Airline CEOs Beg Customers To Push Congress On Speculation

CNN money ^ | 7-9-08 | CNN

[NoLibZone]

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Expecting to lose an estimated $10 billion this year because of skyrocketing fuel costs, chief executives of the country's biggest airlines Wednesday resorted to begging their customers to press Congress for tougher regulation of energy markets.

[americanophile]

Customers to Airline CEOs: Drop dead. You treat as like cattle, don’t expect us to guard the herd too.

[Prole]

Also related:

US Airways cuts all movies from their domestic flights:

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2008/07/08/20080708biz-talker0709-ON.html

US Airways and United want 15 bucks for a checked bag, and US Airways wants 2 bucks for each in-flight soda:

http://www.worldhum.com/weblog/item/the_long_descent_us_airways_to_charge_2_for_soft_drinks_20080613/

Passengers may soon pay airfare depending on how much they weigh:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aNsp.l2CJ1jk

[kbennkc]

Maybe Maxine Waters will run your company for you since you are unable to do so without nanny government interfering with markets .

[ZULU]

There are only two ways out of this mess.

1) CLOSE THE ENRON LOOPHOLE

2) Allow drilling on ANWAR, in the midwest, and off shore drilling.

Long-term:

Coal and nuclear power augmented by solar and wind power.

[xDGx]

+1

I quit flying altogether, half because of the TSA and their foolishness and half because of the bean counters running the buses in the sky. And I was that most prized of all: a last-minute business traveler who regularly paid top buck to go where needed.

Some people bemoan the downsizing of the airline industry. Living under the approach for a reasonably large airport, I relish the quiet as my sleep is less often disturbed by planes on their way in or out. If they all went under tomorrow, I would not shed a tear.

[Prole]

If they all went under tomorrow, it would be for a lack of creative innovation and quality service while facing their problems.

It seems to me that absolute fools are running the airline industry from both the corporate and government sides.

Hostile customer service, prolonged stays on the tarmac, overflowing toilets, no food/drink services, crybaby Muslims, incompetent TSA thugs, bacteria and disease prone "shoe free" inspection zones, crowded seating conditions, additional fees for everything, tiny overhead compartments crammed with oversized bags, fear of lawsuits, lost baggage, filthy passengers, recyled cabin air that is loaded with germs, insects and other pests on board, overbooked flights, etc...

When will Sinatra's era return?

[Paleo Conservative]

Airlines are some of the biggest speculators. Southwest’s oil price hedging is speculation.

[Gondring]

Good capitalist solutions there!

[xDGx]

the no shoe nonsense was what sealed the deal for me. I wear sandals at the health club while using the showers and amazingly have managed to go through life without athlete’s foot. I’ll be damned if I am going to stick my feet in the petri dish rugs that guard the entrance to commercial flight. Instead of sending a message (preferably by trebuchet) to the ‘Religion of Peace’ and dropping Richard Reid on Mecca from 35,000 feet, we instead treat EVERYBODY ELSE like a criminal.

[Gondring]

Airlines are some of the biggest speculators. Southwest’s oil price hedging is speculation.

And Southwest was notably absent from the list of those who want their bad bets covered. Southwest made a good bet ("hedged") and they are benefitting from the risk. I'm sure the otherw souldn't be calling for this if THEY had bet right.

[Gondring]

Yep. I recall when barricades and restrictions were put up after Oklahoma City. Shoulda dropped a Timothy McVeigh on DC and all would have been fine. </sarc>

[rottndog]

...resorted to begging their customers to press Congress for tougher regulation of energy markets.

I think I'll pass on that one. However, I will press Congress for tougher regulation of pilots, mechanics, and flight attendants unions....the true culprits in woes of the airline industry.

[traviskicks]

I never realized corporate America was so stupid.

[BulletBobCo]

Instead of sending a message (preferably by trebuchet) to the ‘Religion of Peace’ and dropping Richard Reid on Mecca from 35,000 feet, we instead treat EVERYBODY ELSE like a criminal.

Instead of taking our shoes off, can you imagine what TSA would be demanding of us had Reid stuck a stick of dynamite up where the sun doesn't shine?

[fabian]

it’s stupid to have a commodity like oil which is the life blood of our economy, be part of a market which can and is being manipulated for higher profit. Totally crazy...O’reilly gets it...much more flex fuel and other alternatives now so we will have good competition for all consumers. For us to only be able to choose gasoline is not the free market at work, it is a type of monopoly which is ending, thank God.

[xDGx]

Instead of taking our shoes off, can you imagine what TSA would be demanding of us had Reid stuck a stick of dynamite up where the sun doesn't shine?

Then they would have turned the job over to the IRS ;)

[weegee]

How are those new electric planes coming? Windmill powered? Atomic catapult?

[Prole]

I have solutions to most, if not all, of these problems.

