Does the downward pressure on the cost of air travel give us unrealistic expectations

[Justchecking]

It seems a day doesn't go by when someone, somewhere isn't offering a lower airfare. But does the low price, complete with T&Cs in fine print just create a dissatisfaction among consumers when they erroneously assume that the low fare ticket comes with the same T&Cs as a full fare ticket? After reading many customer complaints on this site and others it seems that virtually no-one equates their low priced ticket with a corresponding reduction in service that should be expected. Travellers find the lowest fare of the day then stand in anger when they don't receive top shelf service. No-one buys a Hyundai and then complains it's not a Mercedes, but I see plenty of people buying a bottom bucket fare and complaining they got a bad seat, the FAs weren't nice enough, pillows and blankets weren't provided or they were only provided at additional cost, or their ticket was ridiculously inflexible to change. Since it seems we equate a certain level of service with any airfare, then are super-low fares just breeding poor customer perception, when the traveller eventually gets what they have (or rather haven't) paid for?For myself, I have never purchased a ticket on Jetstar for the simple reason I want a full service seat and ticket, where I can have a reasonable expectation of some level of catering to my needs even in Y. Even star class doesn't interest me, as it seems to be not much more than the equivalent of a Y\Y+ seat on a full service carrier, and since jetstar's FAs aren't known for their service I'd rather travel Y on an Asian carrier that has a better reputation in that regard.

 

[samh004]

Travellers find the lowest fare of the day then stand in anger when they don't receive top shelf service. No-one buys a Hyundai and then complains it's not a Mercedes, but I see plenty of people buying a bottom bucket fare and complaining they got a bad seat, the FAs weren't nice enough, pillows and blankets weren't provided or they were only provided at additional cost, or their ticket was ridiculously inflexible to change.

I think the answer is a bit of both, sure, if you book a super cheap fare on JQ then you shouldn't actually be expecting very much, but at the same time, you'd think that decent customer service by an FA should come at any price. If an FA can't even be nice to pax, they're probably in the wrong job, no matter how much you paid for the ticket.

In terms of access to good seats and inflexible tickets, that gripe usually comes about from having status and the benefits status provides. Sometimes, things don't go to plan, a flight is too full to let you select a seat at the front, or the later/earlier flights are all full so you can't change, but airlines offer status benefits to keep loyalty, even with super cheap fares. There's no condition on the loyalty to say you can only receive good service with an expensive ticket, but similarly there's nothing to say you're guaranteed a seat the front, or to change flights.

So, there's a bit of both here, there's those that understand the program, understand their place in regards to loyalty and what they can reasonably get, even with a super cheap fare. Then there's those that don't. I'd think that the vast majority of the regular members here fit in the former bracket.

 

[Justchecking]

Re: Does the downward pressure on the cost of air travel give us unrealistic expectat

True, most of the complaints don't come from FFs but from the occassional traveller, who have paid what they consider to be a lot of money, when in fact it's the cheapest fare for the route. A lack of understanding how air travel works in general perhaps...? A lot of the service complaints also tend to be fairly trivial things that are a matter of course in air travel....things like I asked for an aisle seat and they gave me a middle one instead. Most airlines paint the picture of Y travel as being 9hrs of bliss, when the reality could never live up that, including FAs who are impossibly beautiful, fresh and amazing all the time. Doesn't mean the average looking and perhaps a little fatigued FA you encounter onboard is necessarily doing a terrible job.

 

[Stuser]

Re: Does the downward pressure on the cost of air travel give us unrealistic expectat

For myself, I have never purchased a ticket on Jetstar for the simple reason I want a full service seat and ticket, where I can have a reasonable expectation of some level of catering to my needs even in Y.

Same goes for me as I also have a certain expectation, so fly QF most of the time.

My partner and kids, however, are happy to fly Jetstar. They don't fly anywhere near as much as I do, and they are heaps shorter. Maybe they're more easy going than me, too.

Maybe it comes down to the more you fly, the higher your "status", the better the service you may get - then when you suddenly fly El Budgeto Air, hey this isn't very pleasant grumble moan.

I remember the first time I went into the Qantas Club years ago, I was very excited. Now, it's hmmm this food's the same as it was yesterday, last week, maybe even last month..... Why isn't the barista on later etc?

Maybe us frequent flyers need something else to keep our minds occupied....

 

[sergeyvzn]

Re: Does the downward pressure on the cost of air travel give us unrealistic expectat

I would just like to add a bit of international perspective

Australian (and Asian, to be fair) carriers's "low" fares that come with restrictions etc are not that low actually

If you are in Europe, you get a return London-Sydney-London for about 65%-75% of the lowest fare you can get here in Australia for the same journey but in reverse. It's not unheard of to buy a BA return London-Sydney-London fare for about $1200-1300 AUD. Yes, it would be the lowest economy fare, non-refundable, non-changeble etc but it is still a few hundred bucks cheaper of what you can get here for the same thing

If I fly on a restricted fare, I do not expect full service in terms of being able to select my seat or change my dates. However, I do expect a meal, inflight entertainment and FA providing a decent level of service if I fly a full service airline - and I would never ever fly JQ or Air Asia X long haul, you must be mad of hating yourself to do it.

My point is that if the airline you are flying is a full service one, you still expect a certain level of service - meals, drinks, inflight entertainment regardless of the type of fare you are travelling in. Most of people do understand the restrictions on date change/refunds when buying tickets, I would say it would be very unusual if someone bought a return ticket to say Europe for $1600 and expect a full refund if their travel plan change, it's not like the non-refundable fares have just come to existence, they have been around for a long time

 

[psi999]

Re: Does the downward pressure on the cost of air travel give us unrealistic expectat

and I would never ever fly JQ or Air Asia X long haul, you must be mad of hating yourself to do it.

While I can’t comment on the front of the plane (all my flight is for leisure hence I slum it up the back) but i can’t completely agree with you here… with relation to JQ and long haul services (well 9-10 hours).

I have flown long haul on JQ many times (OOL – NRT/KIX) and while I agree FA service is lacking I struggle to find anything too far wrong with the hard product (other than IFE).

Modern 330 fleet, comfortable seat & comparable pitch to most other airlines running the route.

10am flight out of Gold Coast will have you rolling into Tokyo/Osaka by 9pm… similar time zone so I find I always arrive quite fresh

And an overnight flight back to the Gold Coast will have you back on the ground in Australia by 7am.

For what can be had for as little as $398 return (basic sale price 3 weeks ago with 10kgs carry on & no meal service) I struggle to see anything but outstanding value @ $22 per every hour of flight.

Anyways just my 2c.

Cheers.

 

[jb747]

Re: Does the downward pressure on the cost of air travel give us unrealistic expectat

......$22 per every hour of flight.

Which doesn't even cover the cost of the fuel.....

 

[medhead]

In terms of service, the FAs don't know if you are on the 3 cent fare or the most expensive fare. There should be no different in level of service because of the fare purchased.