With one airline featuring naked flight attendants in its safety video, and a couple of other airlines considering standing room only spaces, it seems that airlines in general are getting desperate to offer a unique service and get more business.
Air New Zealand recently made headlines with its safety video featuring three male and two female staffers in the buff, except for some paint layered on to look like clothes. Okay, don't get too excited -- you can't see a thing, except *clothes* that look rather weird. But the accents are really cool, and it's fun to at least try to see something, right? What this has boiled down to is an excellent marketing campaign for Air New Zealand, as nearly four million people have already viewed the video on YouTube. Awesome idea!
Ryanair has also had media coverage lately with its off-the-wall plans for the future. Under consideration are standing room only seats for short commuter flights; planes with only one toilet; fees to use the toilet; and a requirement for passengers to lug their own luggage out to the airplane. If Ryanair goes through with these plans, they will most certainly try to pass off these changes as beneficial to the passenger in the form of cheaper flights. However, the real motivation isn't what's good for you -- it's what's good for the airline. Just eliminating baggage check-in alone could save the company $42 million a year. Should they pursue these ideas?
China's Spring Airlines already considered and rejected the idea of standing room only, deciding against it for regulatory and safety reasons, and for the dismal fact that it is having trouble filling its flights as it is. In a time of recession and plummeting demand for travel, it seems downright odd to think of packing in more people per plane.
The one toilet for a fee idea is by far the worst proposal. In combination with the other ideas, the troubles would be formidable. I personally wouldn't want to be on a flight with a bunch of grumpy people who had to lug their suitcase a long distance to the plane, stand up the entire flight, and then wait forever to get into a restroom that they then have to pay to use! I can picture people getting so pissed off that they might want to pummel the person exiting the restroom. And that might be me!
I guess the good news is that people in the industry are at least trying to get creative and do something different. The bad news is that different is not necessarily better. I've heard a rumor -- unsubstantiated -- that some airline offers special flights for those adventurous souls wanting to join the Mile High Club. But if that were such a popular thing to do, I definitely would've heard of it. Also, I believe the Hooters planes were a bust.
What might they try next? Gee, guess they could ask women with children for some input, and we might have planes with soundproof playgrounds and diaper-changing rooms in the back, additional toilets rather than fewer, and a place to put a purse in reach. That's just for starters....
Air New Zealand recently made headlines with its safety video featuring three male and two female staffers in the buff, except for some paint layered on to look like clothes. Okay, don't get too excited -- you can't see a thing, except *clothes* that look rather weird. But the accents are really cool, and it's fun to at least try to see something, right? What this has boiled down to is an excellent marketing campaign for Air New Zealand, as nearly four million people have already viewed the video on YouTube. Awesome idea!
Ryanair has also had media coverage lately with its off-the-wall plans for the future. Under consideration are standing room only seats for short commuter flights; planes with only one toilet; fees to use the toilet; and a requirement for passengers to lug their own luggage out to the airplane. If Ryanair goes through with these plans, they will most certainly try to pass off these changes as beneficial to the passenger in the form of cheaper flights. However, the real motivation isn't what's good for you -- it's what's good for the airline. Just eliminating baggage check-in alone could save the company $42 million a year. Should they pursue these ideas?
China's Spring Airlines already considered and rejected the idea of standing room only, deciding against it for regulatory and safety reasons, and for the dismal fact that it is having trouble filling its flights as it is. In a time of recession and plummeting demand for travel, it seems downright odd to think of packing in more people per plane.
The one toilet for a fee idea is by far the worst proposal. In combination with the other ideas, the troubles would be formidable. I personally wouldn't want to be on a flight with a bunch of grumpy people who had to lug their suitcase a long distance to the plane, stand up the entire flight, and then wait forever to get into a restroom that they then have to pay to use! I can picture people getting so pissed off that they might want to pummel the person exiting the restroom. And that might be me!
I guess the good news is that people in the industry are at least trying to get creative and do something different. The bad news is that different is not necessarily better. I've heard a rumor -- unsubstantiated -- that some airline offers special flights for those adventurous souls wanting to join the Mile High Club. But if that were such a popular thing to do, I definitely would've heard of it. Also, I believe the Hooters planes were a bust.
What might they try next? Gee, guess they could ask women with children for some input, and we might have planes with soundproof playgrounds and diaper-changing rooms in the back, additional toilets rather than fewer, and a place to put a purse in reach. That's just for starters....
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