News and notes from around the interweb:
- Southwest’s new ad campaign focuses playfully on no fees. It’s important to focus on no checked bag fees. No change fees isn’t a big differentiator – they should point out no basic economy.
Yet the biggest miss of all: Southwest always fails to market that they offer more legroom than standard coach on American, United and Delta. The number one differentiator for inflight experience, and the most expensive thing to offer passengers, is more space on the aircraft. Yet they never tell this story.
- Five years in, British Airways is finally beginning retrofit of Boeing 787-8 and -9s with new business class suites
- United Airlines finally bringing back business class meal service served in courses, rather than a single tray (single tray ‘express service’ still remains an option)
- Lufthansa will offer a status match to SAS EuroBonus Gold members with the Star Alliance carrier decamping for SkyTeam under Air France control.
- Oops, United already under FAA scrutiny..
United Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating how a passenger gained access to the cockpit of a 757 at cruise altitude in violation of the company’s policy and FAA regulations. pic.twitter.com/E2yQwSbEy8
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) April 19, 2024
- Amsterdam bans construction of new hotels
to protect incumbent owners from competitionto ‘fight overtourism’.A new hotel in Amsterdam can only be built if another hotel closes, if the number of sleeping places doesn’t increase, and if the new hotel will be better – for example, more sustainable.
- Advice for the bride, Southwest Airlines-style:
Surely Southwest has done some polling, and the no bag fees line sells better than the extra leg room line.
Maybe Amsterdam could focus on what parts of it’s society leads to overtourism and consider limits on them. Limiting hotel rooms will create collateral situations.
Amsterdam no longer wants budget and “partying” tourists. Centraal Train Station Doubletree $500+ per night. (It’s not that nice and a crew layover hotel.)
While I have no doubt that the Amsterdam hotel ban will eventually have the effect you mention, I sincerely doubt that is the purpose of the law. Amsterdam has been desperately trying to ease off tourism for years. I think this law may be shortsighted unless it also deals with VRBO and similar rentals as well.
Southwest Airlines should really switch to assigned seats.
Decades ago, when my state first allowed self serve gas, it coexisted with full serve at a higher price. Soon, full serve was gone. For years, people would pine for the return of full serve, stating they’d pay an even larger premium. I chuckled because I knew that 90% of them wouldn’t. So, DL offers a Y fare at 31″ for $300 an Y+ at 34″ for $400. They could only offer one Y at 34″ for $3??. Why not? They would lose too many to a competitor selling 31″ (or less) for $300. People love to b!tch about pitch, but still Y+ doesn’t sell out before Y. Maybe SW thinks pitch doesn’t sell.
“Yet the biggest miss of all: Southwest always fails to market that they offer more legroom than standard coach on American, United and Delta. The number one differentiator for inflight experience, and the most expensive thing to offer passengers, is more space on the aircraft. Yet they never tell this story.”
I could swear WN’s seats are wider also. I felt cramped as all get out on a UA -900 in coach; and I know it wasn’t just the lack of legroom, because I remember an odd gap between the window armrest and the cabin wall.
Southwest should NOT go with assigned seating… they are getting 100% of people like me that HATE assigned seating… that with 2 bags free is why fly exclusively Southwest domestically.
Assigned seating causes more problems than it solves. Getting flight attendants into interactions with families thst can’t seat together etc.