Bjerknes

"Top Economist"
Mar 16, 2004
116,176
i hate all airlines

all they do is perpetually fuck over all their customers in every way possible
They have to do it to stay in business.

Would you rather have no airlines in this country or have a 25% chance of dying by means of a plane crash? Because that's what would happen if they'd throw away safety precautions all for keeping you pampered in flight while the cabin is suffering from de-pressurization issues.
 

Martin

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2000
56,913
They have to do it to stay in business.

Would you rather have no airlines in this country or have a 25% chance of dying by means of a plane crash? Because that's what would happen if they'd throw away safety precautions all for keeping you pampered in flight while the cabin is suffering from de-pressurization issues.
que? who said anything about safety?
 

.zero

★ ★ ★
Aug 8, 2006
82,915
i don't think you understand what i am getting at

you don't delay a flight and then tell your customers that they will have to sort out their connections once they arrive at their destination. especially when international travel is involved.

these airlines just take your money and literally leave you out to dry. they mishandle luggage, cancel flights, don't refund your money but give you miles credits which are unusable because they raise teh mile rates so you end up spending more money by paying the difference on the flights.

its a horrible industry that will never change for the better. i don't care what economic trauma it goes through. nothing justifies the customer service provided by this industry.
 

Martin

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2000
56,913
I think you guys are way more screwed than us. We have consumer protection laws against this crap. I still think we need more though. What bothers me most is how much time you have to waste on a flight that's pretty short in itself. Just because they're so damn inefficient, demanding that you show up an hour before the flight and that kind of bs.

Still, in practice things are not so bad here. If you pick an airline that's not one of the cheapass ones then they generally get you to where you're going even if something screws up, they work around it nicely.
 

Seven

In bocca al lupo, Fabio.
Jun 25, 2003
39,346
I had an exam this morning, but I'd never gone to the classes before. So I go in and much to my surprise I see a man who looks A LOT like William Shatner. My first reaction was to laugh and say "you can't be a lawyer, you just play one on tv". My second reaction was to ask the girl standing next to me whether she saw him too, because I thought I was going insane. I got my act together and in the end I was able to finish the exam, but man it was weird.
 

.zero

★ ★ ★
Aug 8, 2006
82,915
I think you guys are way more screwed than us. We have consumer protection laws against this crap. I still think we need more though. What bothers me most is how much time you have to waste on a flight that's pretty short in itself. Just because they're so damn inefficient, demanding that you show up an hour before the flight and that kind of bs.

Still, in practice things are not so bad here. If you pick an airline that's not one of the cheapass ones then they generally get you to where you're going even if something screws up, they work around it nicely.
its really depressing and disgusting here
 

Martin

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2000
56,913
its really depressing and disgusting here
If you fly with an airline here (at least in Scandinavia) and they lose your luggage they will bring it to you as soon as they find it (the next day). Either that or give restitution. That's not just being nice, that's their legal obligation.

If they cancel a flight they're obligated to get you on a later one. I was flying a while back and they had screwed up, had a big delay. So to get out of the jam they announced at the gate that they offer people 250 euros (double the cost of a one way ticket) to wait for a connection the following day (hotel paid).
 

.zero

★ ★ ★
Aug 8, 2006
82,915
Dru, the Airlines have to cut back somewhere, and you better not hope it's not safety precautions they choose.

If you hate it so much, don't fly.
how do you cut back on customer service? its not a tangible thing. are you saying its justifiable because they have to cut back to treat their customers like shit?

get into the real world andrew, you obviously have no idea what i am getting at. you are inferring that they are sacrificing "giving a fuck" about their customers over safety? sorry man, but we are talking about 2 separate things.

the problem is that airlines have always done shit like this, their standard of facilitating customers has been low even prior to the current economic situation. any industry benchmark for CS that was set is utter bullshit. its like saying "well its not that bad now is it?"
 

Bjerknes

"Top Economist"
Mar 16, 2004
116,176
This is a red herring as I see it. Safety standards are regulated, there's no cutting possible there. So why bring it up.
There are some things they can do to just meet the standards while still cutting back.

But people have got to understand that those airlines have to cut back somewhere, and one place is customer service. That's probably the first place.
 

Bjerknes

"Top Economist"
Mar 16, 2004
116,176
how do you cut back on customer service? its not a tangible thing. are you saying its justifiable because they have to cut back to treat their customers like shit?

get into the real world andrew, you obviously have no idea what i am getting at. you are inferring that they are sacrificing "giving a fuck" about their customers over safety? sorry man, but we are talking about 2 separate things.

the problem is that airlines have always done shit like this, their standard of facilitating customers has been low even prior to the current economic situation. any industry benchmark for CS that was set is utter bullshit. its like saying "well its not that bad now is it?"
US Airways cut hundreds of customer service jobs, added travel fees for extra baggage, and decided to cut many in-flight services in meals and refreshments. Those are facts, Dru.

And as I said, don't fly then, drive.
 

.zero

★ ★ ★
Aug 8, 2006
82,915
If you fly with an airline here (at least in Scandinavia) and they lose your luggage they will bring it to you as soon as they find it (the next day). Either that or give restitution. That's not just being nice, that's their legal obligation.

If they cancel a flight they're obligated to get you on a later one. I was flying a while back and they had screwed up, had a big delay. So to get out of the jam they announced at the gate that they offer people 250 euros (double the cost of a one way ticket) to wait for a connection the following day (hotel paid).
there are similar practices here but it all depends on the situation and the airline. the primary issue is airlines overbooking on flights. i've noticed this trend becoming more frequent especially with the larger airlines. its almost sickening to think that this could be part of their new revenue model.
 

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