How would you run the airlines?

[bavaria]

That sounds like a fun trip. I am jealous.

hmm... I have a different definition of 'fun'! 'MD-80' was bad enough, but soon-to-be-mothballed MD-80 made me shudder.....

 

[TDC Nala]

Unless the flight is 4-5 hours or more, no food, no drinks provided. Bring your own (of course you would have to buy drinks in the airport).

Pay extra for all advance seating assignments except for infants in car seats and one parent.

Charge extra for everything but middle seats in front of the wings.

Offer incentives for anyone who will move to let a child under 10 sit with a parent, where necessary.

First checked bag is free but only one carryon per person permitted. You can have that either under your seat or in the overhead. No exceptions. If it's in the overhead, it must fit there - strictly enforced. Suitcases must be the type that don't have to be turned sideways and take up half the compartment (my suitcase fits but only with the wheels out, not in, because it has four wheels...I don't see the difference if it fits. Yes, there are some planes it won't fit on unless it's turned sideways).

Everyone must buy a ticket. Infants included. Parents should bring a car seat for an infant.

Don't weigh the passengers. Weigh the luggage.

 

[bavaria]

Pay extra for all advance seating assignments except for infants in car seats and one parent.

This is an interesting one - BA started to do this on a sliding scale - at x days out, y passenger can select seats. Basically adults iwith no children don't get to preselect seats until time of online check in, leaving them with the most unpopular seats.

There is quite an uproar online, and many suspect that it will backfire. My sister is one who just decided to no longer book BA longhaul for this reason - she took her business to another carrier.

 

[safetymom]

I think if they tried to do that in the US you would find many businessmen and women upset that they couldn't preselect their seat. They already do charge on some airlines for certain rows of aisle and window seats. That is good enough.

 

[TDC Nala]

This is an interesting one - BA started to do this on a sliding scale - at x days out, y passenger can select seats. Basically adults iwith no children don't get to preselect seats until time of online check in, leaving them with the most unpopular seats.

There is quite an uproar online, and many suspect that it will backfire. My sister is one who just decided to no longer book BA longhaul for this reason - she took her business to another carrier.

I can imagine. That's why I limited it to infants. Anyone with older kids would have an incentive to make sure they can check in at x days out.

I think the way Southwest does it works - parents can do what needs to be done to get an A pass, or if they have a kid under 5 they can board after the A group. That's enough to ensure that little kids get to sit with a parent, but not that the parents and children plus extended families take up all the most desirable seating. I don't know how they'd do this with even 24 hour preselected seating though.

I am afraid I wasn't thinking too much about the preferences of businesspeople. Don't shoot me, but I'm just one of those leisure travelers.

 

[CarolA]

This is an interesting one - BA started to do this on a sliding scale - at x days out, y passenger can select seats. Basically adults iwith no children don't get to preselect seats until time of online check in, leaving them with the most unpopular seats.

There is quite an uproar online, and many suspect that it will backfire. My sister is one who just decided to no longer book BA longhaul for this reason - she took her business to another carrier.

I would join your sister. I am not going to be a second class citizen because I didn't have a child! LOL! BA's seating assigments have always been an issue to me and this would be the final blow.

 

[bavaria]

I am afraid I wasn't thinking too much about the preferences of businesspeople. Don't shoot me, but I'm just one of those leisure travelers.

My sister is 'one of those leisure travellers' too... But I completely understand her frustation; like Carol says, why should she be penalized for not travelling with a child?

But I do like your idea to charge for infants - lap seating is something which I do think should go away. The only reason people choose it I would surmise is as a cost savings (and hopefully this thread won't become a lap seating debate) But I don't see any reason for someone to choose lap seating other than cost.

 

[safetymom]

I don't have a problem with leisure travelers if they are aware and informed when they get to the airport.

 

[localdriver]

If you don't like the new fees how would you run your airline of choice?

It seems people have gotten used to low fares and are upset over this latest round of fees.

So if you were running the airline what would you do?

I would go to the main issue, weight. Weight increases fuel usage. I hit the scales at 235. I should pay more than someone at 160. Same goes for luggage. It would be all about weight. Everyone and their baggage would be weighed and charged or credited a surcharge accordingly based on an average advertised fare.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I would go to the main issue, weight. Weight increases fuel usage. I hit the scales at 235. I should pay more than someone at 160. Same goes for luggage. It would be all about weight. Everyone and their baggage would be weighed and charged or credited a surcharge accordingly based on an average advertised fare.

Its funny to think about this. Obesity is an issue in this country (not saying you're obese, you could be really muscular as far as I know), but the biggest way to make people change is to hit their pocket books. If you're a frequenty traveler and constantly have to pay a weight surcharge, you might try to change your eating habits.

 

[rico567]

"If you're a frequenty traveler and constantly have to pay a weight surcharge, you might try to change your eating habits."

Just what we need....social engineering via airline fares. At least it's worse than all the things I've seen in this thread that amount to nothing but saying "The airlines can solve all their problems by making things more convenient for me." (There have also been a number of good suggestions, too.)

The real problem is the airlines' survival. The big disaster (which is never far away) is massive default across the US airline industry. A likely outcome would then be nationalization (like some crack-brains propose for the oil industry). If you think it couldn't be worse than it is now, just wait.

"Airtrak"..... talk about fear of flying.

 

[MrMarv]

I have to agree about reducing the number of flights between various pairs of cities until the load factors are over 90%.

I read somewhere that there are twenty flights a day between NY & Toronto, which is too high IMHO, unless all of those planes are 757s or larger and packed with passengers.

The hub-and-spoke system is indeed a dinosaur; no argument there.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

That sounds like a fun trip. I am jealous.

It's not a trip, really... more like a commute! You know it's bad when the Starbucks baristas in 12 major airports know your drink before you order...

 

[Mikelly1221]

I would join your sister. I am not going to be a second class citizen because I didn't have a child! LOL! BA's seating assigments have always been an issue to me and this would be the final blow.

My sister is 'one of those leisure travellers' too... But I completely understand her frustation; like Carol says, why should she be penalized for not travelling with a child?

But I do like your idea to charge for infants - lap seating is something which I do think should go away. The only reason people choose it I would surmise is as a cost savings (and hopefully this thread won't become a lap seating debate) But I don't see any reason for someone to choose lap seating other than cost.

Ok, I can completely understand you not traveling with children not wanting to be treated like 2nd class citizens-no one does. And I also think lap seating should go away. I have always purchased tickets for my children at all ages and they have always sat in their carseats during the flight. I just believe it's safer in case of a problem.

Having said that (and based on a bad experience), I think airlines should book children next to 1 parent or guardian-and those reservations would be linked, no matter what changes happened (schedule change, equipment change, etc.). The rest of the family could be scattered hither and yon, but each child 10 and younger needs to be sitting next to one parent or guardian. Is this something that people travelling with and without children could agree upon?