what do u want?

[dingducky]

hey my sis is doing a marketing assignment thingee for university.
she needs to know what passengers expect service wise and what technology airlines could adopt to improve service
thx :)

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Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defence.

[capt cynical]

Q.1 to be the only passenger on the plane.
Q.2 cut the marketing crap the public are begining to see through it.

[SLF]

Aside from larger seats and cheaper flights, I'd really welcome a couchette approach on long haul - for those who don't remember, when trains had compartments with 6 seats, these could convert to 6 bunks... Aaah, the luxury of turning over in your sleep!

Too much emphasis in providing hot multi-course meals when a fresh(ish) sandwich would do. Eating on planes is not a pleasure, its just an occupation to mark the passage of time.

Quite often on night flights, we have to be kept awake whilst drinks, dinner, coffee and toilet runs are completed, even with the fastest crews this takes at least a couple of hours. When tickets are issued, a timetable could be issued for the flight stating what food "events" were taking place - people would then know to eat first, for example, and the lights out times would be better suited to sleep patterns.

However you cut it, its a bl**dy long time in a seat!

Cheers - SLF

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29A please!

[ExSimGuy]

Dare I say it again? Less time spent in queues at both ends of the trip. We can't do much about the sector times, but the standing/walking/shuffling forward bit is the real booger!

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What goes around . . .
. . often lands better!

[flypastpastfast]

Just for the marketing thingy, and not in response to any other postings, what passengers like myself wants is pretty simple, yet it eludes most airlines.

1. A comfy seat with adequate legroom (see American Airlines - I'm sure they did market research before increasing their standard economy seat pitch to 35"). Even if they don't ask for this, I think this would make most passengers happy.

2. Cost is a factor, but in relation to 1. above, most airlines seem to believe that with a comfy seat must come champagne/choice of meals/masseurs etc.. all that is required is more space per passenger. I know that the revenue per seat is reduced, but I do not believe the sums when calculated correctly including fewer passengers/less luggage/more room for freight etc mean that the additional cost is necessarily more than 10 or 20 pounds per passenger.

3. I do not want 'premium economy' which costs huge wadges of cash over standard eceonomy due to titilating treats (champagne etc..) as mentioned above. (again see American Airlines).

4. Less queues at check in and security, and not just for business class passengers.

5. Cheaper car parking, preferably not a 3 mile bus trip away, with a miserable git of a bus driver in a cold minibus seating 500.

6. Friendly, pleasant staff.

7. Better fresh (it isn't at present) air on board the plane. search under boeing 777, for info.

8. Luggage delivered the same day as flight arrives, preferably within 30 minutes max.

9. seats in the airport concourse, and not just for those who wish to drink coffee in the numerous retail outlets.

10. Comfy seats - have I said that already?

Hope his helps. Oh, and also,

11. No more Naff docu-soaps about budget airlines. Please!

[The Guvnor]

Quick question - Which would you prefer, more space in economy (say 36") or personal TVs?

[DX Wombat]

Guv. Definitely more room. As a fairly frequent longhaul (UK- Oz) SLF those seatback tvs are a nuisance particularly when the bod in front decides to recline. I would love to be able to afford Business / Club Class but we peasants can't afford it. I have had an occasional upgrade as a "Thank you" from cabin crew. I won't go into details but it involved sick SLFs.

[BRUpax]

Sod the TV; 36" please! Ah but it's so difficult to please everyone. As for me, I would like to go back to the good old days of:

-A comfortable seat
-Adequate seat pitch
-a reasonable meal (depending on flt time)
-Friendly cabin crew
-all of the above for a fair fare!

I don't particularly care for individual TVs etc. I still prefer to read a newspaper or two and then get stuck into a good book. Most of the inflight movies are crap or not shown on the sector I'm on!

[cossack]

At 6' 5" and 250 pounds...

Would likes:

1. Wider seats 18"+
2. More pitch 35" minimum - Take some seats out and I would pay a little more to get 1 and 2. Business class is too expensive for those who pay their own way.
3. Child free cabin, ahh heaven.
4. Faster check-in/ more e-ticketing
5. Faster luggage reclaim
6. More air recirculation and humidity
7. Better temperature control
8. More water available to combat dehydration brought about by 6 and 7. Taking your own on is heavy if you put it in your carry-on and it gets weighed!

Could-do-withouts:

1. Seat back video
2. Crap headsets (always take my own noise-cancelling one, well worth it, gets rid of that whine)
3. Alcohol - causes more problems than it cures!

(typos)

[This message has been edited by cossack (edited 24 April 2001).]

[Evening Star]

Adequate seat pitch (being 6'3" does not give me much room in cattle class), or at the very least fix economy seats in the upright position.

[AA SLF]

At 6'-7" tall and 270 lbs. seat pitch is #1 and width is #2. All else falls far behind these two needs. I am an "elite" AA pax and what AA has done with the "More Room Through Coach" has really made a difference in those cases where I could not get a free upgrade to First.

dAAvid -

[The Guvnor]

How much more (for example on a transatlantic service) would you be prepared to pay for 36" pitch and a reasonably wide seat (18"+) over and above the cheapest fare (usually around the £200 - 250 mark).

Would the provision of typical J class food and service in Y class (rather than the awful Y class junk) make any difference to your selection of a carrier?

[KATLPAX]

I think it all depends upon frequency of travel. For my once/twice a year trans atlantic personal (non business)trips I would not be willing to pay $200 more for a few inches of room or slightly better food. I can "suffer" 8 hours and life goes on with $200 in my pocket. Short haul savings important to me would be speed of check in (less time in the damn airport)maybe even smaller regional airports...

