AMERICAblog: Delta Air begs customers to use another airline
Busboy
· 1 year ago
Right on, Chris. Some major airline employees act like they are God and you are shit. I drive, even if it takes 2 days to avoid having to go to the airport. I've got free tickets out the wazoo from my SW credit card that I'll probably never use (and SW IS my fav airline). I've seen guys scoot thru the TSA line that look like stone killers; only to see the TSA stop some 70 year old grandma for a body search. It's ridiculous,
bumpkis
· 1 year ago
We won't be vacationing in the US anytime soon...looking at some resort areas down here in South America, maybe rent a condo for a month on some beach....NO US airline necessary to get there.
Busboy
· 1 year ago
Let me know where the best places are, I promise not to talk to you :-)..
Wow! that place looks absolutely gorgeous. Thank you..
Busboy
· 1 year ago
I'm thinking of moving our entire extended family to Paraguay. W and I could cut brush and raise angus... Why be here if it's unnecessary?
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
The heyday of the airlines is over.
Flying has been reduced to a barely profitable commodity--unrewarding to passengers and stockholders alike. With fuel prices likely to continue their climb and alternative jet fuels still in the experimental phase, things will only get worse.
If the airlines were smart---which they aren't---they'd be looking at getting into high-speed rail.
Busboy
· 1 year ago
Agree B_B. For payload delivered, a train gets over 700MPG on diesel vs a Tahoe's 17 MPG on gasoline. Problem is, the US Gov can't subsidize the track and siding improvements needed to make rail efficient. Ever been on a ski lift where your car could be shunted off at an intermediate level w/o halting the whole ski train? The tech is so simple; yet unused. Bureaucracy is almost as bad here as in France.
Shannon
· 1 year ago
I disagree, the railroads are all making money with the exception of AmTrack. The railroads used to all have passenger service and they were not subsidized by the government. These same railroads discontinued pasenger service when the airlines took away their business, with high speed rail and good service like in Europe, the railroads could get those passengers back and be profitable. The airlines need some real competition.
This country used to function for the good of the customers, then came corporate greed and wrecked everything. Remember when you used to be able to call your bank or your post office and a person answered and they had mottos like "The customer is always right"...........the good old days.
Busboy
· 1 year ago
Last I checked, railroads only make money hauling freight in the US with the exception, possibly, of the commuter trains in Chicago. Amtrack was losing, on average, about $120 per passenger every time someone bought a ticket. Even though truckers pay high road taxes on diesel and license fees, the interstates are virtually given to them for free. Railroads have to pay full price for every mile of track. All rails in Europe, Scandinavia, Japan, etc. are heavily subsidized by the government. Individual income taxes in those countries are paying for the ride; just like your income taxes are paying $120 to everyone who buys an Amtrack ticket in the USA. Here's something to think about: if there's a way to make a buck in the USA?; then rest assured that some smart guy or gal will figure it out. Right now there's no money in passenger rail. Here's the profile of CSX, a big rail outfit. They couldn't, on the best year they ever had, come up with the money to approximate a miniscule look-a-like to the Tokyo passenger system.
After last years nightmare from hell flight to Greece on US Air.... this year we chose Lufthansa.... WHAT a pleasant choice.... REAL feather pillows with cloth cases, headsets and blankets on every seat.... even the cheap seats..... hot meals, snacks and unlimited drinks including alcohol and not ONE additional charge......and checked two bags... no extra charge...... pleasant flight attendants...... well maintained and CLEAN plane...... did not run out of toilet paper and they routinely stocked the lavatories...... 3 inches between my knee caps & the seat in front of me..... so no bruises on my knees this year (I'm 5'6")
AND guess what? Lufthansa made 12% profit last year...... wonder why?
Flew Aegean Airlines from Milan Italy to Iraklion Crete .... the plane was so new you could smell the plastic...... two drink services and a HOT meal on a 1hr55min flight........ lets see when was the last time I remember a hot meal on a US based airline........ OH when I was upgraded to first class....... btw been an elite passenger for 5 years.....
On the 35 minute hop from Athens to Crete a full drink service ..... Again, brand new plane, cheerful flight attendants.... Guess what? Aegean Airlines made 17% profit last year....... wonder why?
Why are US based airlines going bankrupt and these two are making a very healthy profit even with the increasing cost of fuel?
Lots of questions Chris....... have at it.... :)
Shannon
· 1 year ago
It is the new business scam, first you sell the airline, then the new company is in huge debt and has to cut service and maintenance, then they sell it again and this newer company is even more in debt so further cost cutting, service cutting, can only afford way old airplanes leased from some other company, etc., demand employees take pay cuts, etc............the debt and leveraging of it have "raided" whatever they had to offer the customers.............the entire country is now run on this "business model".
anarchy
· 1 year ago
let the market decide, and no more fucking bail-outs for CEOs to stuff their pockets with the taxpayers' money!!
jr
· 1 year ago
Amtrak time
KISSman
· 1 year ago
Let's see... if I had to fly and had to travel with 2 bags, which airline would I not consider at all?
That $50 actually is $100 since most people are flying round-trip. Delta must be on crack. When my options are Southwest who will charge me $0 and the rest that'll charge me $25, who in the right mind would fly Delta if they had 2 bags and a bunch of cheaper options?
Still, I don't doubt that the others (sans Southwest) will consider following suit so that they all can make $100 off the 2-bag travelers. They're all fiends.
canuck55
· 1 year ago
Airlines can make money but only if they are not run by idiots. A good example is the Canadian carrier Westjet. Based on a Southwest type of model - one type of plane in the fleet(737) to keep maintainence costs down, they offer very friendly service by an eager young staff, leather seats (easier to clean) and inflight live satellite television with about 20 or 30 channels. Another airline that is spectacular is Cathay Pacific - first class service and food in coach. I Always fly them Vancouver to New York.
All Comments
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punta_del_Este
Flying has been reduced to a barely profitable commodity--unrewarding to passengers and stockholders alike. With fuel prices likely to continue their climb and alternative jet fuels still in the experimental phase, things will only get worse.
If the airlines were smart---which they aren't---they'd be looking at getting into high-speed rail.
The tech is so simple; yet unused. Bureaucracy is almost as bad here as in France.
This country used to function for the good of the customers, then came corporate greed and wrecked everything. Remember when you used to be able to call your bank or your post office and a person answered and they had mottos like "The customer is always right"...........the good old days.
http://www.marketwatch.com/tools/quotes/profile...
AND guess what?
Lufthansa made 12% profit last year...... wonder why?
Flew Aegean Airlines from Milan Italy to Iraklion Crete .... the plane was so new you could smell the plastic...... two drink services and a HOT meal on a 1hr55min flight........ lets see when was the last time I remember a hot meal on a US based airline........ OH when I was upgraded to first class....... btw been an elite passenger for 5 years.....
On the 35 minute hop from Athens to Crete a full drink service ..... Again, brand new plane, cheerful flight attendants....
Guess what?
Aegean Airlines made 17% profit last year....... wonder why?
Why are US based airlines going bankrupt and these two are making a very healthy profit even with the increasing cost of fuel?
Lots of questions Chris....... have at it.... :)
That $50 actually is $100 since most people are flying round-trip. Delta must be on crack. When my options are Southwest who will charge me $0 and the rest that'll charge me $25, who in the right mind would fly Delta if they had 2 bags and a bunch of cheaper options?
Still, I don't doubt that the others (sans Southwest) will consider following suit so that they all can make $100 off the 2-bag travelers. They're all fiends.
Another airline that is spectacular is Cathay Pacific - first class service and food in coach. I Always fly them Vancouver to New York.