Comments on: How the travel industry can win you back

By: we_travel

we_travel — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:19:19 +0000

Well, let me tell you that as far as accommodations are concerned, whenever we can we always rent a timeshare (we use http://www.redweek.com). This is to our advantage because (1) if we’re delayed getting there, it’s still ours – no hassles with the hotel, (2) they cost way less than hotel rates (for example, we stayed at a luxury resort on South Padre Island (TX) for just $76/night, (3) we get more for our money – more bedrooms and a living room (often a dining room, too, and a balcony or deck), a kitchen (which really helps the cost of meals), and the resort’s amenities – not just a pool and hot tub, but often golf, tennis, horseback riding, wind surfing, scuba diving, etc. – no extra charge.

By: Dolores Maminski

Dolores Maminski — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:22:20 +0000

I agree that everyone can’t be satisfied. But one shouldn’t have a knot in their stomach before every flight. This industry is about customers, and clearly some do a better job than others. When i encounter a friendly, helpful airline worker, I thank them. Making customer service and clear, understandable, reasonable rules doesn’t seem like it ought to be hard to do. If it is, then IMHO, greed is a good bet to be a driver.

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:58:08 +0000

I think the double-dipping is more of a state law than a federal law, and even then, it may be a different situation with hospitality versus housing. In housing, if you violate a lease by moving out early, and your lease had a penalty of, say, 3 months rent, the landlord cannot just ding you for the 3-month penalty if they found someone else to re-rent the place in the first month. It’s mitigating damages. Not all states have the law, and the law may be different based on the circumstances. Anyway, it seems hospitality should be required to abide by the same rule – if they hold a room for you and you cancel within a certain period, but they can re-rent the room (which they often can), they have to refund a certain amount of your money, maybe 50%. Just a thought.
PS: Forgot to mention good post!

By: DaveS

DaveS — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:00:53 +0000

Seems to me the no name change rule isn’t just a matter of security or a matter of making profit. I can think of at least two other reasons for it:

1) To stop speculators or middlemen from buying up bargain seats, then reselling them at a profit. How would you prevent the scalping of airline tickets?

2) To prevent companies which purchase lots of travel from avoiding purchase of full fare tickets by simply buying up a projected number of cheap seats in phony names in advance, then assigning them later by name to the actual people who end up flying on a given day.

It also seems the argument about a la carte pricing is logically specious. One could just as easily (and likely more accurately) make the case that it is only because of a la carte pricing that the airlines aren’t much worse off than they are.

There are legitimate things the airlines and other travel purveyors can do to make the experience better for more people, but some will never be satisfied no matter what they do. Just moments ago, I read a post by someone who wants the government to mandate first class sized seats for everybody. I hate to have to take the airlines’ side so often, but how whiny can we get?

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:27:52 +0000

By: SollyWhoop

SollyWhoop — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:58:01 +0000

Thanks for your thoughtful article. RoadRunner’s comment about the bus is right on. I take Greyhound about once a month and it’s way less stressful than flying.

Having said that, I see a lot more “Hurry, $79 coast to coast won’t last forever!” than constructively critically essays. The answer to the silly fees-till-the-cows-come-home is fairs that cover the carries’ cost and provides a reasonable profit.

By: Tweets that mention How the travel industry can win you back -- Topsy.com

Tweets that mention How the travel industry can win you back -- Topsy.com — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:39:46 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Pensacola CVB, Pensacola CVB, Travel_Tweet, africaskyand others. africasky said: How the travel industry can win you back: That's because things probably can't get any worse for the travel indu.. http://bit.ly/4F9s4d [...]

By: laura

laura — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:30:59 +0000

Chris:

I was told years ago that there’s law that prohibits hotels from charging you for a room cancellation if they are not sold out. Maybe that’s not true, but back when I booked a whole company division’s worth of travel, I used that against an Orlando hotel to get room fees back for three rooms that had been reserved for a week by employees that never called to cancel. It worked.

The trick is that if they aren’t going to be the slightest bit civil about it, you need to know if they had any rooms or not – call, or have someone else, call and ask about availability that day if you’re cancelling without the required 48 or 72 or whatever’s notice.

I would be interested in knowing of what I was told does happen to be a federal or state law.

By: Travel Manager

Travel Manager — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:48:36 +0000

Well said

By: Roadrunner

Roadrunner — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:21:32 +0000

The airline business needs a complete overhaul. And I’d suggest starting with seating — flying these days is like riding the bus, except that riding a bus is far more comfortable. In the Consumer’s Bill of Rights should be a MANDATED seat width and pitch — and it should be what first class seats are now. (First class could then be even fancier — like on all of the foreign airlines.) Then people would fly again.