Separation door?
Screenshot of ZDNet
Airlines have a need.
They tend to revolve around money.
This is going to be harder to do when you’re laying off a lot of people during the pandemic and then harder to hire more people when the pandemic begins to recede.
Despite the claims of many, business travel has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. However, leisure travelers would love to get on a plane and get away from anywhere here.
So how can airlines make more money from this less-than-ideal situation?
A clue emerged last week when details of a new American Airlines plane leaked.
As Point guy reportThe airline is expecting new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
If you’ve never flown one of these, they’re smaller than your old-world big plane and have some pretty comfortable, modern aspects, such as incremental window colors.
What’s different about America’s newest Dreamliners is that they’re more focused on customers with more money.
This will have 51 Business Class seats. No waiting. 51 Business Class cabins.
And these shells have doors. Welcome to the controlled community, at 36,000 feet.
The latest Dreamliners will also feature 32 Premium Economy reclining seats.
In total, there will be 41 fewer seats on these planes, compared with previous US 787-9s.
It’s easy to come to a conclusion.
Americans have to believe that some people have made a lot of money in the past few years. Whether traveling for business or not, they’re willing to spend more money for a more refined flying experience – that’s a relatively refined experience these days.
Thus, the American will serves them with the belief that more margin can be earned from providing exclusivity (to a higher degree).
This airline isn’t alone in trying to find customers willing to spend more on something even a little better. Even Southwest, for example, has allowed its enhanced business services – such as – appeared on synthetic Kayakbut only for those who are members of the company.
Some would argue that the separation between those with families and those without benefits reflects growing inequality in society.
The experience can be exacerbated on the plane when Economy Class passengers board and pass Preferred Class passengers who have had their second glass of champagne.
Search even suggested that passing the plush seat is associated with increased unrest for Economy Class passengers. You would think the airlines had enough unrest from passengers during the pandemic.
And did I mention the price of the plane ticket? has recently increased by about 20%?
One can completely understand the American mindset. This is a matter of money and the perception of who will be the most profitable flyer in the future. That is perfectly clear commercial thinking.
But it’s a bit of a tricky situation. It’s not like a restaurant, where the food is the same, the atmosphere is the same, but some people order wine at sky-high prices. It was a completely different experience.
Of course, American isn’t the first airline to open its doors to high-paying customers. But the timing of the news here can, for some, feel awkward.
They can see larger, more palpable divisions of a potentially irritating variety. And somehow accentuated by the introduction of new sliding doors for luxury.
If you were a frequent American Airlines Economy Class customer and you had to walk through the gated community, how would you feel when you reached your own seat? Oh, I may have forgotten to mention it. Economy Class seats are unchanged from the last iteration of this aircraft.
Dear American Airlines Economy Class passengers, please try and be tolerant.
One day, you may have the opportunity to fly in the supervised community and open a door to your seat.
It’s what they call the American dream.
