Better Airplane Flights

 

My family and I travel by airplane many times a year for vacations. During our travels I have seen quite a range of accommodations and people in airports.  But why do so many people hate flying, and what should the airlines do to improve the overall experience?

One of the reasons we travel so frequently, is because my partner travels monthly for work, and we have learned to navigate the travel benefits and promotion programs.  Often we travel as a family with upgraded accommodations or discounted fares.  When you're getting a deal, your tolerance for poor service and cramped conditions tends to be higher.  But when you are paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to go somewhere, people expect more.  I have seen this with airline travel, but also with hotels and high-end restaurants.  Once you hit a certain cost, people get very hard to please, whether they have the disposable income to spend or not.

I also don't think most travelers trust the airlines.  The information they provide tends to be inconsistent based on the situation, and they are pretty good at maximizing their profits at the customer's expense.  For example, if you are researching the best fares between two locations, and you put in the same trip multiple times, the airlines may arbitrarily increase the fare price because they know you're interested in that route. This makes customers distrust the airlines, and question their motivations for other services they provide.  

Airlines should improve the travel experience by standardizing fares costs and accommodations.  What people get and pay should be consistent so that they know what they are paying for, and that it was the same cost as what the person sitting next to them paid.  There should be distinct cost and accoutrement associated with the different travel classes, and they should feel and look significantly different.

Just like there is a price where people expect more, there is also a price threshold where people are willing to accept less.  But that difference needs to be clearly defined, so that people understand the choice they have made.  

Have you been in a travel situation where things didn't feel fair, or that the person next to you paid a different amount for the same trip? Share your experience in the comments below.

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