Suggestion for bringing the customers back !

[Groover]

Unfortunately its looking like airlines around the planet are loosing customers hand over fist in light of recent events.

Maybe it would be an idea for a group of airlines to get together and use there readily available resources for a combined advertising campaign ( all media ,press , TV etc.. ) to reassure passengers that a high level of security measures have now been implemented around the world's airports and airlines and try to encourage customers to fly again.

Airlines could contribute to a combined effort and I think it would help. At the moment there is a lot of scaremongery in the press and people are believing it !! maybe a combined advertising campaign would change some minds .

I'd just like to add that I am not disrespecting the memories of the people who had there lives taken last week as this has been in my mind constantly day and night, but I think we should be trying to move onto rebuilding our aviation community and making it as strong as it was.

With sympathy for 6000 peoples' families and friends.

Groover

[keeders]

I agree !

It would be good if all the major players within the industry (airlines / manufacturers / authorities etc) could pull together given the scale of the potential consequences.

[Fubaar]

I opened a new thread with this comment last night and it’s disappeared, I’m assuming because the moderator binned it. If he did, I can only assume he misunderstood what I was saying, because I was quite serious in my comment.

Airline procedures will have to change after the WTC hijackings – and I hope I don’t hear of any of the details here, gents.

However, the most effective anti-hijacking weapon of the future is staring us all in the face – our passengers. What’s going to happen the next time someone tries to hijack an aircraft? 300 self-appointed ‘sky marshals’ will leap upon the people involved and quite probably save the courts a lot of money. Unfortunately, I can see this occurring when a misunderstanding is all that’s occurring.

[Bally Heck]

Unfortunately, the airlines seem to be leading the downturn by announcing job and route cuts before the true effects of the tragedy are felt. Richard Branson appeared on TV a couple of days after the events in the USA anouncing this, as have a number of other airlines.

I think it's called a self fulfilling prophecy. (Or posturing to receive government aid!!)

[yellow dust]

The WTC hijackers struck a blow at the West that was huge, but it should not have been fatal. We are now carrying on what they started and self-destructing. The airlines are obviously being run by short-sighted fools, and the general public is in a state of mindless panic. The "enhanced security" is not helping to reassure them that flying is safe, far from it. They see the security system taking nail files off passengers, no knives to cut their food even at the airport cafeteria, no drop offs at the curbside, etc, and they say to themselves "if it is possible that being dropped off at the curb and checking my bags with the skycap is likely to cause another WTC disaster, I'd better give all this aviation thing a miss!"

The WTC hijackers did not use any other person's knife, they did not get dropped off at the curb, they did not use a butter knife from a food tray, etc. None of what is being done now would have stopped them, since the box cutters they used were legal, and the system, even now, is unlikely to find them.

Taking all possible weapons from the crew and passengers is making it easier for hijackers to succeed, not harder. It has gone beyond knee-jerk to insanity, and will discourage passengers, not reassure them.

I find it hard to tell friends who want to know from me if flying is still safe, when we see things going on like they are in LAX.

The reason those sub-humans got away with what they did was a failure in Intelligence, not security. Why not fix the real problems, instead of making life impossible for honest, normal people like us?

[ 19 September 2001: Message edited by: yellow dust ]

[Wiley]

Fubaar, I saw your original post in the very brief time it was on R&N and I don’t remember anything even mildly offensive in it. (Maybe it was an inappropriate reply that caused Danny to ‘take it to Admin’?)

I just saw the following, posted by [b[Wirraway[/b], that shows Fubaar’s not alone in his thinking, (which made a lot of sense to me when I first saw it).

With your permission, ‘Wirraway’, I’m repeating it here - and thanks for posting the original. It’s damned good. (And how DO you do that fancy ‘quote’ thingie that everyone else does?)

Posted by Wirraway, 19 September 2001 13:38 on the ‘Dunnunda’ page

The following is from a letter by a professional friend and her return flight to D.C. this week.

