Hypocrisy on the part of ATAA..
Sep 2, 2009, 3:29 pm
#1
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Hypocrisy on the part of ATAA..
I am sorry if this has already shown up on FT (my search did not turn up anything, but I have never had much luck in accomplishing that anyway).
Wanted to point out that the last paragraph below, apparently meant to deter the passage of the Traveller's Bill of Rights is something that the airlines have been doing for a long time anyway!
Cheers.
This is the quote from a CNN.com post:
"One [lengthy tarmac delay] is too many for us, but here are the facts," said David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association of America, which represents the nation's top airlines. Since reporting tarmac delays became required in autumn 2008, he said the numbers have been low. In May there were eight delays of four hours or more, he said, and a DOT report confirmed this.
As for June? "Forty-two flights out of 558,000 is a small number, relatively speaking," Castelveter said. "That's no reason to put in place legislation that will cause more delays, more cancellations and more inconveniences."
As Castelveter warns of possible consequences if the legislation passes -- including cancellations if pilots exceed their strictly regulated hours and cannot be replaced, hotel rooms that will be on passengers' dime if the delay is weather-related
Wanted to point out that the last paragraph below, apparently meant to deter the passage of the Traveller's Bill of Rights is something that the airlines have been doing for a long time anyway!
Cheers.
This is the quote from a CNN.com post:
"One [lengthy tarmac delay] is too many for us, but here are the facts," said David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association of America, which represents the nation's top airlines. Since reporting tarmac delays became required in autumn 2008, he said the numbers have been low. In May there were eight delays of four hours or more, he said, and a DOT report confirmed this.
As for June? "Forty-two flights out of 558,000 is a small number, relatively speaking," Castelveter said. "That's no reason to put in place legislation that will cause more delays, more cancellations and more inconveniences."
As Castelveter warns of possible consequences if the legislation passes -- including cancellations if pilots exceed their strictly regulated hours and cannot be replaced, hotel rooms that will be on passengers' dime if the delay is weather-related
Sep 3, 2009, 12:42 am
#2
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Posts: 127
It is good legislation even if there are problems with it...
Keeping people on a plane on the ground for an excessive periods is cruel. Plus they arrest you if you try and leave for "public endangerment" or something...
Basically you're a prisoner of the airline. It should stop. Two hours is the absolute hard limit and even that is excessive....
Keeping people on a plane on the ground for an excessive periods is cruel. Plus they arrest you if you try and leave for "public endangerment" or something...
Basically you're a prisoner of the airline. It should stop. Two hours is the absolute hard limit and even that is excessive....
Sep 3, 2009, 7:22 am
#3
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It seems simple to me - beyond a certain threshhold, the airline should have to make cash payments to the pax. For example, beyond 4 hours, $100/pax/hour. That gives the airlines a strong incentive to return to the gate, but still allows them some flexibility in the case where after 3:45, the plane has clearance to take off in 30 minutes, and returning to the gate might be costlier than the cash penalty.
Sep 4, 2009, 8:21 am
#4
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It seems simple to me - beyond a certain threshhold, the airline should have to make cash payments to the pax. For example, beyond 4 hours, $100/pax/hour. That gives the airlines a strong incentive to return to the gate, but still allows them some flexibility in the case where after 3:45, the plane has clearance to take off in 30 minutes, and returning to the gate might be costlier than the cash penalty.
I recall back when biztravel.com was in business I was flying a lot and booking all my travel through them. I traveled on airlines that participated in their "biz travel guarantee" whereby delays paid $$ and cancellations paid even more. Because of my volume of travel, I was getting a couple of checks per month from them and I found my annoyance at delays got much smaller. :-)
Sep 5, 2009, 7:35 pm
#5
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But then you'd just see increased fares as a result.
Oh. Wait. I forgot...airlines these days don't seem to know how to charge customers what it actually costs to fly a plane.
Seriously, though, I think that's too simplistic an idea due to the fact that tarmac delays are often not caused by the airline itself. The carrier will essentially be penalized for being stuck on the ground when weather strikes, when there is congestion due to over-scheduled airports and/or outdated ATC systems, etc, etc. Airlines already lose money when there are delays, when crews and planes and passengers must be reshuffled, and so on and so forth.
Sep 8, 2009, 10:39 am
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Air Transport Association report dissed by Travelmole
Today's Travelmole carries this article:
Airline propaganda remains “delusional”
The annual economic report by the Air Transport Association has its share of critics, some of whom are labeling it “propaganda” and “delusional.”
That’s the assessment of the Financial Post which equates it with the tobacco industry lobbyists of years ago that peddled “lies and half-truths to an unsuspecting public.”
The paper cites the report’s statement that “as your flight makes its way across the country or across the globe, airline employees -- onboard your flight and throughout the system -- are doing their best to make sure that your journey is safe, pleasant and on schedule.”
“Really? Tell that to the thousands of passengers who have been trapped on the tarmac in the last year,” it says.
The report says customer service is improving. “Airlines know that satisfied customers are loyal customers,” it said.
“Show me one survey that suggests even a small improvement in customer service. Just one,” responds the newspaper.
Airline flight delays costing $40 billion in the US economy are endemic, according to Congressional studies.
Airlines complain that the outdated air traffic control system is responsible but administrators continue to schedule all flights out of busy LaGuardia during a one-hour window.
A footnote: Market Metrix just released a survey that finds customer satisfaction with airlines fell to its lowest recorded level in six years.
“As airlines continue to struggle with flight delays, labor contracts and higher fuel prices,” the survey concludes, “consumers feel they are getting less for their money.”
By David Wilkening
Is the Financial Post right or wrong in its comments?
Airline propaganda remains “delusional”
The annual economic report by the Air Transport Association has its share of critics, some of whom are labeling it “propaganda” and “delusional.”
That’s the assessment of the Financial Post which equates it with the tobacco industry lobbyists of years ago that peddled “lies and half-truths to an unsuspecting public.”
The paper cites the report’s statement that “as your flight makes its way across the country or across the globe, airline employees -- onboard your flight and throughout the system -- are doing their best to make sure that your journey is safe, pleasant and on schedule.”
“Really? Tell that to the thousands of passengers who have been trapped on the tarmac in the last year,” it says.
The report says customer service is improving. “Airlines know that satisfied customers are loyal customers,” it said.
“Show me one survey that suggests even a small improvement in customer service. Just one,” responds the newspaper.
Airline flight delays costing $40 billion in the US economy are endemic, according to Congressional studies.
Airlines complain that the outdated air traffic control system is responsible but administrators continue to schedule all flights out of busy LaGuardia during a one-hour window.
A footnote: Market Metrix just released a survey that finds customer satisfaction with airlines fell to its lowest recorded level in six years.
“As airlines continue to struggle with flight delays, labor contracts and higher fuel prices,” the survey concludes, “consumers feel they are getting less for their money.”
By David Wilkening
Is the Financial Post right or wrong in its comments?