How much will you pay for your drop down oxygen mask?

In-flight safety demonstration on board a Luft...

US airlines have been complaining about profits and loss of revenue and are thinking about innovative ways to get more money from their customers. The interesting thing is that they are driving their customers away with the petty way they are trying to save their business. We have some advice for the leadership of the major airlines companies and an easy way to increase customer traffic.

If you travel, and I am sure many of you have, you can almost recite the flight attendants messages, "...in the case of an emergency masks will automatically drop from above. Put your mask on first and then help children or others with theirs." The reason you do this is because if "you" are not panicking you will be able to help others later. If you don’t, you're out cold and then you add to the amount of victims. This is fairly sound reasoning and logical. So, why not charge for the use of the mask? The major airlines could take the leadership role and charge everyone $5 for potential use and make billions. Then, once they have forced them to pay for the mask...make the oxygen optional and charge for that too. Ok, you're probably thinking, what does this have to do with overall business strategy and being profitable? Actually quite a bit.

First and foremost, think about what airlines have forced their customers to do. First, you get charged for checking your baggage. This results in people packing carry on bags to the hilt and bringing with them on board. The result is less lost baggage, as recently reported by the major airlines, but increase in airline departure delays because of the need of more time for people to shove and push their way around while clobbering you in the head to get their bag into the overhead bin. And, flight attendants have increased their personal claims for back injuries helping to lift those heavy carry on bags. And what does the airline do, charge for carry on bags. Logically, I think, they are charging for a condition they created as well as problems in getting people seated so they can depart. This just doesn't sound fair to me.

Fixing the problem isn't as difficult as it may seem. It takes innovative leadership, an understanding of local culture, specifically US culture, and the presence of mind to think innovatively. Has it dawned on any of the CEOs that Americans will pay for quality service, for being treated with respect, and for comfort?

The plan: Allow for free bag check-in up to 50 lbs, per adult, regardless of the amount of bags. Allow for only one carry on per person and have it be a specific size, no exceptions. Preferably this should have a maximum size of the typical overhead sized carry-on, again no exceptions. Increase the cost of the ticket to a reasonable level that would cover the current add-on charges. Now, add some leg room, and offer a few amenities for free such as soft drinks and water. I can almost guarantee you will fill flights, you will gain customer loyalty, your customers will speak highly of your brand and your customer base will increase. I think it’s fairly obvious your ROI will be exceptional. Or, you may want to consider how much airline CEOs are willing to pay for their own oxygen masks.

Peter's Cafe - an imaginarium of insight, facts and opinion

Wednesday, April 7, 2010