Very nice to see (nostalgia)

[gus]

Hello,

www.funstufftosee.com/airlineempires.html

Cheers.

[Mike Monce - HJG]

Fantastic.. with a bittersweet ending

I wonder if airline travel will ever get back to its roots of service and comfort, or stay in its current "cattle car" mode?

Mike

[aerofoto - HJG Admin]

I thought with the progressive introduction of the A380 we might see a return to a more lavish type of service being provided by some carriers (at least those that don't exploit to the maximum the mega-space available on that aircraft) .... and indeed some carriers are, or were at least, marketing grandoise ideas precisely along those lines.

Do you remember when most B747 upper decks were dedicated lounges/bars .... until that space was filled with more seats which make a lot more money than lounges/bars ?

How things have changed since the 1970's.

I dearsay the same will eventually happen too in respect of the A380 .... as markets grow and airlines need the space to make more money.

So far as PAX comforts/service is concerned .... most of the airline industry today, and likely throughout the future too (probably more by necessity than intention), is committed to doing "much less" for "MUCH MORE" .... $$$$

That's just how priorities and the natural scheme of things changes with each decade/generation .... I guess !

Mark C
AKL/NZ

[louross]

I see the problem with bad pax sevice is that the pax complain about higher prices. There have been special service companies in the States that didn't last long because pax want low fares, which equals poor service.

[cx880]

Jul 29, 2008 20:23:46 GMT aerofoto - HJG Admin said:

I thought with the progressive introduction of the A380 we might see a return to a more lavish type of service being provided by some carriers (at least those that don't exploit to the maximum the mega-space available on that aircraft) .... and indeed some carriers are, or were at least, marketing grandoise ideas precisely along those lines.

I had a friend of mine who takes occasional trips to India and other places in that part of the world ask me in an excited tone if I'd heard about how luxurious the A380 would be, and thank God Singapore were getting some of them. (Whether that's true or not, I don't know.) Like you, I instantly recalled the 747 and reminded her of that fact. She was quite disappointed, having never heard of 747s being anything other than mass transport.

I'm not entirely sure what changed about the industry, or society, to where people demanded or tolerated bare minimums of comfort for travel, whereas there used to be competition on the basis of luxury and quality of service.

It would appear that the airlines were victims of similar forces that they used to doom long-range passenger trains; no matter how luxurious or affordable the trains were, 'get there right now' seemed to win out. Now, it seems that people are willing to tolerate Ryanair and other indignities so long as it's cheap. Perhaps the march to the lowest price as sole arbiter of patronage has been faster for the airlines because of deregulation?

I don't fly at all, but I resolved several years ago that I'd rather do something else rather than deal with Ryanair, after their CEO announced to the Wall Street Journal that people just had to accept a lower standard of service.

Whether he means "for the money they pay" or "regardless of any consideration", he seemed like a vile fellow. My transportation dollar will be spent on comfort and style---getting there's half the fun.

[garryrussell]

It's simple

Mass travel came about because the airlines wanted to cash in on the majority of people who just could not afford to fly as things were

To get from where I live to London costs about ten per cent to 25 percent of an average weeks pay

Until the mid nineties it cost one and a half times a weeks pay.

What a lot of folk don't realise when they travel and yearn for the old days, is, in the old days they would not be travelling at all.

I think it is far better now than it was.you can still by an expensive ticket if you want the luxury, I just wish they would do something about the unpleasantness of the airport terminal experience.

Garry