Some cuties on on the tails of aircraft - Photo: Frontier Airlines
If you want to complain about Frontier needing more otters, you are gonna need to do it online!

I sometimes use my mom (who loves birds, but not really planes) to help guide what we cover on AirlineReporter. Typically if she mentions “Hey did you see this story about an airline?” we have a nice conversation about it, but that typically means it has been well covered and unless we have a unique opinion, we move on. So, it feels special when my mom brings up a story she saw, and I have a few thoughts to add.

If you missed it, Frontier Airlines has opted to ditch their customer care call center, while still providing online support – all in the name of bringing down costs. Unless you are new to following the airline biz, we have seen this sort of thing a few times now. An airline announces some change to “save money to pass down to passengers.” Many media outlets cover it with the tone, “here is an airline looking to screw you over again.” Passengers, some who never have flown the airline, will flow to social media with the tone “HOW DARE YOU SCREW ME OVER AIRLINE, I WILL NEVER, EVER FLY YOU AGAIN!!!”

Even though I have come to roll my eyes with this sort of rinse and repeat narrative, I decided that I wanted to dig a bit deeper on this one. Why does this keep happening? Who is to blame? Is it the “evil” airlines and their greed? Or is it something much closer to home? Spoiler: I found answers!

Sometimes research is fun!
Sometimes research is fun!

During my extensive research I came across an article published a while ago that really hits the nail on the head. Go ahead, take your time to view it (don’t worry, it is mostly images), come back and read a few more of my thoughts, then please share yours in the comments. I got all day.

A Spirit A319 gets work done in the first operational bay
I dunno. I was trying to find a good “my Spirit flight got cancelled” photo and this does kinda work? Although my flight was canceled because of weather and this was when I last visited the Lufthansa Technik facility in Puerto Rico.

If you haven’t picked up a bit of sarcasm (my mom says I remember her of Andy Rooney at times), it is there. Is it entertaining for me to poke fun at how much attention these stories can get? Totally. Do my feelings change a bit when I am a passenger and a ULCC strands me? Yup. But when these sorts of things happen to me, I take a breath and remember my own comic story (100% true). I knew the risk of flying the airline and I lost the gamble.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & FOUNDER - SEATTLE, WA. David has written, consulted, and presented on multiple topics relating to airlines and travel since 2008. He has been quoted and written for a number of news organizations, including BBC, CNN, NBC News, Bloomberg, and others. He is passionate about sharing the complexities, the benefits, and the fun stuff of the airline business. Email me: david@airlinereporter.com

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2 Comments
edward lewis

CEO Biffle knows only the bottom line…..service does not ever cross his lips.

Mark Lewis

It’s about the bottom line…the airline industry received 100’s of millions of dollars during the pandemic and the only thing we’ve seen is layoffs, reduced services, more delays, etc. It’s time to regulate the industry again!

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