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 | "Airlines are recovering the cost of their products with "ancillary revenue" |
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It was two years ago that I had landed on the airport of Los Angeles (LAX) and thought in the first place that my entry to the United States was ‘smooth’. This didn’t last long of course, while I was sunk in thoughts about it and trying to find my way out, I heard a voice calling “sir, sir …”. Soon I realized that my smooth ‘entry’ was not more then a wishful thinking. I was stopped by a Home Land security agent, in other words some one working for the Gestapo. I was told to put my luggage on an improvised table, which I gently did. Then the young Gestapo girl asked me why I had not reacted to her calling, I simply answered that I had not heard her, that there were also no sign of attending this procedure and that I was somewhere else with my thoughts. My hands were in the pockets of my trousers, as I was answering her questions or maybe her interrogation. She asked me to put my hands out of my pockets. I was just about to reply negatively on her request and was going to question her with “whether I was entering her country or if I was going to join the US army?” Since I knew what could happen with that kind of remark, I didn’t say anything and as requested put my hands out of my pockets. I thought of an American proverb tough, “What goes around, comes around.”. One day you will have to pay back the humiliation that you are causing to other people. Since US had always been a country who was not self sustaining in brainpower, one did not need a huge brain power to conclude that if the brain drain would stop that the growth and impact would also stop. The day of “going around” was indeed not that far, today US is in a vast speed going to the direction of a becoming a third world country. The costs of keeping its image, as a world power, is so huge that the speed down is accelerated by a minute, hence the fall will be probably deeper then anyone could have thought of.
Sad to see that this “terror” phobia and hence with it state terrorism on the airports are copied world wide and travelers have found themselves from one “anti terror” measurement to “paying for a sip of water on their flights. With the rise of oil price the airlines have discovered that they could hitchhike with the behavior of the airport security and could also charge their customers for the “ancillary” services. Everything that was once free can now be charged. In another environment we would have already revolted long time ago, but since we are so phobic about our security in the air we don’t think that this whole security and its tail of “ancillary” services have gone beyond the tolerance of acceptance. Lately there are plenty of articles to be found on the Internet where people are complaining about the costs of these new paid services but they are not more than complaints in people’s blogs, to me they only present a ‘modern’ version of the speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park.
The airline companies know that and even though the price of oil has dropped already 25% from its height, there will be no kind of reduction to the added amenities.
Like in the case of security, airlines are aware that this is short-term thinking. In other words: they are shooting in their own feet voluntarily. They might say that they are forced to use this policy since they are judged on their short-term performance by their shareholders. This, of course, cannot be an excuse to suck out everything what ever is possible from their customers. They are also responsible for the continuity of the companies they are working for.
In hope of getting the same profit ratios and hence keeping their bonuses, the airlines are going further than the bottle of water that we as a traveler have to pay for now. In order to squeeze their costs the airlines are already looking for possibilities of reducing their maintenance costs. It is not surprising that in the last month at least 6 airplane crashes had occurred. I don’t know whether there is an information site where the number of accidents or almost-crashes are kept. I’m sure if there is any; we would be able to notice that it is only increasing. Please let me know if you know a site like this.
This is not the end of this “play”, it is only the beginning. One way or the other the airlines will have to “come around” as well or better for this special case it might even “come down”. The difference with other “plays” is: you and I, as travelers can watch us while being as a figurant in this play as well. Don’t forget to enjoy your flight!
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M. Gezik
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