• What's ticked?
• Accolades
• Contact us

c o l u m n s

• Cheap Charlie
• ChrisCrossings
• Err Travel
• Leocha
• Travel Notes
• Archives

Bad Ad
Cheap Charlie · January 22, 2001

Over the years, I have become a bit jaded by airline advertising. But American Airlines in on the mark with their new campaign for more room in coach, and United Airlines should refrain from singing the praises of the benefits of bigger airlines.

Hooray for American.

Flying standby after missing my early morning flight out of Phoenix, I found myself assigned to the middle seat in the far rear of the airplane. I wasn't too happy about it all, but then again, it was my fault. I had overslept.

I hung around the gate agent waiting until the last minute for the possibility of an upgrade or of finding an aisle or window seat. No luck. The gate agent told me I should be happy to have any seat on the plane. I agreed with him and began shuffling my way into the back of the plane.

Oh. I was flying on American Airlines. This is important to the story.

I got back to my row, 27, and scooted into my seat, 27B. Ugh. I went about making myself as comfortable as possible. Pushed my computer under the seat in front of me. I had just shifted some of the overhead stuff in the bin and made enough room for my coat.

I settled in for the long cramped flight.

But something was different. For some reason, I didn't feel as crowded. My knees weren't jammed into the back of the seat in front of me. Heck, even I, over six feet tall, had a couple of inches of room. This wasn't going to be too bad after all. Even in the middle seat.

American Airlines really does have more room in the back of the plane. When I see the American Airlines ad with Santa Claus sitting in a coach seat, I now nod in agreement. These ads are true, but you'll have to experience a flight on American to really appreciate the change.

Bronx cheers for United Airlines.

Last week, turning through the Boston Globe, I came across an ad from United Airlines claiming to show "How smaller cities benefit from bigger airlines." The ad is a pitch trying to claim that the merger of US Airways and United Airlines will improve the customer experience.

Harrumph! I don't think so. This is a bad ad that tries to make sweeping generalizations that just don't stand up to any minimal scrutiny.

If a traveler only is concerned with getting from Point A to Point B, there are situations where having larger airlines serve your city can be a benefit. That, though, is only when they ad to service, not merely take over existing service.

Some new "addition" of service by airlines is really nothing more than the sharing of one flight by two airlines (sometimes more). This comes under the category of "code sharing." The airlines then claim to have expanded their route structure, but the passenger still sees only one plane, leaving at the same time. It is a government-approved consumer con game.

In other cases, "Smaller" cities such as Charlotte, NC, Cincinnati, OH and Cleveland, OH can't claim any great financial benefits from the takeover of their airports by "larger airlines." They have become fortress hubs and now enjoy the benefits of some of the highest fares in the country.

In the US Airways/United Airlines merger, I really don't see any upside for the consumer. I know the CEOs and COOs will make millions of dollars. I know fares will go up. I know United's promise of not raising fares is bogus when they only have to shift the mix of fares to change revenue yield.

I think the United Airlines frequent flieer program is a bit more generous. But I know there will be labor strife. Pilots from United will fight to maintain seniority and those from US Airways will do the same. Flight attendant, mechanics, ramp workers and gate agent unions are already gearing up for a big fight.

And I've never seen a consumer benefit from management-union bickering nor from unions fight with each other. Spare me.

When the country's biggest airline claims that anyone benefits from bigness, they should take a look in a mirror. I can't imagine the chutzpah they have after their service record of the past year. In the airline world, bigger is not better except for profits and the highest levels of corporate executives. The traveling public suffers. Recent statistics seem to prove it.

I beg of United Airlines, "Please don't help us any more. We've had enough."

Charlie Leocha is the Boston-based author of Travel Rights: Know the Rules of the Road and the Air Before You Go. Cheap Charlie appears every Monday on this site. E-mail him at leocha@aol.com or access his Web site.