Articles tagged “passenger experience”

After acquiring Virgin America, Alaska Airlines will switch to a single reservations system next week. The company is confident it will avoid some of the problems other airlines have faced after cutovers. We tend to agree. Let's hope it's a non-event.

American Airlines’ new Flagship experience gives its premium passengers a sneak peek into the passenger experience of the not too distant future.

Southwest added a bunch of flights earlier this year departing before 6 a.m., and passengers didn't seem to like them. But fear not. It's a short-term thing.

More companies are producing airline seats. That's good news for carriers, which have long complained about production delays from existing suppliers. It's not clear how much it matters for consumers. Airlines don't allot much space to each economy seat so there's not a lot of room for innovation.

There's no doubt Ryanair is a more customer-friendly airline than a few years ago. But its pilot shortage problem last year was a major problem, and it undoubtedly hurt its reputation.

Low-fare airlines got there first. Now, big carriers are launching basic economy fares across the Atlantic. Expect some confusion as their customers figure out the rules.

Could airlines stop with the 4 p.m. breakfasts? Savvy travelers want to get acclimated to their new time zone as fast as possible, and a later afternoon meal of sausage and eggs doesn't help. But keep the coffee. It's vital.

We'd love to see an airline rethink the business class experience. Perhaps one might retire all the fluff, like the multi-course attempts at fine dining, served on tablecloths. But people apparently like the business class pageantry, so it sticks around, even on new entrants, like Hong Kong Airlines.

Under Oscar Munoz, United Airlines has a knack for getting itself in the news with viral stories. But operationally and financially, the airline is doing OK, and sophisticated investors aren't calling for him to leave. He may get more time to fix what ails United.

JetBlue's not the most profitable U.S. airline. It's not the most on-time. It doesn't have nearly the selection of destinations as its larger competitors. But the airline has succeeded in disrupting the industry with its innovative business class product.