Speed up the check in process with ATM style machines where I swipe my credit card get my luggage tags printed out, put them on, place my own bags on the belt; also choose my seat from the screen, and maybe choice of meal (fish, veg, etc) I have waited in lines that were as long as the flight! Just back yesterday from LGA to ATL on Airtran Boeing 717, and very impressed. New aircraft (very important when choosing a carrier), great freindly crew. I thought of the ATM thing while in line at LGA for 30 minutes just to get a boarding pass...I think American uses them in a few airports already..

[Goldie]

Softer toilet paper

[Juliet November]

* Shorter / automated check-in facilities
* Extended / additional security facilities
* More room on Y class long-range
* More meal choices on both C and Y class
* Prefer leg room over IFE on long-haul
* New, or well maintained, aircraft
* Friendly and professional service
* Fast, direct routings
* Fresh air. Realise problems with moisture
on aircraft, but any improvement including
humidifiers would be very welcome
* Less "Captain Speaking" drivel, can ask cabin staff for any required information
* Customized service. As in, I've listed all
my preferences when joining frequent flyver
programs. Why are the airlines not using them ?
* Smoking areas (sealed off from main cabin) on long-haul
* Swift bagage delivery. Max. 20 minutes would be nice
* No delays (that'll be the day !)

DT

[Dr Jekyll]

A few inches more width and leg room, I'd certainly pay £300 extra London to New York for this. Seatback screens, posh food etc are irrelevant.

[Capt. Chaos]

Just got back from JFK (Holiday) with Virgin and service was great. Spent the whole time playing the nintendo.

The TV's were put there because nobody could sleep in the first place.

Personnally - I would pay £50 - £100 extra for more leg room. So that I could recline and go to sleep. Mind you it isn't comfortable on a coach - so why would anyone expect to be able to sleep better on a plane.

[Juliet November]

Chaos,

Busses tend to stop every now and again, allowing people to strecth their legs. Other busses have seats that convert into beds for long overnight drives.

Pulling a 747 over mid-atlantic is not seen very often, and so far only 1st and C class pax have the luxury of beds. I cannot imagine any airline offering that on steerage without a considerable surcharge, and then maybe in A380's only. Would anybody then pay for it, if the price is only slightly less than full-fare business ?

DT

[Cyrano]

Mad idea, maybe, but I was just thinking...

Overnight trains in mainland Europe have six-seat compartments (three facing three) which at night can fold out into six bunks... might we see something like that one day on long-haul planes? Yes, I know there are issues of lower ceilings, and g-loadings, and seat belts... but it wouldn't take up an awful lot more space than ordinary seats...why not? http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/tongue.gif

(Remember, you heard it here first! :) )

[Land After]

It's called "New Club World"

Available at a BA near you soon!

[Cyrano]

Not quite, Land After. The new Club World seat takes up a good deal more floor space than a regular economy seat - I suppose I'm just wondering whether any kind of horizontal bed might be possible at lower standards of comfort and privacy, and higher density...

[SLF]

Cyrano

>>Remember, you heard it here first...

Yup, on page 1 of this thread!

Cheers - SLF :-)

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29A please!

[Cyrano]

Touché, SLF, touché...

The limits of speed reading! So many posts, so little time... :) I stand (or lie) corrected.

Great minds think alike, though, eh? http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/tongue.gif

Cyrano

[bird on the wire]

a system that gets me faster to the parking/right terminal/checkin/gate. On board, please make the voices stop!I don't want to hear a greeting from every crew member on board. Twice.


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they bought their tickets - they knew what they were getting into

[Bird Strike]

OK, here goes my whinge!

* Free use of trolley (not on the a/c obviously, but from the car park to the check in desk), or better still, a porter service when required
* Decent seat pitch (not sticking my knee against the seat in front on me - I am not even tall!) - I am happy to pay 10% more for 10% increase in seat pitch, for instance.
* NO biscuits to be delivered on a tray - I don't object to biscuits but they're a bit poxy for deliverying to pax on a tray that gets in the way! Tray should be used only for meals.
* NO noisy or restless kids in the cabin (quiet kids are OK), A special sound-proof compartment for the noisy/restless ones to be locked away in.
* NO 'middle' seat, only window or isle
* When I ask for water, I would like to be given some from the bottle, not from the a/c tank (I carry my own bottled water nowadays at the expense of my carry on luggage allowance)
* Serve decent food instead of 'not fit for human consumption' food, or reduce fare by the amount the airline pays for it
* Faster baggage claim
* Pre-allocation of seat
* If they put the in-flight entertainment on, please make sure that the screen's working (instead of flickering all the time - it gives me a headache)
* Faster check-in
* Please keep the toilets as far away from the nearest seats as possible - the smell, people standing around when I am trying to sleep etc are very annoying, if I am unfortunate enough to sit near them
* Please increase the range of duty free items for sale on board. It gets boring after a few times.

I would like the airline to order the Passengers to observe the following rules:-

* Passengers are not pester the cabin crew too much. Every time the cc has to come to him/her, the person next to him/her ends up being woken up. Besides, the do not own the cabin crew!
* Passengers must keep their kids quiet in noise level and conduct. Other passengers do not like hearing them, or have their seat back being kicked by other pax's brat every time they try to go to sleep.
* Passengers are not to stand around the toilet talking loudly if there's someone near there trying to sleep.
* During the 'night time', if the cabin crew draws a curtain by the toilet, the passnger opening the curtain must remember to close it. Those near the toilet do not want the light from the toilet shining right into their eyes when they are trying to sleep.
* Anyone with incontinence or diarrhea, please ask for the aisle seat so that you do not keep disturbing the person next to you every 10 minutes.

How was that for a big whinge? :)