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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Claamping Down on Legroom
Charles Leocha · May 28, 2003

With dismay I read that American Airlines has decided to squeeze more seats into their coach cabins. I know, I know, they say it is only on the Las Vegas flights and a few others. But it is a mistake.

As anyone who reads this column occasionally knows, I am a big fan of Southwest. But I became a fan of American Airlines as well when they finally took the lead and gave coach/tourist class passengers more room in the back.

I could see the writing on the wall when the new American Airlines ad campaign broke with smiling faces proclaiming that they got a cheap ticket on American Airlines. Once the battle for the flying public became simply price, American Airlines and the other majors will lose. But, the majors, especially American Airlines, offer so much more than Southwest and the other discounters.

In my humble opinion, American Airlines chose the wrong field of battle with Southwest. Certainly there are hoards of travelers who are focused on only one thing: price. But there are also hoards of travelers who are willing to look beyond simply price when making ticket purchasing decisions. The American traveling public does, indeed, understand value - fairly priced value.

  • Non-stop flights.
  • Extra room.
  • Assigned seats.
  • Departures from major airports.
  • More flights for emergency backup.
  • Baggage transfers.
  • Snacks.
  • More flexible frequent flyer programs.
  • Airline alliances.
  • Hassle-free connections with international flights.
  • Hundreds of additional destinations.
I'll be willing to bet that anyone who has hop-scotched across the country on a series of Southwest flights would be more than willing to fork over $25 more for a non-stop or even a one-stop flight on American.

Anyone who has driven an extra hour or two to save a few bucks would be willing to spend the few extra bucks.

Add in the More in Coach space, and there would be more passengers lining up.

Add in the list that I have above, and still more will convert to spending a few dollars more.

Rather than basing an advertising campaign and marketing effort on the lowest price, American Airlines should be showcasing all the extras a passenger gets from flying with them, rather than with a low-fare airline.

The right ad campaign accentuating the benefits of flying with American Airlines can actually make American passengers feel like they are being treated with dignity and getting far more value for their money than those who choose to fly on low-fare carriers. They may also begin to feel a bit sorry for low-fare passengers with cattle-call boarding procedures who fly squeezed into the low-fare planes.

Passengers who think they are getting their money's worth will be willing to pay enough more to make American Airlines' corporate bean-counters happy enough to leave More Space in Coach.

The American Airlines problem will not be solved by adding extra seats. Heck, almost none of the planes are flying at 100 percent capacity, even with fewer seats. I've seen plenty of days when Southwest Airlines is sold out of their low-fare seats and American Airlines is still listing bargains on the computer.

The American Airlines justification is pure malarkey. I don't know what the executives are smoking, but reading their claim, "to satisfy the demand for lower fares, and to match the product that being offered by our competitors, we're making this change …" makes me ill.

With this type of corporate thinking, there would be no luxury goods in our system. No Mercedes. No Porches. No Tiffany. No Viking stoves. No Versace clothing.

Taken to the next extreme. Honda wouldn't even sell an Accord since the Civic would do. Their argument and logic leading them to conclude that they should "match the product offered by our competitors" is absurd. Sell your benefits. Sell them aggressively.

Bargain flyers will go to Southwest, AirTran and Jet Blue first because American Airlines has not given these passengers a reason to fly with them. Money isn't the only factor. Southwest offers an upbeat environment and fair prices. Jet Blue provides state-of-the-art entertainment and fair prices. AirTran provides fair prices.

People call these discount airlines because they know they will get a flight at a fair price. Even the walk-up fares are reasonable.

When leisure travelers call American Airlines (or another major airline), they feel that getting a fair price is the luck of the draw. Even aa.com makes it difficult to find the lowest prices among different American Airlines flights. And, if these passengers need to change their plans, they feel American Airlines will screw them with exorbitant prices.

Unfortunately, American Airlines' own ads underscore the fact that the airline is duplicitous. In bold full-page ads American says, "No fare higher than $299 one way in Coach to JFK from Long Beach or Orange County." Who do they think they are fooling? The only reason prices are so low on those routes is because of competition from Jet Blue.

Every traveler knows that American charges six, seven and eight times as much for travel from LAX. This type of pricing and advertising only perpetuates the consumer's attitude that the major airlines are out to overcharge them as soon as they get a chance.

The real solution is two-fold. Give passengers a reason to choose American Airlines, even when the price is a bit more. And create a simplified fare structure that is easy to understand.

Basically, treat passengers, tourist and business, like intelligent adults.

A good place to start would to simply make every fare that America charges, including walk-up fares, $25 more each way than that charged by Jet Blue and Southwest. I'll bet that they fill up their planes and make money as well.

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.