paying pax - Good post, may I make the following observations.
serve to remind people that they can book flights and accommodation on the web and don’t actually need a tour operator
This is true to a degree: It assumes internet access, time and "savoir-fair" are available to the potential customer. This is true for some, but by no means all.
For every "I booked the same package myself and saved shedloads of dosh" story, there is often another"it all went wrong" that you don't hear about. For example, the services of a rep abroad may be neither here nor there to many customers, they can be invaluable in helping with lost passports and tickets, stolen wallets, illnesses, muggings, moped accidents etc. - in short, you need them most when thing go wrong, not when things go right.
Sometimes, there are hidden costs to the do-it-yourself package plan that are forgotten. Six friends of mine (a family) arranged their own holiday, saving money, and on arrival realised that they were required to take 2 taxis (only 4 allowed in each) from the airport to their accomodation, and this made substantial inroads into the saving made. Although not everybody wants to go on an excursion whilst abroad, arranging them locally can also be more expensive that through the Tour Operator. These are all general issues, and may not be true for the majority, but they do exist for some.
Airline meals are a different matter. They have long been derided on quality grounds, and their removal is often greeted with apparent enthusiasm and amusement by customers, and also by airlines. After fuel and salaries, catering can often be one of the largest budget items for an airline. I suspect that the customer perception may change with time. Firstly, a meal is not just a meal, it is also
therapy - it gives you something to do on a boring sector, and also something to anticipate. Take it away, and you take that aspect away as well. Secondly, on some flights, customers are hungry. The hot breakfast provided on an 06:00 departure, after you have woken @ 03:30, driven to the airport and run to the aircraft, can be very welcome, as is the Tea/Coffee that goes with it. The 2 - 3 hour coach drive through lunch time that precedes many return ski flights, before check-in at a busy terminal on a snowy day can generate hunger pangs. And so on. In short, on some flights, a hot meal is a desirable item, or some customers - a self bought supermarket ham roll and a glass of water just aren't the same, especially when you can smell the breakfast that others are enjoying!
Finally, unpackaging can also educate some customers as to the real cost of their holiday. Those who complain about the weeks package in Corfu costing £150 and not involving a string of deluxe facilities and compliant service staff may at last have some visibility of the way individual costs within their package are broken down. I personally believe that by and large, UK Tour Operators and their airlines offer substantial value for money to the customer, and have done so for years.
That's the strategic level response. As Cabin Crew, I will have to deal with all this next year. I have no problem with the concepts, but am frankly very worried about the issues that will be raised at a tactical and operational level. the success of this kind of service in the cabin is almost totally reliant on the relevant IT systems ability to deliver information to us at the sharp end. Historically, this has been a chafter airline weak area, prone to last-minute cost cutting and scope creep: Additionally, it is human nature for departments and managers within the airline to seek credit for initiatives that work, and to run for cover when they don't - given that this is taking place now (with meals for late-bookers) there will naturally be concern for next year.
As cabin Crew, I expect to have many more grey hairs by the time next Summer draws to a close.