Class Conflict in the Friendly Skies

See these images of life aboard some of the newer airliners hitting the skyways these days? You get the full comfort of home as well as your own private nook in which to enjoy the flight to wherever it is you are going. No longer do you have to schlep around in cramped seats with no food and no service right? Wrong. These images which you see are indeed enticing but aren't really the reality that you will be faced with even if you are fortunate enough to fly the friendly skies now and in the near future. How come? Simple. Class warfare.

Now class differentiation and differences have been around since the dark ages. I think it became a big deal again in recent years when people saw "Titanic" and saw how poor Jack Dawson and the rest of the third class passengers were treated when the ship began to sink (ill-feelings from Cal Hockley notwithstanding). Looking back on that time (almost exactly ten years ago now when the movie first came out) I remember discussion starting on how we as a society had moved past those types of attitudes and that there was greater parity these days than there had been then. In theory that may be true but in actuality I don't think it is at all, especially not in the airline industry.

If one looks at how the airline industry has been trending the last few years they certainly know where and how they are making money. I've blogged before on how by elmiminating olives from salads on longer duration flights where meals are actually served, airlines saved millions over the course of one year. By the same principle, by eliminating the need for meals on flights that previously served them then you're making much more money and charging the same amount for less service. Northwest Airlines eliminated the pretzel snacks from their flights and they found that they saved millions as well. What if your passengers get hungry? Well, in that case you can purchase a $5 snack pack full of snacks that together shouldn't cost more than $2 but I guess you have the 'luxury' of eating it in the air right?

Earlier this year, Spirit Airlines (an airline that offers cheap fares and no frills)made the news when an e-mail from chief executive B. Ben Baldanza hit the internet. In this e-mail, which was written in response to a disgruntled passenger's request for the airline to compensate him for missing a concert he was flying to, Baldanza bluntly responded in a manner which illustrates exactly how the airlines tend to look at us, the general flying public. Baldanza said, "Please respond, Pasquale, but we owe him nothing as far as I'm concerned. Let him tell the world how bad we are. He's never flown us before anyway and will be back when we save him a penny." To be fair, Baldanza and Spirit Airlines had offered up $200 vouchers for free flights (a lot considering the passenger in question only paid $73 for a roundtrip) and did make efforts to satisfy the passenger.

Still, while some airlines are making feeble attempts at making flights more pleasant for those of us stuck in coach, the difference in perks and attention is disparaging. One merely has to look at how many ammenities are available to those in premium classes compared to coach and you find out just how much is being spent on them vice what is being spent on us. Most airlines will admit that while premium passengers probably dont' make up more than 8% of their total passenger count, they account for nearly 36% of the revenue. That's fairly staggering when you think about it and one has to remember that if we pay $800 for a flight (international) then they pay nearly three times that to have the priviledge of having a fully reclining seat bed and other such perks.

Despite that fact, coach passengers continue to come out in droves. During the recent Thanksgiving rush, I'm sure that the majority of passengers flew coach and for short duration flights of a few hours it must not be that bad a deal to be stuffed into a cramped seat but for longer flights it can make even the most non-clausterphobic person feel as though the walls are closing in. And some airlines are only making it tighter. Since most airlines have elminated meal service for those in coach, why have a full galley? Eliminating the ovens and such in some airlines has resulted in more seats being brought in and by shrinking the seats (in addition to our collective growing girth) it makes for very tight travel. This is the reason why airlines are continuing to do well despite the occasional news of a bankrupt airline.

Over all they are finding that the most profitable business is coming from premium passengers so I suppose their logic is sound. Make life in coach a living hell and perhaps soon enough you can start making the entire plane premium. I wouldn't pay premium prices for a flight that is merely a few hours long since though I may be spoiled I'm not stupid enough to spend three times the amount when I'm eventually going to the same place. Still, for international flights it's certainly something worth considering. And another benefit to all the niceties being added to premium cabins these days is the fact that you will certainly have a restored sense of faith that the airlines aren't all completely interested in making your life miserable, just in coach.