I went to a conference in Las Vegas last week and should have been back in the office on Thursday, June 28.
The trip out there was OK (which is the most enthusiasm I can muster) but the trip back was a disaster. It's no wonder the US airline industry in general is a mess. These companies don't deserve our business. Those that are in bankruptcy deserve to be there. Frankly, they should just close.
Other than Southwest and Virgin, there are no airlines who really understand how to market themselves. The others don't even know who they are or who they're trying to serve.
Here are my thoughts on what these companies should do. They're really lessons for all other businesses in case we forget how to operate.
/1. Stop trying to be all things to all people. There are low-cost carriers who fill the low-cost void very well. Southwest immediately comes to mind of course. Let them have that market segment if you can't at least equal their efforts. Eliminate routes that aren't profitable for you.
2. Charge enough money to make a profit. This is basic business mathmatics that any high school student (or younger) could tell you. You must make more money than you spend. If you airlines aren't making enough money, then eliminate waste and raise your prices! Cover the costs of food and basic beverages to your passengers. It's outrageous that you charge people so you can give them BAD food! Put in nicer bathrooms. Fumigate your planes! (the one I was on from Vegas to what turned out to be Charlotte, NC smelled like a stairwell to the Philly subway!)
I fly Spirit Airlines only because of their location (out of Atlantic City). On my recent trip, they charged me $10 to check my bag! Now I'm being punished for taking CLOTHES with me?! If I didn't want to pay it, I'd have to dump all the liquids in my suitcase that were in containers bigger than 3.4 ounces! Can't you just raise the price of the ticket 10$ and not TELL me you're charging me to check my bag? People will pay for quality service and for complete service. In the words of author Dan Pink who was one of the keynote speakers at my conference, "Competing on price sends you into a death spiral." Change your business model.
3. Take out some seats and give people more room. I'm 5ft. 1inch tall and weigh 115 pounds. I feel like a sardine crammed in one of those coach seats. How do people bigger than me stand it? I'd pay more for a more comfortable seat and I'll bet others would too.
4. Make service a priority at every level of the organization. If you're not going to hire the best possible employees, then please make the commitment to train the ones you've got. If you're not going to train them, then at least correct or even get rid of those that don't perform their jobs at a decent level of service. And, if you made enough money, you could pay people a decent wage and afford to staff enough people so those who are actually service-oriented wouldn't get so worn out that they can no longer give good service because they're exhausted!
I hate flying anymore. It's bad enough that we're all afraid of a terrorist attack, can't you airline people make the experience at least a LITTLE more pleasant?
My husband wants to go to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the fall. We're driving.
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