Spoilt for choice with new airlines

Spoilt for choice with new airlines

JAKARTA (JP): Flying in a new era of greater choice will
hopefully benefit consumers.

They will have more options and most will want better services
for their money -- but high risks are involved for the airlines.

High risk has a double meaning here. First, investors must
realize the risk that passengers will take as a given good
service, but be sure to complain when standards fall short.

Second, as chairman of the Indonesia national Air Carriers
Association (INACA) Wahyu Hidayat said, the airline industry is a
business of risk related to safety and security and money.

"A train can operate with broken windows, a bus can travel
with excessive passengers, but not an airplane. The airline
industry is also a capital intensive business that operators must
arrange jet procurement or leasing, technology maintenance and
prepare human resources," Wahyu said.

The airline business is also vulnerable to financial
turbulence; when airfares are raised to accommodate fluctuating
exchange rates and prices, the number of passengers is bound to
drop.

Wahyu said that operating aircraft of the same type was one
way to save on expenses.

But if the government remains consistent with its policy that
airlines are required to serve both profitable and unprofitable
routes, the airlines will have to operate more than one type of
aircraft. This is due to the different condition of airports in
Indonesia and load factors. It would be inefficient to operate
wide-body aircraft for a limited passenger load, and only a few
of the country's aircraft can accommodate the larger planes.

Choices

How to pick and choose the best airline?

There are frequent flyers who seek safety and security above
all. Some are won over by friendly service, while others want the
assurance of on-time performance because of their own tight
schedules.

There are also those who want to try different airlines in
order to learn from experience.

They can take note of the different ground services, from
check-in, the type of aircraft, how the pilot fared on takeoff
and landing and the attitude of flight attendants. They have a
chance to compare the attention to safety of the latter, such as
when a passenger arrives loaded down with too many pieces of
carry-on luggage or obstinately refuses to use the seatbelt.

Will the flight attendants put them in their place, or let it
go with a bemused smile, thereby putting other passengers in
potential danger?

A reservation system is a good indicator of what lies in
store. Is it fast and efficient, or does the airline keep you on
hold forever as you are forced to listen to the strains of Muzak?
Are they courteous and friendly, or do they sound like they
really could not be bothered and that you are taking up their
time?

If you ticked off the latter answers to both questions, then
chances are that the airline's management leaves something to be
desired -- and the services in the sky will be of a similar sorry
standard.

Few people also bother to find out about the age and the
carrying capacity of an aircraft. They can read about this in the
inflight magazine, but it would be better to ask about it from
the airline crew. It will be a great plus in rating the airline
if they crew knows its stuff.

And, of course, ask around. People who have flown the airlines
will be able to give you a first-hand account of their experience
in the skies. If it fell short for them, especially on more than
one occasion, then it may be a wise decision to try another
airline serving the same route. After all, word of mouth is the
greatest advertisement for the quality of any service industry
(I. Christianto)