[NTarrant]

Well Bill, its like this, I’m paying for a product which starts to loose its value when parts of the product are removed, hence hot towels and the chocolate. I am sure that Disgusted will be able to say why he feels its not worth it and Binman has made his stance quite clear.

What is it with people who think that because there have been disasters in the world, people that have a toot about something completely different have to marginalise it? Put it inperspective, if we had the problems Japan has and suffered the disasters, hot towels and chocolates would not feature on the radar.

[Bill_Hants]

NTarrant: but in the scale of things, even in the UK, the vanishing hot towels and chokkies and other hardships is not the end of the world.

Airlines, facing all sorts of economic challenges, have to cut their cloth according to their purse. Customers have to feel the pinch too.

It does surprise me that “Business Travellers” can afford to spend so much time worrying about minor things and not on … business.

[NTarrant]

Bill sorry but I don’t agree. It does seem from your comments that you are not a business person. Why would I spend 24/7 worrying about business? Why should I not get concerned about hot towels and chokkies?

“Customers have to feel the pinch too” no they don’t, how far do customers have to feel the pinch in your mind? Why should I recevie less? In these challenging times, the customer is the one that is going to keep the airline going and one has to attract and retain customers. The towels and chokkies are not a deal breaker, but how far could they go before it does?

[Bill_Hants]

…. the customer is the one that is going to keep the airline going and one has to attract and retain customers.

But speaking as a business person … not at any price …

[Henryp1]

For the time being I do appreciate the small CE cabin and whilst the service can be brief and functional, and the seat not the best there is, it is a service which we use and will continue to do so. The ground benefits are sometimes great depending on the location and we like flying point to point. But like everyone else this is a personal choice and I respect those who use other carriers for their own reasons be it comfort, route or financial.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

NTarrant

Please state your qualifications for being able to infer anger from an email.

I cannot and I hold a diploma in psychology, as well as Masters in facilitation and BPS Levels A and B Intermediate+ in psychometrics, which as you may be aware does have a little bit to do with the psychological implications of words.

JordanD made a straight comment that he felt Binman’s comment was rude, which seems fair enough to me; he did not try to interpret whether this was rudeness generated by anger or humour or stress.

That’s the difference.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

Why CE isn’t worth it.

No pre-departure drink
No hot towel before dinner
Poor food (compared to other airlines)
Inconsistent seating (luck of the draw and the subject of this thread)
Very variable service, from excellent to pants
Inconsistent boarding (priority for business class not guaranteed in reality)
No inflight entertainment on longer sectors
Aircraft that have shabby interiors and are not always clean
Huge price differential over Euro Traveller in many cases

I have to say that Euro Traveller is a decent economy product, although the cutback on food didn’t look too great, as it removed one of the elements of differentiation from the locos, for those travelling point to point.

[Bill_Hants]

NTarrant: why should you be worrying about business 24/7. Well, one reason might be that if you didn’t, you might not have a business …

[CallMeIshmael]

Fair points Disgusted, I would also add punctuality to the list. One may expect the full service/premium carriers to be better, however
the main players’ occupy the lower rankings of the punctuality table. There appears to be no competitive advantage to be gained from leaving promptly and arriving as per schedule.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/8400362/Jet2.com-named-Britains-least-punctual-major-airline.html

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

To be fair to BA and other Heathrow users, this airport almost guarantees delays.

I’m not excusing late departures, but having been an LHR user since 1978, it has always been a cross to bear.

[NTarrant]

Bill – not at any price? That does depend on your view as to the value of the product and the price tag. One person may feel that a product or service is value for money on what one gets where as another may not.

Having used CE for a number of years, the removal of hot towels and the chocolate is an erosion of the product. As I say it is not a deal breaker, other elements of CE give it its value to me.

Still better not say anymore as those that dislike CE call you apologists and get all high and mighty when you don’t agree and whip out their qualifications to show they are better than you

[Bill_Hants]

NTarrant:

Whether qualifications make one “better than” someone else is a moot point, but we do seem to have found a nugget of wisdom here.

Consumers seek a range of benefits (consciously or unconsciously) when they make buying decisions. Some may put a higher value on competitive price, others legroon, wider seats, catering, punctuality, hot towels and chokkies, etc, etc

Few if any offerings in the marketplace will give you everything so consumers have to make trade-offs. They compromise on what seems the best deal for them at the time.

Vendors pitch their offerings at those segments (groups of consumers) which they see as most attractive. (often but not always the most profitable). They tweak their offerings to differentiate themselves from competitors, whilst keeping the target segment firmly in focus. They stay out of segments that are unattractive but that does not alwasy mean those segments aren’t attractive to someone else (like Ryanair).

Not easy, especially when you factor in the dimension of time – the fact that consumers are fickle and change their expectations over time, and competitors are changing all the time, as is the outside world.

It’s a hectic race against a moving target – the elusive and irrational consumer, but with big prizes if you can get it right and keep getting it right.

Whoo, whoo … I’ve just realised I’m regurgitating my old MBA marketing theory course notes. I’d better stop before NTarrant attacks me for trying to show I’m better than him !!!

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

NTarrant

You commented that I wrote about your post and not Jordans.

Don’t blame me for supplying the reason.

The fact remains that in the past 24 hours, you and VK have both claimed that you can see ‘anger’ in posts from people who do not think CE is up to much.

I don’t either of you are qualified to make that statement. Simples.

[NTarrant]

On the contary Bill, I quite agree with you, your MBA notes seem simular to my BA (not British Airways!) notes. I have not attacked anyone Bill, why would I attack you? How are you better than me?

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

Bill Hants

Classic marketing theory.

Ryanair own the cost leadership position in Europe, so BA needs to differentiate.

However, reducing the value in the product is a strange way of doing that.

They seem to have focused on the ex London markets as part of their strategy and time will tell whether this will work.

I see BA as a Jekyll/Hyde company, strong LH premium product range, poor short haul premium product.

[Author]

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