Dear Mr. Ingram --

we had high expectations when you took over from Mark Dunkerley. Now, there are rumors that you are considering United's ill fated Basic Economy concept for HA. Don't. Basic Economy is simply cruel and barbaric -- HEWA. Just how much can HA economy service be stripped further?

Take inspiration from Gordon Bethune: "Listen to your customers, even if your competitors aren’t."

Basic Economy is infuriating, deceptive, simply not Pono. Please remember, when customers select an airline: "An ounce of humanity can outweigh five hundred tons of metal."

"Doing quite well", economically, for these carriers doesn't make it pono.

Flying in economy is already stressful and fee choices abound. Turning HA into another LCC is not the answer.

But let's see what everybody else here feels.

Azj, sorry for the delay, it took me some time to gather my thoughts.

My deepest concern is that there is a potential for a further increase in dangerous "Air Rage" incidents. Modern air travel is already a situation in which human status is highly visible. Studies have shown that, in people, status stress can actually be dangerous to health. A UK study of air rage and class published two years ago suggested that economy passengers feel the most rage when they walk through first class: it reminds them of their diminution. Interestingly, first-class passengers weren’t any calmer: those subjected to the indignity of having the "unwashed" walk through their space, rather than boarding out of their sight though a middle door, were even angrier. Basic Economy would further carve up the cabin, adding more fuel to the fire. I think it is the "whole" concept that is inhuman, not necessarily individual "parts" or details of an individual airline implementation.

I also think that Basic Economy concept is like a fare sale with loads of fine print. Most passengers are simply totally unaware of just how minimal some of the individual offerings can be -- for example, zero free access to overhead bin. When they find out, more potential for "$12 blanket" like rage incidents.

Lastly, I don't think it would be a smart competitive move right now, given that all eyes are on SWA starting their service soon. CEO Kelly spoke publicly against Basic Economy. More recently, he said he doesn't believe in "carving up the cabin" and that, "Southwest values its reputation". A move into Basic Economy might undermine HA value propositions around "Your Hawaii Vacation Starts Here" and Sharing Aloha just when it is most vulnerable.

747FC, yes, Canada, sorry for the typo. The research paper was subsequently critiqued in Crede et al., but the authors wrote a fairly detailed reply. Did you see this reply? Just checking.

What do you mean by "sloppy databases"? The study is limited to one (major) airline’s data, and it’s possible that broader surveys might show more subtle relationships, if any.

The study I cited is not the only research evidence out there. A more recent "content analysis" based study of Air Rage found some corroborating evidence for "status inequality", but says increasing airline "greed" is an even stronger contributing factor: Overcrowding of planes, boarding procedures, and unfriendly service. (Along with other passengers' behavior.)

If mid-air fights are something you'd like to avoid, the research is not comforting, and Basic Economy is only making it much worse.

You Tube

Azj -- Please allow one question: What is the purpose of introducing a "Basic Economy" program at HA? What problem is HA trying to solve?
The video is HILLARIOUS.
Thanks for posting.

OK, so this is mainly a competitive reaction to the majors. Thank you, I really appreciate the clarification.

With "problem" I was alluding to Southwest Service coming to Hawai'i. If I think competitive environment, and if the economy class service level of a given HA economy ticket at a particular route and price point ends up slipping below Southwest service level, then why wouldn't many customers looking to buy at that price point just choose SWA over HA? Just wondering if that's being really considered. Not that long ago, Southwest Airlines was considered a relatively no-frills airline, at least when compared to the other major carriers. Then all the competition started charging for checked bags, introduced heavy change fees etc,. while Southwest says it’s given “no thought whatsoever” Main Cabin Basic might simply confuse passengers when they are trying to decide between HA and Southwest. It has the potential to dilute your brand and goes against your messaging of, "we provide a meal" and "Hawai'i starts here."

The move to Basic Economy alone probably won't lead to class warfare. But consider the totality of what airlines have done to economy flyers over the last few years. Basic Economy might just be the one thing that breaks the camel's back. Just how much can the HA economy service be stripped down even further before more passengers "break" and you will see a rapid escalation of Dr. Daos and $12 blanket/"take someone behind the woodshed" situations?

Why not wait until Southwest is here and until the competitive environment between the carriers has settled? Oil prices are dropping into the 40ies again -- operating costs might be lower for a while -- so why the rush to implement this now?