News and notes from around the interweb:
- When you think about what would make American Airlines great you probably won’t come up with “more basic economy!” but American Airlines President Robert Isom says “Basic isn’t rolled out as extensively as we’d like it yet.”
Basic economy is a way of making the product worse on the bet that customers will spend more money to avoid it. In contrast businesses normally try to deliver more value for less money.
- Via Airline Weekly (subscription) Lufthansa’s Munich hub has higher margins than Frankfurt.
It was seemingly a message to Frankfurt’s operator Fraport, with whom Lufthansa’s relations are strained. The airline recently shifted some A380s form Frankfurt to Munich. And it complains openly about Fraport’s courtship of LCCs like Ryanair, its airport staffing, its service quality and its fees.
- United miles for BP gas now has a 500 mile signup bonus.
- How not to be a jerk at 30,000 feet
- Marriott’s $500 million plan to address Sheraton deficiencies focuses on “remak[ing] the lobby as ‘the heart and soul’ of the hotel”
Sheraton Denver Tech Center - A third domestic airline is launching in the Maldives. There’s certainly room for disruption since the major carrier Maldivian doesn’t guarantee its schedules until the last minute and offers a very basic service.
- Peacock kept off United flight gets special wedding invitation
- As democratic as air travel has become there are divergent expectations of appropriate dress for a flight
- Ryanair flight attendant says this isn’t their problem and in fact it isn’t.. (HT: Ryan Boyd)
@Ryanair after a 4 hour delay I get on board to then find your toilets/baby changing facilities like this its absolutely disgusting!I mentioned this to a staff memeber after I come out of there and his reply was not our problem!! I see there customer care is not very important!! pic.twitter.com/w659xgw1D3
— Ben Perry (@BenPerr76744586) June 10, 2018
In re: AA’s rollout of Basic Economy . . . just one more reason for NOT flying AA.
So whose problem is it
@anon the ground staff presumably … unless the mess was made on the current flight, it should be cleaned on the ground
I don’t understand hotel companies’ obsession with lobbies. I have zero desire to spend time in a hotel lobby beyond check in/out.
@anon —> Whose problem is what?
I have to talk to Mr. Isom. We need to stop doing this in drips and drabs and move directly to the end state. I thought I was clear, we need to have 2 cabins: business and basic economy, preferably with a wall and an armored door between them.
“Basic economy is a way of making the product worse on the bet that customers will spend more money to avoid it.”
Sneaky, sneaky AA.
This is almost the same as when restaurants hope you’ll choose the cheaper meal that gives them the higher profit margin.
@Dug Parker. Dug, we really need to focus on buying only planes that have that second entrance as well. Keep the Basics in their place.