Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: Syntheticuser
They need to do something with the airlines. They are just pathetic. I hope something like this works safely. Those jerks made a two year old kid ride on his mother's lap after they took the kid's seat that they lady paid for. Such jerks. They all need to go bankrupt. This would help bring another sensible way to travel. Those idiots deserve to lose their jobs.
Fascinating, how you can draw such firm conclusions without facts...
They did, in fact, go bankrupt. Most of them.
In your specious example, the real jerk was the guy that showed up, saw a seat duplication and then took the kid's seat, and said nothing. The mother who said nothing makes me wonder as well...then she immediately brings up her race and how she was "scared"...you don't see an agenda in that?
I've seen seat duplications, they happen, even with computers...and the folks involved are always quite loud about it...so, why was nothing said?
The ugly reality of airlines is this: they have provided what consumers demand.
Forbes: Airlines provide what consumers want
Every time an airline provides better service (more room, more amenities) it fails to sell. People don't want to pay for it. People look at pictures of air travel in the 60s and romanticize it. They see how roomy coach was back then. Well, of course it was. Because they were regulated, and a coach seat, round trip, cost over $1,000. When my Dad paid $2,800 for his new Ford wagon.
I sat next to a passenger the other day who made comments similar to yours. "The airlines are all terrible, they provide a lousy product, I wish Emirates flew in the US, like those Jennifer Aniston ads. You know, real air travel!" So, together, we looked up what it cost to book an Emirates suite to London...a whole suite to yourself...sounds great, right?
$30,000
Each way.
Sure, you can get better, but you, the traveling public, aren't willing to pay for it.
So, the airlines give you what you want: cheap. And they have to fill up the planes to make a profit. So, every overhead bin is full, and every middle seat has someone in it. Sorry for the experience, but it's what you want.
And the airlines have a 4-7% profit margin. Perilously thin. Far more thin than most industries.
So, I recommend that you look into fractional ownership of your own business jet. You can experience real air travel. Lots of room. Direct service. Exactly what you want when you want it.
Otherwise, you'll have to settle for what the public demands: cheap and crowded.
The market has spoken.
What I read was that the little kid's boarding pass wasn't scanned. I can see that happening; trying to get a 2 year old ready to board. Since the boarding pass didn't scan, the airline thought they had an empty seat.
The guy they gave the seat doesn't know any of this. He's on standby and given a seat. He sees a little kid in the seat doesn't know it was the kid's seat he took if no one tells him. I've sat next to mothers and their little kids on planes. Never occurred to me I was kicking the kid out of their seat.
The pubic doesn't demand crowded. Just cheap.