Airlines are almost being too nice. Why the change and will it last?
Airlines are shedding fees, giving away free stuff, and being extra nice to their customers. Has the world gone mad? "That's what I've been asking myself," said Gail Clark, who complained to American Airlines after a recent flight delay and received a lightning-fast response, including a personal apology and 7,500 frequent flier miles deposited to her account. Clark, a retired CEO from Bluffton, South Carolina, said she's used to foot-dragging and canned apologies. She said something felt wrong. Sébastien Long has seen it with Southwest Airlines. The flight attendants keep pouring him free drinks whenever something is less than perfect on the plane. And when they do, they dismiss it in their Southwest way, with an, "Oh, I forgot to charge you, and we're about to land." "Honestly, it's almost too nice," said Long, who runs an apartment rental company in Houston. "I feel like someone's going to get in trouble for not charging me." The niceness is contagious. Last month, Spirit Airlines eliminated its unpopular flight change and cancellation fees. Frontier Airlines did the same. JetBlue announced that all customers – even those with a "basic" economy class ticket – will get a free carry-on bag in addition to one small personal item. "After the pandemic and the bad press the airline industry was getting this past spring, it seems natural that they would put more emphasis on smoothing nerves and garnering more trust from passengers," said Anthony Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-07-29/general/airlines-are-almost-being-too-nice-why-the-change-and-will-it-last
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Airlines are almost being too nice. Why the change and will it last?
Airlines are shedding fees, giving away free stuff, and being extra nice to their customers. Has the world gone mad? "That's what I've been asking myself," said Gail Clark, who complained to American Airlines after a recent flight delay and received a lightning-fast response, including a personal apology and 7,500 frequent flier miles deposited to her account. Clark, a retired CEO from Bluffton, South Carolina, said she's used to foot-dragging and canned apologies. She said something felt wrong. Sébastien Long has seen it with Southwest Airlines. The flight attendants keep pouring him free drinks whenever something is less than perfect on the plane. And when they do, they dismiss it in their Southwest way, with an, "Oh, I forgot to charge you, and we're about to land." "Honestly, it's almost too nice," said Long, who runs an apartment rental company in Houston. "I feel like someone's going to get in trouble for not charging me." The niceness is contagious. Last month, Spirit Airlines eliminated its unpopular flight change and cancellation fees. Frontier Airlines did the same. JetBlue announced that all customers – even those with a "basic" economy class ticket – will get a free carry-on bag in addition to one small personal item. "After the pandemic and the bad press the airline industry was getting this past spring, it seems natural that they would put more emphasis on smoothing nerves and garnering more trust from passengers," said Anthony Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor.<br/>
