How to Get Your Lunch Eaten Without Serving It

deelmakur

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Aug 26, 2002
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The following ia an excerpt from a post I put on another board. It was written after a transcon flight I took on USAirways, and I wanted it to go where some employees could see it:

I have a slightly different take on the meal thing. Firstly, I flew bck to Seattle from CLT and they were selling dinner in Coach on a 5:45 PM departure. I must have missed something, because I thought on those transcons, they would continue to feed everyone. The First Class meal was bare bones, and featured all plastic knives, forks and spoons. Gone was the glassware. Forgive me, but since being comped top tier at Alaska, all my transcon flying has gone there, and they do everything the old fashioned way. Some thoughts, however. Hearing the F/A hawking the $10 chicken dinner tonight was embarrassingly tacky. You've got to wonder what some poor slob paying full fare in either compartment must think, at that moment, not to mention the poor F/A. Secondly, they will do all this, and never make a dime on paid meals. The relatively small scale, unpredictability of consumption, and spoilage from unsold units will kill them. When you feed everybody, the scale is such that the average cost is only a couple of bucks. It's madness. Another Business Select, MetroJet, RJ, let's run as many people as we can through our most ****** up hub, type decision. Finally, as you blur the distinctions between yourself and the discount guys, you set the place up like the proverbial spider and fly. When it comes to a meal, for air travelers, since it began some 75 years ago, a meal with your ticket was a birthright. Whether or not it was any good was not the issue. You simply got one. It's a given that the guys running the jetBlue's of the world are smarter, and more innovative than their counterparts at places like Ft. Fumble. Having leveled the playing field on this one, watch the new guys come out with better(and cheaper)meals for sale, that make these look silly. A bit like jetBlue letting AA come out with their there's no difference ads, watching as American puts the scrunchy seats back in, and then announcing it's removing them from the jetBlue fleet. Game, set, match.
 
Yes, that is the problem, passengers assumed a meal on a flight was their "birthright" and as the auther said "whether or not it''s any good or not". Well obviously nobody thought they were good by the amount of complaints, funny thing though I NEVER saw hardly anybody turn down those much maligned meals. You would think people would turn them down. It has always amazed me, you would think a "perk" like a free meal would be appreciated and if they didn''t like it would just say "No Thankyou" but I guess that''s not how alot of people are.. complain, complain, complain-even with a free meal on a 69.00 rt fare. I don''t believe when you but a bus ticket or a train ticket you expect a free meal, it''s amazing to me what people think $69.00 will get them these days, a limo to the airport will cost more than the ticket. I believe the airlines and US is doing the best they can to satifsy the fickle, oh so hard to satisfy consumer!!!!!
 
Lavman, what happens next, if Sky Chefs can''t make a buck on these? The larger point was, if you try to emulate the discount carrier, who is pretty resourceful if he''s still around, you make him legitimate. In the past, the customer always felt they were giving up something for price or flexibility, when the flew a cheapie. In marketing, never level the playing field...otherwise everybody buys the Chevy instead of the Caddie, because there''s no difference. If you are going to let them play in the same arena, you give them the chance to look better. It''s the opportunity a predator waits for.
 
Kind of off topic but,today at BDL SWA flight attendants were doing an info picket.Seems they are tired of cleaning airplanes and they want the company to hire cleaners.Could get interesting.
 
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On 7/17/2003 5:09:02 PM sdavis29 wrote:




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On 7/17/2003 4:35:28 PM 757fixer wrote:

Kind of off topic but,today at BDL SWA flight attendants were doing an info picket.Seems they are tired of cleaning airplanes and they want the company to hire cleaners.Could get interesting.

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looks like they have it the plans...
http://www.southwest.com/careers/mxairclean.html

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I had to giggle a bit when I went to the SWA website and read this line:
"Please include Aircraft Appearance Technicians in the objective statement of your résumé. A cover letter is not necessary."

I know SWA will probably have people jumping all over themselves trying to get these jobs, but for the life of me, I cannot imagine a professional resume objective of "Aircraft Appearance Technician." Like someone goes to sleep each night DREAMING that someday they can become a SWA Aircraft Appearance Technician?

Don''t get me wrong. Everybody should take pride in their job and the way they do it, but it seems like this type of position should not even demand a resume. "Fill out the application, and we''ll let you know," would make more sense.
 
So we are a "major" airline, supposedly catering to the business traveler. JetBlue, Southwest, etc are the "low fare" carriers, offering a much more basic product at a discount rate for the "flip-flop crowd." We offer a much better product... Right?

Traditionally, network carriers have had the following advantages over network carriers:

*Food.* See above. We are now PeoplExpress.

*Premium cabins to upgrade to.* You are in first class on US for a three hour flight! You''ll sit in a leather seat, drink free beer from a plastic cup, choose either chips or a pretzels from a basket, and get to see that safety video featuring fun 80''s hairdos and the first ever DiscMan, followed by the back of another leather seat with pen marks all over it. Good thing you didnt opt for that nasty discount airline where you would sit in a leather seat, choose from a variety of snacks, and have a personal television with multiple channels. In Coach.

*An extensive network with frequent flights reaching to the smallest of cities to international service.* We are the Lily Tomlin of airlines, incredibly shrinking.

*Superior customer service from experienced and knowledgable employees.* Ask a Mesa flight attendant what cities we fly to in Asia and see what they say. Then ask when US Airways changed its uniform to black pants with an elatic waist and an off-white shirt. (I''m serious, check out Terminals A and E in PIT- it''s like the Island of the Misfit Toys from that Christmas movie)

*More comfortable aircraft.* "Welcome Aboard US Airways Express flight 123 with service halfway across the country, operated by Sweatshop Air. Please watch your head. A complimentary WetNap is located in the lavatory because there is no running water."

*Frequent Flyer program and associated recognition and awards.* I have one thing to say.. BBB

*Longer-haul routes.* Who would have ever though years ago that Southwest would fly from Baltimore to California? And that we''d fly from Baltimore to- um...hmm... I think theres some flights to the hubs and a couple of Jetstream 41s there.

So wait a minute, we''ve got a more competive product than WHO?
 

I had to giggle a bit when I went to the SWA website and read this line:
"Please include Aircraft Appearance Technicians in the objective statement of your résumé. A cover letter is not necessary."

I know SWA will probably have people jumping all over themselves trying to get these jobs, but for the life of me, I cannot imagine a professional resume objective of "Aircraft Appearance Technician." Like someone goes to sleep each night DREAMING that someday they can become a SWA Aircraft Appearance Technician?

kinda like "SANITATION ENGINEER"







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