Originally Posted by
itsallgood
EXACTLY! There are consequences to these changes.
The core problem is that airline ticket prices are too low. There are more people buying tickets than the system can handle. Basic economics says to add capacity and/or raise prices. Adding too much capacity carries huge risks for economic downturns (remember post 9/11?) so the best solution for airlines is to raise ticket prices.
I think it is very calculated.
Raising ticket prices, increasing delays/cancellations affects everyone in a relatively small way. Most people may not notice a few dollars more in price or remember a delay/cancellation. Problems that affect everyone don't show up on twitter or get picked up by the news.
A few DYKWIA people who don't know how to behave in public, follow the rules, and throw a fit might get recorded on video and go viral. Although it affects far less people and better for the whole, it can be very bad for PR.
Unfortunately this is the world we live in.