Frequent criers: Elite fliers are ruining air travel
Jun 17, 2008, 2:34 pm
#48
Join Date: Jun 2007
Programs: American; United; Starwood
Posts: 196
The article is just plain silly. If anything, the leisure traveller is ruining it for first class passengers and elites! Their penny pinching and demands for rock bottom fares are responsible for the deterioration of comfort in air travel over the past ten years.
Jun 17, 2008, 3:02 pm
#49
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: US expat somewhere south of Valpo, Chilezuela
Programs: On the way to lowly LATAM Gold, AA, MiClub Lider
Posts: 853
Someone from E reads these posts
In reference to my post (#48) on this thread,
They have corrected the e-mail unsubscribe link. DONE! ^
They have corrected the e-mail unsubscribe link. DONE! ^
Jun 17, 2008, 3:48 pm
#50
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Newport Beach, California, USA
Posts: 36,062
Exactly right! It's the price-shoppers who have driven the decline in services, not the frequent fliers.
Aug 4, 2008, 2:22 pm
#52
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: HNL/SMF/IAD
Programs: Mostly Mileage Plus (UGS) + AAdvantage (Gold)
Posts: 386
This guy doesn't seem to get that there's such thing as a "business-class" cabin on many international flights, consisting of well over a couple dozen seats.
He seems to refer to all planes as two-class, 12-F and 200-Y. Give me a break.
He seems to refer to all planes as two-class, 12-F and 200-Y. Give me a break.
Aug 4, 2008, 5:22 pm
#53
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium (former PP), Hilton Silver, UA Silver, AS Member, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,906
Any writer who writes in one point that F passengers get unlimited booze and in another point that 12 F passengers share 1 lavatory while 180 others share two in the back, and can't realize that those F passengers will probably use that FC lavatory more due to all the free booze, is an idiot. 
Aug 4, 2008, 5:38 pm
#54
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: San Antonio, TX
Programs: CO Plat, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, AA ExPlat
Posts: 155
A very senior professor once lectured my medical school class with the "First rule of research". It says very simply: The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". This observation, much like Occam's Razor, has earned a place of trust in any type of inquiry from scientific to judicial to come-what-may. Apparently, Christopher Elliot does not bother with more proof than a single story for each of his points. His arguments are not only weak in terms of evidence, but devoid of common business practice as well. Those who spend more money will get more service. If he is this devoid of common sense, he should be covering an area more akin to his skills, say celebrity gossip or critiquing fast food.
Aug 4, 2008, 6:07 pm
#55
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Seattle,WA
Programs: Hyatt Diamond+, Alaska Airlines MVP, Priority Club Platinum
Posts: 2,682
Well, I am tired of the Hotel Elite members dining on plates of veggies, deep fried pot stickers and self-serve drinks from that $6 honor bar while the rest of the hotel is stowed away like cargo. Just because they stay 50 - 75 times per year at the same hotel chain!
How about those VIP tables/rooms at big nightclubs? Let's go after those too.
I don't want to even bring up the airport limos while the rest of the traveling public is forced to use taxi's!
Seriously there are so many arguments he could have legitmately made about $1500 coach flyers (of even F Flyers for that matter) not being treated as well as Elite Flyers or that some people actually prefer flying WN because they don't want to walk by the F cabin but instead he brings up Naomi Campbell losing her temper over lost luggage and Pakistan International Airlines after it sat on a hot Islamabad tarmac on what is wrong with today's elite flyers...
How about those VIP tables/rooms at big nightclubs? Let's go after those too.
I don't want to even bring up the airport limos while the rest of the traveling public is forced to use taxi's!
Seriously there are so many arguments he could have legitmately made about $1500 coach flyers (of even F Flyers for that matter) not being treated as well as Elite Flyers or that some people actually prefer flying WN because they don't want to walk by the F cabin but instead he brings up Naomi Campbell losing her temper over lost luggage and Pakistan International Airlines after it sat on a hot Islamabad tarmac on what is wrong with today's elite flyers...
Last edited by westcoastman; Aug 4, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Aug 5, 2008, 7:21 pm
#56
Join Date: Jan 2008
Programs: AC 75K, SPG P, CX SL
Posts: 548
In many ways, it's not so much the passengers that are insisting on the lowest cost flights possible, but rather, corporate travel policies. Given the option of a flight with no food, 30 inch legroom and 17.5 inch width for X amount, or the same route on another (better) airline with food, 34 inches of legroom and 19 of width for X+200, many companies (including some I have worked for) will insist that their employees suffer for several hours to save the buck.
Short sighted if you ask me, but then, I don't own much stock.
Short sighted if you ask me, but then, I don't own much stock.
Aug 5, 2008, 8:29 pm
#57
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,449
I missed this back in June when the article appeared, so I'm delighted that the thread reappeared. I much enjoyed the article -- it put another laugh in my day. Thanks, Chris. You aren't the next Dave Berry, but it was a good first try.
Yeah, I can live with the fact that he doesn't understand that I'm very special, but taking the name of FT in vain? Not cool!
Yeah, I can live with the fact that he doesn't understand that I'm very special, but taking the name of FT in vain? Not cool!
Aug 5, 2008, 9:02 pm
#58
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Augusta, GA, USA
Programs: DL FC, NW
Posts: 3,522
I, for one, think he has a point. On the DL board, the PM's are always crying about how unfair DL is because they don't do same day up's to BE. And then they cry about non-revs getting into BE instead of them. How dare DL treat its elite like that. Spend a little time there and you'll see what I mean.
Aug 6, 2008, 12:58 am
#59
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,298
Coach is for Zoo-animals
I agree. ^ Sitting in F as the parade of zoo animals crawls to their cages
in the back of the flight is amusing and entertaining. Of course we want to be first to see the parade of creepy crawly slimely stinky zoo coach animals on parade.
in the back of the flight is amusing and entertaining. Of course we want to be first to see the parade of creepy crawly slimely stinky zoo coach animals on parade.