A truer conclusion will rarely be drawn. To all of you who hope that some sort of Congressionally endorsed piece of regulation is going to make air travel any better, then perhaps we could push for laws that would force Walmart to carry high quality, designer merchandise.
People choose with their wallets, simple economics. People want those planes to move efficiently, and at as low a cost as is possible. Quite often, even lower. And if a weather catastrophe mucks up the works, then people will scream that they aren't getting the service they demand. Not the service they will pay for, the service they
demand. There is a big difference folks.
JetBlue would not be in business were it not for the fact that they could undercut the big boys on price. More perks, less cost. That's been their mantra since day one. And, it's made them the highest rated US airline in terms of customer satisfaction for the last several years. But, this episode exposes that every cut corner weakens the whole structure. The same people who were patting them on the back for doing things so cheaply are now leading the charge to have their head. They will survive, but, I can guarantee you that it will come at the cost of fewer low cost flight options for people.
And I suspect that the ones who scream loudest at how people are being abused by the uncaring airlines will be the first to assault the "greed" of the airlines for charging higher prices. Same as the ones who fight Walmarts in the neighborhood are often the first in line, clutching their sales flyer and coupons, when the doors finally open.
It's economics folks. You can't take from one side of the ledger without putting something on the other. The market can sort it out. Government intervention can only make it worse.
Can anyone say TSA?
Good luck, and happy flying everyone
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Oh, and as an aside, I think I understand why so many people are so extremely horrified at the prospect of spending significant time inside an airplane on the ground. Based on some of the posts, it seems that it might have something to do with the fact that you can't light up while inside that plane. Hmmm. Might be why some people are so volatile? Maybe? But, that's another thread