Originally Posted by tcook052
Anyone else here think the rush to the bottom has it's limits? What's next? Removing the seats in favor of shelves that can hold four times as many pax on a 757 for a ridiculous $18 fare on a LGA-LAX flight? Better yet, why not stand us up in little tiny lockers like in high school?
My point is there is a distinct difference between cheap and value. I can see a trend coming where treating customers like human beings and not cattle could attract a following after the honeymoon with cheap everything wanes.
I agree completely with you. But I think that the marketplace will segment into levels of service. I would probably never take a flight on Ryanair, as that is not how I like to be treated now that I have reached the ripe old age of 40.
However, when I was a high school and college student, I would have been on Ryanair with my backpack every weekend to visit people as my expectations have changed.
The marketplace for Ryanair just adds a new segment for the flying public, and will bring a new group that odds are would not have travelled or not have travelled with the same velocity.
At the same time, the market may segment where the upscale airlines resume doing what they do best and recognize that.
We may see a 3 tier approach to travel upscale, midrange, and budget. We see that in car rentals and hotels, why not the airlines.