They absolutely are not being maintained and we, on the west, have been told that Rockwell no longer does the repairs. They haven't been around out here for months. MX does the repairs but as HP Jack said it is low on their list of priorities. My guess is we have more a/c with IFE problems than ones that don't.
Admittedly, given the very dire situation all airlines find themselves in with fuel costs dissolving their cash hoardes, I doubt that functional IFEs or most anything else is a priority for many airlines. But . . . those IFEs on your planes did not suddenly turn dysfunctional. It's been a long, slow process of neglect and disregard for the customer which dates back to those "happy days" of 2006 to 2007 when US has dollars rolling into the vault. In other words, Tempe really did not give a damn to begin with.
So let's look at what US ( and other majors ) have to offer customers today.
- Higher airfares -- I completely understand this as it's part and parcel with entire oil/energy situation which is all about global demand/consumption. We're all being called out on the carpet & neither airlines or car-driving consumers have many options regarding this new reality. So yeah, you guys gotta charge more for the seat < and you still have no guarantee of surviving >.
- Crowded planes -- Once again capacity reductions are necessary as as airlines try to tread water. So we pay more for the seat and we are shoe-horned into those crappy pitch seats everyone jams into already tight cabins. Like most carriers, US missed the boat in configuring their cabins to offer a hand full of better pitch coach seats to that strata of pax willing to up the ante a bit. No, it was more important to pursue that lcc model while touting US as a full service airline. I can deal with cabin reality, but not miserly short-sightedness ( though this is not wholly a US attribute).
- Unbundling of services -- Actually a good idea to make those infrequent flyers or less loyal customers ( read that cheap seat fanatics ) pay their way since they're the ones who check additional bags and create the chaos in the TSA lines, check-in lines, and boarding queues. They do indeed add cost to the airlines. Likewise, so long as I can grab a can of soda, I'm happy. I can bring a sandwich on board or go with your BOB deal.
- Trickier Connections -- capacity cuts mean less flights and less ability to quickly repair an itinerary when things go wrong either due to ops/weather/ATC. So your customers are in a worse position than previous years that were quite gnarly in their own right.
- Rising tariffs -- just another part of the process as governments reach into our pockets and airlines too must dip. But remember, we pax become increasingly conscious of poor/shoddy/bad service when the taxman and airlines bite us. It would have been nice if Mr. Specter and his Congress friends had used some of these fees to modernize ATC. That mistake is going to bite us in the butt during these next several years.
- Devaluation -- yeah, airlines are all devaluing their FF programs. Another fact of life in these slippery slope times. But do bear in mind that Tempe employs a lot of hubris and smoke and mirrors with your elites and the DM program. I can see the reality of the moment, but I also remember the lies and deceptions. I think it's fair to say that lots of your elites are making mental notes along the way as we all struggle with our flying during this difficult period.
The bottom line.
Airlines have been flying with the wrong businiess model for decades as pax expectations were frequently misguided ( low fares with full service). Then again, airline executes fed these beliefs by lining up like lemmings & raising capacity/routes and selling seats at a loss. With cheaper oil, even dysfunctional airlines still found a way to make money in a boom-bust fashion. But those days are gone and we're all going for a ride through a dark tunnel. I don't expect US to be any different from any other airline during this time.
BUT . . . I still expect service for my dollar. Those broken IFEs become a larger symbol of what Tempe is all about . . . inept in "good" times and incredulous during these difficult days. Thus far, we elites are just making it. We pay our higher fares because that's the way it is. But broken IFEs and the myriad of other BS that Tempe still serves is not how it has to be. All of you airlines have got to do more than assume that there's nothing you can do. You gotta stand behinid your product if you're gonna demand more of your customers. We'll put up with less capacity and the headaches it brings. But I've already had enough (avoidable) problems these past couple of years with US ( on several Envoy flights BTW ). And if you guys end up throwing your elites into pay-for-baggage, all of your small product deficiencies will loom larger and larger in our minds when we are hit with still more fees and receive not one iota of additional product/service for it.
My wife and I are waiting to see how bad things really get. It looks to me as if there may be minimal use for maintaininig an elite relationship with any airline ( or you simply purchase status as needed to fit your need that flying year). If I sense a slipping or shoddy product with US, then I think we might indeed become free lancers who pay as we go. If we're already screwed when we're in the air, then it really doesn't matter who screws you. Mind you, I say this not in terms of pointing a finger at US. We're simply increasingly aware of where necessary service cuts & price increases begin and end. Despite these bad times, we know what we should be receiving as a paying pax and our eyes are wide open for who is going to provide that service for the money paid. Time will tell if US or another carrier fits that bill.
Keep in mind that good service remains a valid pax expectation even in these dire times.
Barry
