When airlines play on passengers’ intelligence
A few years ago, I was flying from Heathrow, London, to Accra on board British Airways after a short visit to Britain. While on the tarmac awaiting to taxi, the captain told us that there was a light on the dashboard he needed to clear so we can fly safely. About 20 minutes passed and we were still stuck on the tarmac while others behind us in a long queue flew past.
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One after the other, they changed the brainbox. Everyone was quiet in the aircraft. While some were thirsty, others were hungry but it was clear on the faces of almost all the passengers that, we were simply not comfortable with what was going on. But no one could master the courage to speak or ask questions.
Behind me, I heard somebody scream; “Open the door let me get down. These silly things you guys do is unacceptable. You always take us for grant. You fly rickety aircrafts on the London/Accra route because we are blacks and deserve old stuff. Come on open”.
The voice sounded familiar and I looked back. It was my own boss at the time, Mr Lloyd Evans, the former Editor of the GRAPHIC BUSINESS. I didn’t know he was on board because I was among the last to board the flight that day due to some delays I had while preparing to leave my hotel for the airport.
“It is past an hour and we are still sitting in this thing without water nor a drink; If we were airborne, we would have had our starters and even dinner but look”, he yelled again. There and then, I heard others join in to hurl insults at the cabin crew for their insensitivity.
Eventually, we were asked to disembark. We were then given coupons to order some food and drinks. We were later told that another aircraft which was to fly to Atlanta, Georgia, was being prepared for us to fly to Accra. We boarded that aircraft after about 2 hours and what my boss said was true. The cabin was sweet, and even in the economy class, I felt I was sitting in a really comfortable seat, spacious and cozy with enough leg room. That aircfraft was really going to a continent most revered than Africa.
A story from America
According to Yahoonews.com, it took a lawyer to get Mary Ellen Duffy a full refund for the fare difference when American Airlines bumped her from first class to coach. And when airlines refused to refund fees on baggage not delivered on time, it took an act of Congress to change the practice.
Airlines have dozens of rules that confound and confuse travelers, who sometimes make extraordinary efforts to overcome them. Like American, United makes it difficult for passengers bumped from first class to get a cash refund. “This, in essence, is theft,” says Alexander Stross, who was downgraded to coach earlier this month and offered only a voucher toward future travel.
United says its rules do allow cash refunds, but customers have to make a request online and fill out a detailed form. Even when Mr Stross called United to complain, he was on the phone for about an hour before United agreed to a refund, he says. Many travelers, and airline employees, don’t know the ins and outs because of the sheer volume of rules. Delta Air Lines, for example, has 38 categories of rules stretching over 51 pages in its Domestic General Rules Tariff update from this month, even governing refusal to transport passengers who are barefoot or “malodorous.”
Some rules work against consumers in situations created by an airline’s own problems. When Delta suffered massive cancellations Aug. 8 to 11 following a power failure at its operations center, the airline said customers could rebook canceled flights without paying change fees. Initially it gave them only until Aug. 12 to make new plans.
That policy was criticized by consumer advocates, and as problems and cancellations grew, Delta extended the rebooking window to Sunday, Aug. 21. Even that may not be enough for many travelers who need time to reshape plans after a trip is scrubbed.
Delta says passengers needing more time to rebook should get a refund from the canceled flights and buy a new ticket later. “Our goal is to not prolong these items and circumstances weeks and months beyond the original event,” spokesman Anthony Black says.
Sample of airline rules that some travelers find unfair
Airlines are selling more first-class tickets these days, discounting prices rather than giving away upgrades. But sometimes first-class seats get taken away from buyers, such as when air marshals claim seats or switch airplanes.
Ms Duffy, of Phoenix, paid US$943 for a one-way first-class seat on a flight to Philadelphia in 2014. After bumping her to coach, American gave her a US$225 refund, figuring a coach ticket would have cost her US$718. When she bought her ticket months earlier, however, there were plenty of coach seats priced under US$300.
You bring a small dog or cat onto a plane in a pet carrier and stow it under the seat in front of you. It counts as one of your two carry-on bags. Simple, right?
Several airlines charge you US $150 each leg of a trip for the privilege. Why the fee when there’s no additional service? The airline is taking on responsibility for transporting a live item, Delta’s Mr. Black says.
Conclusions
There are soo many rules that many passengers do not know about but they fly because they only want to get to their destination. Most of the time, the only thing they do is to complain behind the scenes, thinking in many instances that, when the airline authorities hear them complain, they will prevent them from flying.
The British Airways experience was a clear testimony to the fact that when you insist on your right and in a manner that is justifiable, you get results. I recall ever complaining bitterly about the quality of the Delta Air Lines aircraft to New York from Accra which was below par. After years of complains and a number of articles from me and another passenger, Dr Sodzi Sodzi Tetteh, today, Delta is using a fairly comfortable airline on that route.
As Ghanaians and in many instances, Africans, our inferiority complex makes us feel lesser people than others from the west and at the end of the day, we allow them to have their way when we have a right. If we can take time to read the rules and challenge authority in a polite manner by stating our case, I am trust we will have what we deserve. The time to rise is now but let us know our rights first and be bold to demand it.