Airlines are at the mercy of many factors:
weather, complex airplanes & ground support equipment, a finite number of
runways, a limited number of hours for a flight crew and air traffic
control just to name the most obvious ones. It's a wonder that
planes arrive on time as much as they do.
Yet, when handling the things they can control,
airlines upset their customers with great regularity. The way they
handle delays, cancelations and interruptions is often unacceptable.
From my multi-million miles of flying, I believe that most of the
airlines' wounds are self inflicted. Their customer service is often
abysmal when something goes wrong. The greatest frustration for the
customer is not knowing the status of delays and then being unable to do
much (if anything) about it.
Should the government dictate a bill of rights for
customers?
Let me offer an example. JetBlue began
flying with the philosophy that they would rarely, if ever cancel a
flight. When flying JetBlue, you know that you could be late but
probably not canceled. At the time, this was unique and their
customers were aware of it. However on Easter of 2007, they
encountered a severe snow storm in New York that caused planes to sit on
the ground for hours. The negative publicity was terrible.
Each passenger has a different reason for flying. If your flight is
too late for you to attend the wedding, you want to get off and have your
fare refunded. If you are visiting a sick relative, you are willing
to sit on the plane longer if it means that you will eventually take off.
With such diverse needs, dictating a "one size
fits all" passenger bill of rights will not make the situation any better.
I believe the cure will probably be worse than the disease. I would
rather have the captain making the decision but I think that a much better
job can be done of informing the customers. It would also be nice if
the captain asked the customers what they want to do. An airplane is
not a democracy but I think that the captain should consider the wishes of
the majority of his customers in making his decision.
Should the airline be required to pay you for
delays? With all of the possible causes for delays, how can this
possibly be administered? If they must pay you for delays, where
will the money come from? You guessed it, from the fares.
So what's the answer?
The FAA & various web sites list the on-time
statistics, complaints and baggage lost statistics. Many web sites,
newspapers and magazines mentioned here are great sources of valuable
information. There is no shortage of reports about how each airline
is doing.
Who's to blame & what can you do?
You and I are the problem and the solution.
I've seen customers screaming at airline employees telling them how mad
they are and that they will NEVER fly them again and they will tell the
entire planet how badly they have been treated. However, next month
the airline offers a sale for $20 less than another airline and all is
forgotten & forgiven. The solution is to vote with your credit card.
You have the ultimate power in the passenger bill of rights, use it!
