AIR TRANSPORT THE DIFFICULT JOURNEY OF PASSENGERS (Continued)

November 27, 2022

In a recent column, I had the opportunity to talk about the chaotic journey of passengers from their homes to their arrival on the plane. It now remains to be seen how this plays out on board.

The customer's first concern will be to find space for his cabin luggage. He thinks about it well before entering the aircraft, while he waits in the departure lounge for his passage to the plane. I also note that the practice of storing passengers in the bridge or in a bus for an often long time, tends to become widespread. One gets the impression that airport staff are eager to see the users disappear fromthe departure lounge. We do not see what is the advantage of making passengers move to immobilize them in sometimes very uncomfortable conditions, sometimes crammed for long minutes in buses too small.

In short, the doors of the aircraft are open and passengers can now access the cabin. The former will have no problem putting their hand luggage in the racks, but as the plane fills up, the passengers, often unscrupulous, it must also be pointed out, put their luggage in the first available rack at the front of the aircraft even if it is very far from its seat, thinking to recover it when getting off the plane. Thus the latest arrivals no longer have room to house their belongings even near their headquarters. This is becoming a real problem to the point that some companies are considering renting the luggage rack near the passenger seat. Itremains a real headache for both customers and commercial crews of carriers. In fact, customers are worried about putting their luggage  in the hold and they do not like the surcharges that could be imposed on them at check-in.

Once the cabin baggage is broken, if possible not too far from the passenger seat, it remains to slip into its place and it is not so simple because it is very often necessary to move the passengers already installed on the seats near the aisle to settle to those located near the portholes, hoping not to have forgotten anything for the duration of the flight in the cabin suitcase that was difficult to put in the cabin Rack. Indeed, the "pitch", i.e. the spacing between rows of seats has tended to shrink considerably over time. In fact, for the  last twenty years, companies have favoured the race for passenger volumes to compensate for the pernicious drift towards ever lower call prices. It is the customer who ultimately pays the costs.

He also pays them in the on-board service. The practice of paid services has become widespread under pressure from "low cost" carriers who have instituted it. Basically, it is understandable at least for the passengers who paid the lowest prices. This is more debatable for those who, having done it at the last minute, voluntarily or not, have paid the highest tariff when it is the only one capable of compensating for the cost price of the operator.  Eventually, companies charged their customers for savings they were unable to realize internally.

The flight can leave. It is very surprising that he leaves exactly at the appointed time. There is the unpleasant impression that the operators are working hard to stick to the schedule they have indicated. Certainly we know the complexity of the operation, but we can often notice a certain dilettantism.

Let's recognize that the aircraft are much more efficient in terms of flight quality than their predecessors. The pressure is more comfortable and the devices are much more stable. Former customers including me can appreciate the difference compared to the Caravelle or other Boeing 727 or 737 of the first generations. This is appreciable, even if the narrowness of the passenger space unfortunately compensates for this progress.

Remains the disembarkation. It would take another entire chronicle to complete the journey of the passenger whose concern now is not to wait too long to pass the police formalities for which carriers are powerless to ensure a quality of service that depends only on officials more or less inclined to goodwill, and to recover his luggage. I pity those who have lost their suitcase must contact a carrier in "code share" with the one from which they bought their ticket.

Well, despite all these difficulties, air travel continues to grow and passengers are returning in force to planes. This is enough to say how useful and appreciated this activity is, no offense to those who would like to see it disappear.