Air travel is a price sensitive commodity. The price of the ticket is usually a large part of a holiday so the consumer shops around as they have a bucket list of things to do on holiday that they can't afford…
So trading poor inflight service for a helicopter ride around New York is tempting.
I'm proud to say that I paid around $800 extra to fly the family on Qantas to LA last year.
The flight was full but we enjoyed good service on the new A380. After a nasty experience when the kids were toddlers on a foreign airline, my strategy is whenever possible to fly a carrier from a nation that has similar ethics and values as your home, should something go wrong. Particularly when travelling with kids.
I'm less proud to say that a year earlier we went to the UK on Royal Bruni because their last-minute fares, for four, were around $1600 cheaper than Qantas.
Everyone has a price!
I think Qantas need to promote their safety record Aussie style inflight service and the attractions, from a cultural experience, of flying with the nation's airline.
Over the years, they have perhaps spent too much airtime promoting the destination Oz, rather than the journey…
Mickjoebill