1.) Hostile customer service: Each employee of my airline will address each customer as Sir or Ma'am, and treat them with utmost respect. They will also wear nametags complete with ID numbers in the event that a customer is mistreated. The ID number system will keep the employees in check because they know how easily they can be identified by the customer. For each complaint filed by the customer, there will be a counseling session. After the third or fourth counseling session (depending on the nature of the complaint), the employee may be suspended or terminated for any rude or harsh behavior toward the customer. If the customer was the problem, then that can also be considered during the counseling sessions carried out by the supervisors.

2.) Prolonged stays on the tarmac: Federal law should allow for any folks stranded on the tarmac for more than 1.5 hours to be de-planed immediately. No exceptions. Anything over 2 hours will warrant a full investigation into the company responsible, and fines may be given to the airline if deemed appropriate by a judge.

3.) Overflowing toilets: Punishable by extremely harsh fines. Sanitation and disease exposure are serious health risks on board the airlines, and I will impose heavy fines on any aircraft inspected by FAA personnel with an overflowing toilet.

4.) no food/drink services: If the flight is more than 3 hours, an in-flight meal/drink service will be provided. Its cost will be incorporated into the final airfare price prior to ticket sale.

5.) crybaby Muslims: FBI background checks for all Muslims entering US airports. Increased recruitment incentives to armed US Air Marshals (accredited university and firearm educated personnel only) includes TAX FREE status to all personnel who on duty in this department. Incidentally, this ties into my plan for TAX FREE status to all personnel who work in life-threatening US government jobs. My TAX FREE strategy would be geared toward all active duty military folks, Coast Guard, FBI field agents, and other federal security personnel. Once these services meet their REAL personnel numbers to sustain their forces effectively, these forces can be more selective with who they hire/recruit, and they will also be more able to fire/remove personnel who don't belong.

6.) incompetent TSA thugs: Privatize Airport Security so that it is contracted to a security firm that can fire/suspend/sue any security agent who wrongfully mistreats, harms, insults, sexually molests customers in the airport. TSA personnel are cut back dramatically, and the personnel who remain on staff are college educated and TAX FREE. They will be expected to perform fairly and honestly. Any misconduct will be reported to the regional FAA office for disciplinary action (Department of Homeland Security should create something of a UCMJ process for the TSA). The TSA should be placed into areas that are out of sight, and are in more of a surveillance role (Security camera control, infared cameras, motion detection, this type of thing).

7.) bacteria and disease prone "shoe free" inspection zones: No more of this. Someone help me out here.

8.) crowded seating conditions: Rip out these cramped seating conditions in favor of something more comfortable to sit in. Increase the airfare cost a bit, but drop the concept of "sardines in a tin can." It's detrimental to the hope that customers will return.

9.) additional fees for everything: Rather than tack on extra fees for everything, come up with a solitary cost for each ticket that is less obvious. Yes, I know my concepts will create an increased cost for the consumer, but the pain, anger and disease factors go down with my ideas.

10.) Tiny overhead compartments crammed with oversized bags: A reduction in the tiny chairs crammed into each bird will diminish the number of people crammed onto each bird. Make the compartments a little larger by modestly increasing their size. Enforce the policy of size for each bag carried on. I see way too many bags coming onto airplanes that should have never been allowed in the first place. Now that these oversized bags are on the bird, that means less room for folks who are doing the right thing by bringing appropriate sized bags.

11.) fear of lawsuits: Cut down on this fear by imposing new federal laws that protect Americans from hostile Mohammedan savages who are intentionally provoking fear on the planes and in the airports. If a Muslim behaves suspiciously, have him booted off the plane and/or arrested. Have the Air Marshals make the call. Incidentally, no Muslims should be allowed to be Air Marshals as this imposes a National Security risk. Mohammedan infiltration units would take advantage of the concept of Air Security if their own people are already in the system. 12.) lost baggage: Someone help me out here.

13.) filthy passengers: Someone help me out here.

14.) recyled cabin air that is loaded with germs: Increase the number of fresh oxygen tanks onboard each plane to correlate with the number of passengers and the number of hours each bird is in the air. Because we live in the era of airborne illnesses, this is a critical issue.

15.) insects and other pests on board: I don't even know how to start on this one.

16.) overbooked flights: Why is it that the airlines overbook these flights? There should be one universal, digital system for each flight. Once I get online, select my seat and pay with my credit card, that seat should be mine and mine only. My airline would use a digital system to track and record each seat as the customer selects and pays for it. Once all the seats are paid for, my online page would not allow for anymore bookings.

Alright, I am tired. I tried to answer each of my own problems to the best of my ability.

[Prole]

I would like to make a quick correction:

"Incidentally, this ties into my plan for TAX FREE status to all personnel who work in life-threatening US government jobs."

What i meant to communicate was:

Incidentally, this ties into my plan for TAX FREE status to all personnel who work in extremely dangerous US government jobs. IE, federal folks whose lives are regularly in harm's way should be TAX FREE.