RARELY and I do mean R-a-r-e-l-y do I agree with You or any of your opinions, probably due to your reliance of an IV of Corporate Koolaid, but the nonsense that radiates from SKYTRAX is so ridiculous that the information is NOT credible. Nearly every post blasts EVERY Legacy Carrier on every possible situation yet carriers like the darling Southwest is the Epitome of Success. According to Skytrax reviews, a new B777 flown by United is 'junky' yet a 'well maintained 5year old garbage can B737 ' flown by WN is a luxury liner. Right, I can totally agree 🙄 .And the most critcal of the comments come from the masses booked in ECONOMY! It's Steerage Morons.............but yet some of these idiots think the level of service should be comparable to what was offered on the Concorde. You get WHAT YOU Pay For, Nothing More. No One gets a Free Ride, Free Perk without OPENING the Wallet. The Year is 2012............the airlines are NOT Going Back in Time to LAVISH You because You Want it, yet only want to Pay $99 to get it. SKYTRAX is a Joke, pay No Attention to It!
While I think your open hostility towards customers should be noted along with a suggestion that you may be doing yourself and the flying public a disservice in not retiring. However, you make a comment that does have some merit and dovetails nicely with what I've been saying for years.
Like it or don't WN has worked at cultivating an image and reputation that is one of:
Low Fares
No Fees
Easy to understand fare rules
Clean Planes
Friendly Service
Good Service Recovery
That is the general perception their marketing message has and they use it to manage customer exceptions. I posted a survey here that showed that WN was cheaper than US only 26% of the time. In that specific case it didn't matter WN continued to grow and US spiraled toward BK's 1, 2 and merger.
Now we have "The High Cost of Cheap, price of everything, value of nothing" crowd in charge. With this gang they make NO ATTEMPT to manage customer expectations, so it should come as no surprise that the market perception is what it is.
Despite your decade long diatribe regarding "The customer only wants cheap tickets" mantra, we know that in a head to head competition that 74% of the time the decision to fly WN was not due to its status as the price leader. Ergo it must have been and continues to be something else. US Airways often is perceived as:
Cheap Fares
Biggest fee whore in the business
Poor Inflight experience (free snack)
Tighter seating
Poor Customer Service
Poorer Service Recovery
So US has by lack of a clearly defined and communicated Marketing message basically surrendered to the whim and whimsy of customer perception. A perception that isn't always supported by facts