"I just wanted to drop you all a note and let you know that I arrived safe and sound into Dulles Airport tonight [9/15] at about 6:00. It was an interesting flight.
The airport in Denver was almost spooky, it was so empty and quiet. No one was in line for the security check point when I got there so that went fairly quickly, just x-ray of my bags and then a chemical test to be sure nothing explosive was on them.
Then I waited 2 1/2 hours to board the plane. What happened after we boarded was interesting and thought I would share it with you.
The pilot/captain came on the loudspeaker after the doors were closed. His speech went like this:
First I want to thank you for being brave enough to fly today. The doors are now closed and we have no help from the outside for any problems that might occur inside this plane. As you could tell when you checked in, the government has made some changes to increase security in the airports.
They have not, however, made any rules about what happens after those doors close. Until they do that, we have made our own rules and I want to share them with you. Once those doors close, we only have each other.
The security has taken care of a threat like guns with all of the increased scanning, etc. Then we have the supposed bomb. If you have a bomb, there is no need to tell me about it, or anyone else on this plane; you are already in control. So, for this flight, there are no bombs that exist on this plane.
Now, the threats that are left are things like plastics, wood, knives, and other weapons that can be made or things like that which can be used as weapons.
Here is our plan and our rules. If someone or several people stand up and say they are hijacking this plane, I want you all to stand up together. Then take whatever you have available to you and throw it at them. Throw it at their faces and heads so they will have to raise their hands to protect themselves.
The very best protection you have against knives are the pillows and blankets. Whoever is close to these people should then try to get a blanket over their head--then they won't be able to see. Once that is done, get them down and keep them there. Do not let them up. I will then land the plane at the closest place and we WILL take care of them.
After all, there are usually only a few of them and we are 200+ strong! We will not allow them to take over this plane.
I find it interesting that the US Constitution begins with the words "We, the people"--that's who we are, THE people and we will not be defeated.
With that, the passengers on the plane all began to applaud, people had tears in their eyes, and we began the trip toward the runway.
The flight attendant then began the safety speech. One of the things she said is that we are all so busy and live our lives at such a fast pace. She asked that everyone turn to their neighbors on either side and introduce themselves, tell each other something about your families and children, show pictures, whatever. She said "for today, we consider you family. We will treat you as such and ask that you do the same with us."
Throughout the flight we learned that for the crew, this was their first flight since Tuesday's tragedies. It was a day that everyone leaned on each other and together everyone was stronger than any one person alone. It was quite an experience.
You can imagine the feeling when that plane touched down at Dulles and we heard "welcome to Washington Dulles Airport, where the local time is 5:40". Again, the cabin was filled with applause.
Last night I saw a program with college students where one of them said that at their campus there are no more hyphenated titles, i.e., African-American, etc., everyone is just an American. No one will ever be able to take that pride away from us. "

[GlueBall]

The security risks are far beyond ordinary protocols, knowing from what was learned Sept 11th. The superlative dedication of 18 or 19 suicidal fanatics to have agreed to die on the same day supersedes ordinary comprehension.
Persons as such could have C4 plastic type explosives wrapped around their bodies and penetrate airport security checkpoints and become human passenger bombs aboard airliners. Pan Am 103 demonstrated that only a small explosive pack is required to rip open the fuselage, cause decompression and eventual structural failure.
For true checkpoint security, passengers must be padded down until plastc explosives detectors are installed. Suicidal fanatics cannot otherwise be stopped.

[GeofJ]

Where do we stop in the pursuit of ever elusive airtight security? No vehicles anywhere near airports? Everyone must use clear see thru carryone bags like they require in some inner city schools? Frisking all PAX at security check points? Way too much effort and resources are being wasted in silly and ineffective measures while the basics are being ignored. Collecting nail files, clippers and plastic razors while the near minimum wage and undertrained "security" staff man the checkpoints seems truly backwards. Its not the real security measures that turn away potential PAX and it is not advertising campaigns or fare sales that will cause the high dollar biz PAX to come back - it is the gauntlet of silliness or in many cases the impression of this silliness which is causing second thoughts by many. Real security will never be argued by those who travel for a living but don't waste my tax dollars and limited resources collecting nail files!

[Memetic]

I guess as a Marketer I should agree and say advertising will solve this problem. However it won't.

Advertising, even joint advertising, by the same people that the press say fought against tighter security is likely to be met with cynicism, certainly here in the UK.

We need the airlines and authorities to deliver real security and then use PR and marketing to amplify the the word of mouth factor deliverd by passengers who feel safe.

Business people will still fly, the world will go on, the lure of distant holidays is strong. We need those "brave" souls to come back not with tales of They confiscated my tooth pick but saying; I flew from xxx, the security guys spotted my pocket knife, checked my video camera was real and had a good look in all our bags. It took ten minutes eachit made me feel safe..

That will work.

[ 21 September 2001: Message edited by: Memetic ]

[Tan]

Good Day Everyone.
It’s about time that we began talking about how passengers can protect themselves using the contents of the airplane as protection devices.

Passengers are going to take matters into their own hands anyway, if they feel that their security is threatened. So why not practice crowd control and tap an onboard security resource. The traveling public is way ahead of the industry and governments on this one.

Might I suggest the use of the seat cushions, tray tables, emergency equipment etc. There’s quite an assortment of devices that can be used for protection on board aircraft. Use your imagination, the terrorists have.

Security is now everyone’s business...

[Indiana Jones]

Just a thought here........in early November, how about a National Fly For Free day anywhere in the domestic U.S.?.....that should make all and sundry sit up....

[KrikkitRobot]

Unfortunately for aviation, backers are very likey to pull out. The problem is that the media hype up the fear factor. Over the past week we have had saturation coverage of how dreadful security at airports etc is. The media should concentrate a little more on the positive aspects and urge people not stop flying and go about their lives as they normally would (with increased security awareness) because to do otherwise allows the terrorists to win.

[coldsore]

TESTING :eek: