Originally Posted by
ConciergeMike
Because it's not about a specific problem onboard or in-flight...you are citing broken jacks, and I am citing the reaction to the broken jack. The problem I'm referring to is the spread of the cultural phenomenon that a voucher should come to you for the tiniest of inconveniences. I like my IFE and I love 9 (despite my low use of UA, I like the idea of hearing the cockpit no matter what), but if I sat down to find a broken jack I'd get over it. Luck of the draw, tell the crew, end of story. Others, not so much.
Exactly - it really depends on one's view. If someone were on a SYD-SFO and was now unable to watch movies for 15 hours, the flight is full so they couldn't move, and they had no backup IFE, that'd be a pretty big drag.
The package that you buy includes your seat
and advertised amenities. If they're not working, you're not getting part of what you paid for. The nature of the airline business is that you can't always get things rectified right away (e.g., if McDonald's shorted your fries, you walk right back up, and they fix it, apologize, and it's no big deal). But a broken reading light on an evening flight when a harried business traveller with little downtime had intended on reading some documents for work and being productive is impacting.
The item itself may seem trivial. It's the impact that's worth considering. Besides, it's simple fairness. Having to sit for hours without part of what you paid for isn't right.