DOT enacted the new rules, the head of a large domestic
airline said to me off the record: âYou got your tarmac delay rules, what do you
want now?â Thatâs not to detract from the experiences of those who have been
trapped on airplanes and not provided water, food, and lavatories for hours on
end. But those passengers make up an infinitesimally small statistic; meanwhile,
the rights of tens of thousands of passengers are abused every week owing to
âroutineâ overbookings and flight delays and cancellations. Snyder says, âI
agree. There are very few people impacted by tarmac delays. And a lot more are
impacted by other factors every day.â
âWe Owe Him Nothingâ
Some carriers actually seem to embrace
their public disregard for passengers. Take Spirit Airlines. A USA Today profile in 2009 quoted Ben Baldanza
referring to his company as âthe McDonaldâs of the airline industry.â It also
referenced the infamous tale of Baldanza accidentally responding directly to a
customerâs email requesting a refund for a flight delay; Baldanza had written:
âPlease respond, Pasquale, but we owe him nothing as far as Iâm concerned. Let
him tell the world how bad we are. Heâs never flown us before anyway and will be
back when we save him a penny.â Meanwhile, the DOT repeatedly levies fines
against Spirit for false advertising and failing to provide bottom-line pricing
inclusive of fees.
An employee at Spirit recently told me about a
warning from a Spirit veteran: âIf you want to succeed here youâre going to have
to forget everything you learned at other airlines.â My friends Larry Bleidner
and Irene Zutell are frequent flyers between their home in Los Angeles and their
families on the East Coast, but even they were shocked when they attempted to
save a few bucks on Spirit. Although they encountered five-hour delays in both
directions, they were never provided updates, explanations, or apologies, and
they watched as their delayed flight simply rolled off the information display
screen near the gate as the pilot shrugged. Bleidner says, âThe misery index was
like on a New York City subway stuck in a tunnelâbut thatâs back when it was a
buck. Youâd expect at least a modicum of respect from an airline.â On another
journey, Zutell was horrified to spend five hours on the tarmac with her young
daughter while an inoperative lavatory was fixed: âThey stuck us on a plane for
five hours so they could fix a bathroom for a two-hour flight. Even my
five-year-old knew it didnât make sense.â
I hear such airline war stories repeatedly, so Iâm
always questioning my perspective. I met up in Washington with Charlie Leocha,
director of the Consumer Travel Alliance, and asked his take on the big picture.
He told me: âI think weâve moved from an industry where all competition was
based on customer service. Once the industry was deregulated, the real
competition became price competition. Then two things happened. First, price
became more important. Second, airline executives no longer were aviation
people. They became MBAs. And passengers were no longer passengers, they became
statistics.â He underscored how important LaHood has been: âFinally the DOT is
helping us out. Itâs critical. Because we have no standing in the courts due to
federal preemption. Therefore we have the rights of medieval serfs because we
cannot petition our noble lords and masters at the airlines. So we petition the
DOT to intercede on our behalf.â
In the end, Raymond LaHood, a former congressman
and one of two Republicans in President Obamaâs cabinet, did what neither the
House nor the Senate could do: he strengthened passenger rights. First came