Forum Archive Index - May 2002

["Ben Dutton" <bendutton@sharechat.co.nz>]

Thanks for sending that in JJ, more proof that it would be folly to turn Air
New Zealand into a budget airline, which I discussed a couple of weeks ago:

http://www.sharechat.co.nz/archives/2002/05/msg00034.shtml

If Air NZ did go budget it could be assumed that legroom would have to
decrease to increase passenger loadings.  Lets hope the Air NZ board does
the right thing and resists the temptation of going budget for the sake of
short term gains.

Best Regards

Ben Dutton
Do not hold AIR

----- Original Message -----
From: "Share Boy" <jj_martinz@yahoo.co.nz>
To: <sharechat@sharechat.co.nz>
Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2002 7:34 AM
Subject: [sharechat] Air NZ in the UK Sunday Times


> The following is from the UK Sunday Times about
> Longhaul flights and comfort on those flights.
>
> Air NZ gets a good mention...
>
> Forgive the format of the text as I just copied &
> pasted from the web-site...
>
> Cheers...JJ...
> ...................
>
> Long-haul legroom campaign: Voting with our seats
> Airlines failing to adopt our campaign demands are
> losing business fast. Mark Hodson reports
>
> Long-haul passengers are avoiding airlines with
> cramped seating in favour of rivals offering more
> generous legroom, according to new research. Travel
> companies say economy- class flyers are switching
> allegiance as a direct result of The Sunday Times
> Campaign for Fair Flying, which has highlighted
> differences in seat pitch between competing airlines.
>
> Six weeks ago, Bridge the World, a flight
> consolidator, became the first travel company to
> support our campaign for more legroom on long-haul
> economy flights. While other agents gloss over the
> issue of cramped seating, it decided to tackle the
> issue head on, publishing details of seat pitch in its
> advertisements and telling all its customers which
> airlines provide the most space.
>
> The effect was immediate and dramatic. In March,
> bookings with Virgin Atlantic, which offers just
> 30-32in of seat pitch in economy, were down by 36% on
> March 2001. In contrast, Malaysia Airlines and Air New
> Zealand, both of which offer a 34in seat pitch, were
> up by 75% and 36%, respectively.
>
> But the sharpest rise in bookings was enjoyed by
> American Airlines, which has removed rows of seats
> throughout its fleet to provide an industry-best
> economy seat pitch of 34-36in. Bridge the World says
> bookings with American Airlines were up in March by
> 1,165%.
>
> Jerry Bridge, the managing director of Bridge the
> World, says: "It's clear to us that these booking
> figures have been dramatically influenced by our
> support for The Sunday Times Campaign for Fair
> Flying."
>
> According to Bridge, passengers are no longer choosing
> airlines on the basis of price alone. "Everyone wants
> a bargain, but the issue of comfort is becoming more
> important. The airlines taking the most bookings all
> have more generous seat pitches, not necessarily the
> cheaper fares."
>
> Liam Campbell, a sales agent at Bridge the World in
> London, says: "I'm seeing a lot of former die-hard
> British Airways customers switching to American
> Airlines. Legroom is the watchword and it seems to be
> even more important to passengers than convenience or
> price."
>
> Other flight consolidators confirm the pattern. Peter
> Liney, the managing director of Travelbag, says that
> over the same period he saw bookings with American
> Airlines increase by "at least twice as much" as other
> transatlantic carriers. Liney says: "I think it's due
> in a large part to the Sunday Times campaign. It shows
> that passengers now consider seat pitch a key factor
> in choosing an airline."
>
> Air New Zealand says its sales have risen in recent
> weeks as the public becomes increasingly aware of its
> generous legroom in economy. The airline says: "Two
> weeks ago, we launched an advertising campaign
> promoting our 34in seat pitch to Los Angeles, and
> bookings during the following week doubled on all our
> routes. Passengers are talking about seat pitch,
> saying that's why they're flying with us."
> Bob Tolliday of Holiday Which? says: "Passengers are
> choosing to fly with airlines that provide less
> cramped conditions. Until recently, most people didn't
> even know what seat pitch was; now passengers are very
> much aware of how it affects them in terms of their
> comfort and health and general wellbeing."
>
> We asked the airlines that performed least well in the
> Bridge the World survey if they thought their ticket
> sales would improve were they to increase legroom in
> economy. None gave us a straight answer.
>
> Singapore Airlines, which has a 32in seat pitch and
> was down 6% in the survey, replied that its "primary
> concern is the comfort and safety of our passengers"
> and pointed out that it had "consistently topped the
> polls for the quality of our in-flight service".
> BA, which has a minimum seat pitch of only 31in, was
> up 2% in the Bridge the World survey because many
> passengers are upgrading to its premium-economy cabin.
>
>
> It said it was pleased at the figures, "all the more
> impressive against a backdrop of ongoing capacity
> cuts".
>
> Virgin Atlantic said: "We believe we offer a superior
> package of product and service. We do recognise some
> passengers want more legroom, which is why we
> pioneered premium- economy seats 10 years ago."
>
> THE SUNDAY TIMES has been campaigning since January
> for more legroom and greater transparency so that
> consumers can make informed choices. We want the legal
> minimum passenger space increased from 26in to 30in -
> equivalent to a seat pitch of 32in. We also want a law
> requiring companies selling air tickets to include
> seat pitch in their advertising.
>
> More than 6,000 readers have written to us in support
> of the campaign and many have also bombarded ministers
> with letters and e-mails. Last month, victory came
> closer when the aviation minister, David Jamieson,
> told a meeting of MPs that the government would act to
> increase the legal minimum, "in the light of the
> Sunday Times campaign".
>
> In theory, this could be done immediately, with a
> simple change in the Civil Aviation Authority
> regulations, but the government wants a Europe-wide
> minimum that will not put UK airlines at a commercial
> disadvantage and this will clearly take time.
> Now, the most likely catalyst for change appears to be
> consumer pressure. If enough passengers choose the
> airlines with the most generous legroom, their rivals
> will be forced to act.
>
> One company has already responded. Travel City Direct,
> the largest independent tour operator to Florida, says
> it has increased the seat pitch on its long-haul
> charter flights this summer as a direct response to
> the Sunday Times campaign. It will fly to Orlando from
> Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow with a seat
> pitch of 31-32in. Competitors offer just 29-30in.
>
> LINKS
> www.travelleronline.com/planner/airnews.shtml
> Seat-pitch league table
> www.airlinequality.com/Forum/seats.htm
> Discussion of seats on individual airlines
> No contest
> RETURN FARE from Heathrow to New York, valid for
> travel between July 1 to 11, booked with Bridge the
> World (0870 444 1716).
> American Airlines
> Fare: £449
> Seat pitch: 34-36in
> British Airways
> Fare: £445
> Seat pitch: 31in
> Virgin Atlantic
> Fare: £451
> Seat pitch: 30-32in
>
> CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES
> Airlines should have a minimum seat pitch of 32in on
> long-haul economy flights, providing at least 30in of
> passenger space.
>
> We want legislation that will force any company
> selling airline seats to state in their advertising
> the minimum seat pitch passengers can expect.
>
> JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN
> Write to: Support, Campaign for Fair Flying, The
> Sunday Times, 1 Pennington St, London E98 1ST; e-mail:
> supportfairflying@sunday-times.co.uk.
> Or write to the transport minister: David Jamieson,
> DTLR, Eland House, Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5DU;
> e-mail: david.jamieson@dtlr.gov.uk.
>
>
>
>
> http://briefcase.yahoo.com.au - Yahoo! Briefcase
> - Save your important files online for easy access!
>
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