Opinion sought on airline passenger needs..

[kira000]

Hi, I'm trying to get my head around a question and construct some arguements, and it would be really useful to get some (sensible) views of folks out there who use airlines as a means of transport. The question is this: Who do you think is best able to understand and articulate your needs and priorities as an air passenger. a)The airline you choose to fly with, b)The airport you fly from or c) a government department. And why do you think this? Thanks for your input, i'll be very interest to hear any views!

[jno]

presumably the airline, since they're the ones who make money out of getting it right. The airport is only concerned with what I do on the ground. The government's chief concern is with regulating (and taxing) the industry as a whole. But all three of your choices are in it for themselves and the money they can make, so really I wouldn't trust any of them to make any decisions on my behalf - they will always put their own interests first.

[joannie10]

I would have thought the airline as they are dealing most closely with the passenger and probably in their best interest that they do understand and do something about their clients needs.

[sitges]

You would think it would be the airline, however if they really had you best interests in mind there would be more legroom between the seats and you would get more then just peanuts.

[Ethel]

Depends very much on the nature of my complaint. If it is, for example, leg room, then my first complaint would be to the airline concerned. If they told me their seats were at the UK minimum distance (if there is such a thing) I would then address the government body responsible for setting the limit.
Shoddy service from cabin crew, the airline.
Dangerous practices by cabin crew, the government department.
Shoddy/unsafe equipment on the plane - both the airline and the government department.

Problems with the airport itself, I would complain to the airport. If it were safety issues, again the airport and the government department.

[kira000]

Thanks for the replies.. Some interesting points.

Ethel, it is not so much about complaints- if someone was to determine what the airport and experience through the whole journey should be like, provide, on behalf of you (you) the customer, who would understand you best?

[Ethel]

The airline. :)

[kira000]

A supplemental question, if the airport were given responsibility for speaking for air passengers and deciding what they want, what do you think the risks of that would be?

[jno]

airports these days, at least in the UK, are more interested in being shopping malls; they provide as few seats as possible, to force people to walk around the shops for a couple of hours. I do not trust them to have my interests in mind.

[dzug]

Of the three - probably the government, though they will have a tendency to decide what they think the passenger ought to want rather than what he actually wants. The airline will just be interested in what they can make from it - ditto the airport who have little interest in anything but shopping these days.

But why not ask the pasengers themselves?

[jno]

dzug, the forthcoming rise in departure tax does not convince me the government has my interests as a traveller at heart. The Telegraph says it cost �20 in duty to fly to Australia in January 2007; next year it will be �170.