The biggest crisis the aviation industry has seen, but do we get a better service?

“up to its neck in perhaps the biggest crisis the aviation industry has ever known” is how the chairman of British Airways correctly described the aviation industry in article published in the Financial Times. Everyone understands the problems the industry is going through with the high oil prices and it is no surprise that an industry so dependent on oil is going to have to change or die. As a result the last few weeks have seen airlines, especially the US airlines cut back on the number of flights and destinations they fly too, add increases to tickets, even US Airways looked at removing its in-flight entertainment and some have been creative in looking for new channels of revenue such as placing adverts the boarding passes.
Cutting flights mean fewer planes, which in turn mean packed flights which are already so uncomfortable unless of course you sit at the front of the aircraft and those people living in the smaller towns (or as the airlines might put it “unprofitable routes”) will now have to go back to using horse and cart to get to the next largest city with an airport. Almost everyday an airline makes some an announcement of either cutbacks, price increases or something etc…, which is all very well. What airlines really need to do is to stop playing around and get straight to the point – they just need to increase the air fares.

The airlines should go ahead and increase those air fares double or triple to what they are now if necessary so that they can make a profit of some degree and buy the oil they need. At least with the increase in fares you are going to see some drop off in passenger numbers – not everyone will be able to afford the prices. Which of course should mean fewer passengers, more room on the planes and less busy terminals which all equates to a more pleasurable journey experience? Then of course, if you charge such high prices, which I would be willing to pay, I expect the service in return. Bring back hot meals served 2 or 3 times, give us back our free wine and alcohol, train the flight attendant in high quality customer service, provide the travel amenity kit, buy newer planes and get them cleaned properly. Is it really too much to ask for. After all in any other industry or service if you pay more you get more but for some reason in the airline industry we keep paying more, they keep cutting back and the service gets worse and worse.

As the airline continue cuts and adding charges they need to ensure their customers keep coming back and are satisfied to pay and put up with the changes. The only way to do that is to provide a better service.

Welcome to London Heathrow Airport, owned by Spain and sponsored by the Emirates

It is amazing the difference the USA and UK have over the ownership of their companies and national assets. One of the reasons why the American airline industry is struggling is because of the lack of investment, which many European, Asian and Middle Eastern airlines can provide if only the US government would relax their ownership laws. I believe this is an opportunity missed by the US government who may need to end up bank rolling some of the weaker airlines if the prices of oil continue. But imagine if Singapore Airlines or if British Airways were allowed to take over United Airlines or Delta. For one, US passengers would probably see a difference in service and hopefully get more value for their money on each flight.

In the UK however, ownership of British companies is far more relaxed and over the years have seen a number of great British companies being sold to foreign companies. Many UK companies are now owned by French or German companies, banks such as Abbey now owned by a Spanish bank and BAA (British Airports Authority) sold to another Spanish company. Now, I do not have anything against mergers and acquisitions its all in the spirit of free trade and competition. What I am against is the selling of certain companies that are a nations identity. For example, BAA was a successful company that managed several key airports in the UK as well as some airports abroad. It created a model that worked and generated income that was an envy of other airport management companies. In 2006 BAA was taken over by Spanish company Ferrovial – a mistake. The airport of any country is the first impression the first port of call a person has of a country how can Ferrovial have the identity of the UK as its priority – it cannot. This can be seen when you enter Heathrow Airport.

Anyone who is flown from Heathrow Airport will know about the “green area” at the entrance of the tunnel that leads to the main airport. Over the years this area has been used as a mantel piece. Most recently it was where people entering or leaving Heathrow could see a model of Concorde with the British Airways tail colours. Seeing this gave one a sense of national pride, and visitors I am sure would have felt that they were entering a nation of achievement. After all, it was only the UK and France that ever flew Concorde. The aircraft was a symbol of engineering achievement. Today, Concorde has been removed and now replaced by a model of the Airbus 380; fine you may think nothing wrong with that. The only problem is that the aircraft is not flying the British Airways colours – why? It is in fact flying the colours of Emirates airlines. There is nothing wrong with Emirates, it is a perfectly good airline, but why at a British Airport do we not have a British Airways Airbus 380 Airbus. Would we see a model of British Airways outside another country’s airport, I expect not. At the end of the day it seems that the sponsor with the most money has won over national pride.

When is an airline not an airline?

The answer to this question can be found the in the US airline industry, which has the largest anywhere in the world. Yet, being the largest and allegedly with the most amount of cash does not necessarily make you the best. I have over the years flown on US domestic flights and over the years I have been amazed at how bad they have gradually become. What is even more surprising is that the American population puts up with this low level of service. I suppose this also explains why many Americans have not travelled outside of the USA because if they had done they would have experienced the quality of the service found on some of the large European, Asian and now Middle Eastern airlines, and would have demanded the same of their own domestic service.

