Originally Posted by 94
Originally Posted by romulus
First class is about something else. Call it experience, or status, or whatever you like, it commands a massive premium in exchange for it being "just right". So when it's not "just right" then it's wrong. Simple as that.
I agree with the service part, as I have stated earlier. But I don't agree that a set of brand name PJ's would add to the overall "experience" of the service, before, during and after the flight.
There's part of the problem. those damn PJs *ARE* part of the experience, they make THESE individuals feel special. And in reality that's all first class is. Economy to Business is a major improvement. Business to First isn't such a huge step.
But when you get to fly First it's an incredible feeling (done it twice via upgrades).
If you do it regularly it confirms your status and position, that's what is being sold. Not just PJs but social differentiation. Some people are prepared to pay for it and they are prepared to pay massively. So Qantas takes their money and good on them. They sold what the customer wanted.
Think it doesn't have a powerful level of command and respect? Think again.
As a pretty regular customer I garnered enough status points to be a Platinum and use the First class check in line. I have to admit, that's where I reckon the most benefit is, that whole process is made brilliantly easy rather than a long laborious queue.
Anyway, I was once coming back from Europe and as with all things when you're away from home the infrastructure isn't as large as it is when flying QF in Aus. Got to the airport and there's a woman giving every staff member in sight a hell of a hard time, she wanted this and that and everything else and was mouthing off everywhere and telling the whole airport how important she was. Complete bitch quite frankly. Handled about as well as was possible by the QF staff who showed great restraint.
But then something amusing happened.
After finishing my duty free shopping (like my Scotch just a little bit too much some would say) I rocked up to check in and wandered down the First queue. And guess who happened to be at the head of Business queue (all of abotu 5 or 6 people/couples so not a terribly long line but still too long for her highness)? Still mouthing off. everything was taking far too long. And there was no way she was giving way to this bloke who rocked up after her so she decided she was next.
Only to be told, in a very sweet and polite manner by a very smiley QF staffer, that customers in First had priority and she would have to wait.
That completely and utterly shut the big mouth up. Not a peep in the next 5 minutes or so and I never saw her again after that but I certainly didn't hear her again. She was totally deflated because her own sense of importance got overridden.
Now you could argue that we both got on the same plane and we both left and arrived at the same time etc. But the invisible social power of that differentiation seen by very few people was enough to put her right back in her box. That's what those PJs represent to those particular customers. They give them demonstrable social cachet. Be that right or wrong, and I would agree they appear incredibly insecure and shallow people, that is what they value. A tiny detail in the scheme of things, but it is those tiny details that the customer pays for.
Think credit cards. Platinum cards cost several hundred dollars a year for generally meagre, if any at all, benefits. Yet people pay. It impresses others. It marks them in a positive manner. Simple as that.
Originally Posted by 94
Have a read of the two articles below, both from very prestigious car makers, and the faults in them, after the very high premiums have been paid, and after potentially causing accidents. Using your analogy, the PJ deprived passengers are in the same category as those who paid a high premium for their prestige cars and whose vehicles weren't "just right".
Sort of. At the utilitarian level there is no reason to buy an expensive car, we should all drive el cheapo Hyundais or whatever. These days there is VERY little difference between the various marques. Yet because BMW, Mercedes etc were once a long way ahead in terms of quality and they have maintained and built on that tradition people still pay a premium. Personally I can't stand BMWs, to me they're worse than Volvos in terms of what they say. And they're predominantly made in China and SAfrica factories rather than by the traditional German craftsmen.
But I do like Italian cars, I own one. Not a Ferrari or even a Maserati but an Alfa. A tiny, stupid, inconvenient, underpowered, athsmatic and illogical 2 door convertible (now 12 years old). It's worth maybe $10K tops but when I drive around I feel like a million dollars. I just love the experience. I can't explain it but that's what it does for me.
The intangible. That's what First is. That's what my Alfa is.
And when anything goes wrong with my Alfa (somewhat bizarrely the most reliable car I have ever owned - that can be interpreted as either a statistical improbability, as a tribute to improved Alfa build standards or perhaps to the fact every other car I have owned has been a real !!!!!box and thus the bar is very low) I absolutely hate it. I'll pull it apart or pay overpriced mechanics (compared to their peers) to fix it. That's just my thing. For some people they get the same gratification from First. That's the power of the intagible and that's what Joyce is, in my opinion, destroying. Hence my comment.
Originally Posted by 94
In reality, the PJ's make no difference whatsoever other than a sense of entitlement and a keepsake of their "experience". The mechanical problems however, no matter the price of the car, are ones worthy of demand and entitlement.
Your customers disagree.
Are you prepared to listen to them?
Or will you just tell them you are right and their opinion is invalid?
Originally Posted by 94
If people don't have the maturity to match their wealth, they should stay in economy.
Amusing.