Zippy-The-Pinhead wrote:
The reason for economy plus was it was another source of income. How did they achieve it on a fixed length aircraft? They squeezed the other economy passengers. That's on top of the fact that they had begun jamming more rows onto planes many years prior. It's one thing to cut some amenities. I don't care that they don't serve food or charge for drinks,...etc. However, increasingly making the experience more miserable for 1/2 your paying customers doesn't seem like a good business plan.
Economy plus came well after they started making the seats the minimum required. The discount airlines were the only ones who were profitable doing it with the smallest seats possible. The bigger airlines followed suit and now they are making big money with a compartmentalized approach. It really does make sense. There is a market between first class and coach.
The low cost sites that let you find the lowest fare possible turned most airline customers into ones that will make a choice based on price and price alone(and number of stops but that is a different discussion).
It was really a race to the bottom created by consumers. Even now, consumers complain about the comfort of the seats but on every flight I'm on the slightly more expensive seats aren't filled up until the rest of the plane is pretty much sold out. I've gotten emails the day before asking if I want to upgrade to economy plus on the few flights I haven't taken it.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