Yesterday, I read an article on the CNN travel section about US Airways removing its in-flight entertainment system from all its domestic flights. This is the latest move by an airline to try and save money and off-set the costs of high fuel prices. Well, this is certainly the nail in the coffin and in my eyes means that US Airways is no longer an airline but a low cost carrier and should promote itself as one. The other airlines, United, American and Northwest are not far behind so we need to ask what is the difference between these airlines, Southwest Airlines and other low cost carriers. I fully understand times are hard for airlines, but some of these charges have been implemented for a number of years, especially on the USA domestic routes.

Thank goodness here in Europe the big airlines have not started charging for passengers to take their own baggage on trips with them, charging for drinks, charging for meals or charging for in-flight entertainment. If you ever do travel on such an airline that charges from everything but the air you breathe than it is a low cost carrier. Look at Ryanair, which charges for everything apart from the air in the aircraft.

Here is a business opportunity for someone to start a domestic airline with the full service included in the price and to allow passengers to enjoy their journey. My guess is that people will pay the price for the service, I certainly would.

The journey begins...

We all have taken leisure or business trips of some sorts. But at what point does the journey experience begin? When do you actually say “yes, my trip has begun.” Does it begin from when you start to plan the journey; looking through brochures, searching destinations on the web or does it begin from when the tickets are booked, or when you arrive at your destination.

Now, don’t laugh but for me the journey experience can only begin when I arrive at the airport. I can hear you all screaming “what!” How could any holiday start at an airport especially today when people are pushed and shoved through check in and security lines like cattle on there way to be transported for slaughter. But really, I still think my journey begins at the airport terminal. It is when you are dropped off at the terminal I know that I can immediately forget about the chores to be done at home, the bills to be paid and going to work (unless you are on a business trip) simply because nothing can be done about them and all that can be done is to start enjoying your trip. Of course when you are in the terminal you become part of the hustle and bustle of the hundreds of people all going on different journeys. What fun and excitement.

Once you have checked-in and gone through security you are free to enjoy buzz of the departure lounge; people chatting, people rushing around, the smells from the coffee bars and eating places all add to the atmosphere. You really need to be at the airport early enough to enjoy the departure lounge and explore the shops and other delights the terminal has to offer. Where else can you eat explore shops, and watch the world without having to rush to beat the traffic, to get home or some other reason. Now of course this idea of a journey experience at an airport gets flushed down the airline lavatory if you are late for your flight or you are at some airport with let me put it politely CRAP! facilities. I am sure you have had experiences – do share.

When you bored the aircraft the journey for me really begins. It is the only time I can sit down to a meal and a couple of drinks (unless of course you are flying a low cost carrier or an american airline where you have to now days pay for everything from drinks, food, movies, and how long before they charge us to for the recycled air we breathe in the aircraft!!) and watch those movies you missed at the cinema. How people can ever sleep on a plane I will never know, I just cannot sleep and need to make sure I watch the next movie. As you can guess by now I am not a business class or first class traveller.

Finally, lets not forget when you arrive at your hotel. Where for a few days someone else will cook and clean for you all be it at a really high price. Time to relax and enjoy.

This is what this blog is about - the journey; the airports, the airlines, the hotels and all aspects involved with the journey. I hope to share with you my thoughts, news, tips and interesting items. So share your thoughts about when your journey begins and lets tell the industry what we really think.

About JetSet

What is JetSet all about? This is a good question and one I often ask myself when I come across a web site or a blog with a name that has no obvious connection to the content. On most web sites the designer has included the link "About Us", which gives the user the necessary details about the site.

However, the same practice is not always applied to blogs. Unlike most web sites, blogs can be very personal in its content and glancing at the home page does not always give any indication on what the site is about. The only way to understand a site is to read the short summary on the blog somewhere in the top of the page or to read a couple of blogs to gather some idea on the content. On one occasions I came across a blog with the title "-" . Now you can make two assumptions about this blog; either that it contains some adult material or that the entire blog is written in Morse Code.

I have come across many blogs written by experts or enthusiasts about airlines, hotels or specific travel expeditions, or they provide information on the travel industry. However, I have not come across a blog yet that talks about the entire journey experience, and if I am wrong do write in. I am no expert on the industry but simply a consumer with interest in travel specifically airlines and hotels. I have always had an interest in airlines and hotels probably because of the possibilities of luxury, adventure and fun they can provide. So here I intend to write about a consumers experience on the entire journey experience whether it is about the "jet" part of a journey which, I include as anything from the ride to the airport, the airport flight, and airline itself. I will also write about"set" the part of the journey from arriving at your destination whether its the hotel, the museum visits or the eating places.