Originally Posted by
Tchiowa
I assume that was sarcasm. People have voted exactly the other way with their wallets.
Yes. And your point is spot on.
Most customers have clearly indicated they will forgo comfort to save money. The article, incorrectly, implies this is a societal class warfare issue.
Originally Posted by
84fiero
I don't think that passengers' behavior is quite as black and white as articles like this make it seem. I don't know that the average passenger knew that he was telling airlines to squeeze us as tight as sardines because he chose the $25 cheaper flight on Kayak.
I'm sure the average customer doesn't think about or understand this dynamic. Regardless, the airlines will sell what the customers buy (whether the purchase consciously or subconsciously doesn't really matter).
Originally Posted by
Ber2dca
I don't mind provided they ...
We all have our preferences and these can be lumped into many different groups. Some will pay for J/F and some will pay for EC. The fact of the matter is simple. Most people will chose the lowest price. Airlines might be able to fill an entire plane with people that are willing to stand for the whole flight.
IMO, the airlines are trying to take care of (i.e., get the most money from) from what I guess are the 10%
that are willing to pay for niceties (J/F) or a little extra space (EC). If the demand for (or profitability of) J/F/EC becomes greater than cattle class, airlines will up the price for those services and/or offer more of them. The demand is not there, so they don't.
The most intriguing thing is how far the airlines can go before the overwhelming majority of "lowest cost no matter what" crowd changes their behavior. My guess is the majority will never pay a lot more, they will simply fly less.