This weekend we take a fanciful look at what the world would look like if it were run by the airlines. We read about paid upgrades that allow us to get (often at a discount) last minute upgrades to bigger rooms or better seats. And, we examine the roll of cellphone lots on airport pickups.
If the world were run like airlines
Scott McCartney starts his whimsical story ths way.
The airline way of doing business is unique—few other businesses have as many rules and restrictions, taxes and fees, frustrations and disruptions. Not many other businesses have such varied and ever-changing pricing for their products. And rare is the business that hits its customers with penalties of hundreds of dollars.
Then he starts some rollicking comparisons.
Prices at Subwings go up closer to lunchtime, when demand for sandwiches peaks. It may cost more to produce a sandwich with roast beef than tuna, but if the bankers across the street prefer tuna, it’s going to be the most expensive sandwich on the menu.
Subwings pays close attention to competitors. If Joe’s Subs dropped bologna from its menu, Subwings would quickly double the price on bologna sandwiches.
At Subwings, customers must return their trays to an upright and locked position before departing.
The story goes on to compare the airlines’ way of doing business in sections titled Airmazon.com, Hotel L’Aire (beds, air conditioning, etc., come for a fee), The Newark Pilots (comparing airline tickets to baseball tickets), and the Whole Fare Market (first class shopping vs. coach).
Finding Deals With Paid Upgrades
Airlines and hotels are finding ways to get you to upgrade to the next best thing — for a fee. Airline passengers can move from coach to business class or first class at the last minute based on availability. Hotels are doing the same by shifting clients from the basic rooms to the executive floor or a suite for an affordable last-minute sum.
Hotels, airlines and car rental agencies are more aggressively promoting the chance to upgrade your room, seat or set of wheels for a price that is often (but not always) less than you would have paid if you had reserved that business-class ticket or hotel suite in the first place.
Usually, these offers are presented at check-in, when travel companies figure it’s too late to sell their premium inventory to somebody else. But sometimes the upselling begins just after you’ve booked.
Elite members of travel loyalty programs are not necessarily happy about this development, because it can mean fewer free upgrades for them, although some companies are figuring out ways to keep these perks in the mix for their most loyal customers.
Cellphone lots becoming a key airport feature
I remember driving to pick a family member at the airport when I had to dodge the police, sit in front of the arrivals doors until I was shooed away and then circle dozens of times waiting for my brother, father or mother to appear. In Philadelphia, like scores of other cities, everyone had to do the same until the dawn of cellphone lots.
That was before Philadelphia International Airport opened a convenient 150-space cellphone waiting lot in December 2009 on airport property — just one minute from the terminals.
Great. Terrific. Handy. Easy to find. And, best of all, free. Drivers interviewed among the 80 to 100 cars streaming into the lot Wednesday afternoon were enthusiastic.
“It’s wonderful to have this and not have to go into short-term parking, and worry that if the flight is delayed, you will have to pay extra,” said Jamie Kravec of West Chester, waiting for the “I’m here” call from her boyfriend, flying in from Seattle.
It is pretty amazing that such a small change can solve what was once such a big problem.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
