$11 billion loss in 2009

[bicker]

In case anyone though that airlines were in some way getting out of the ditch they were in . . .

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32863124/ns/travel-business_travel/

. . . uh, guess not!

 

[Pirate-Jeff]

Maybe they should have treated us better in the past. I have been stranded, canceled and bumped to many times. Now we have a Motor home and I will just Drive

 

[bicker]

Treating you better probably would have as likely as not translated into more losses.

 

[uva185]

Maybe they should have treated us better in the past. I have been stranded, canceled and bumped to many times. Now we have a Motor home and I will just Drive

Bumping you would have actually generated more revenue for the airline as they can fill the plane with people paying full fare (several times more than the average leisure traveler pays)

 

[bavaria]

And nobody here cares, bicker, based on the number of posts and reads, and the posters who have posted on this thread so far. I am not surprised, are you? I often ask how a American adult with access to the internet and media can really believe that the US airlines are 'raking in' money. Hopefully people are off reading news sites and that is why nobody bothered to respond to your thread.

Oh, and I have no bicker at all with the way that 'the airlines' treated me over the last five years of flying well over 100,000 miles/year. None at all. But I do realise that I apparently travel in a parallel universe to most DIS posters.

 

[Brian Noble]

You know, to be fair, there are plenty of people here who do understand that the airlines are a business, in business to make money, and will go out of business if they can't.

We still, naturally, want a combination of fare and service that meets our needs, because as consumers, that is the job we must play in the free market economy. And, unsurprisingly, leisure travelers place a higher weight on fare than service. I don't see a reason to begrudge them that.

There are, of course, the few who complain irrationally that they want champagne service at Manischewitz prices. And, those folks would be well-served to see the error of their ways.

But, there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to pay less rather than more when possible. I certainly prefer it.

-brian, who only flies 30K miles per year, and spent more on his last single ticket to Montreal than on his last three tickets to Orlando.

 

[Lewisc]

The article indicates business/first class business is down 20%, coach only 5%.

A lot of posters don't realize how much $$$ last minute business travelers pay.

Airline pricing policy is to "overcharge" business fliers. That allows an airline to profitably offer low fares to leisure fliers.

The model no longer works. Companies are starting to use carriers like Jet Blue and Southwest. Companies are using video conferencing as an alternative to expensive airfare.

 

[Brian Noble]

Companies are using video conferencing as an alternative to expensive airfare.

I meet with one of my clients quite regularly using Cisco's WebEx tool. It's really quite amazing.

http://www.webex.com/

 

[DVC Sadie]

And nobody here cares, bicker, based on the number of posts and reads, and the posters who have posted on this thread so far. I am not surprised, are you? I often ask how a American adult with access to the internet and media can really believe that the US airlines are 'raking in' money. Hopefully people are off reading news sites and that is why nobody bothered to respond to your thread.

Oh, and I have no bicker at all with the way that 'the airlines' treated me over the last five years of flying well over 100,000 miles/year. None at all. But I do realise that I apparently travel in a parallel universe to most DIS posters.

I must fly in a parallel universe as well because I don't seem to have any problems with how the airlines have treated me over the years. If anything I have had great flights, FAs, and GAs.

The only problems we have ever had was with other passengers. Go figure.