e all foam at the mouth at inexpensive airline fares and 8 times out of 10 nothing goes wrong, we endure the child-sized seats, departure gates located at the furthest end of the airport, sometimes walking across the tarmac or taking a bus, crazy early morning or light night takeoffs. We sigh at the pay-per meals once onboard and deal with the total lack of amenities – like wifi or a simple entertainment system.
Flybe is one of the absolute worst.
Airlines have made the most amazing thing in the world (flying) into a miserable experience
Not to mention luggage. Ugh… Some discount airlines don’t charge by weight, some charge just your carry on, and some now charge for both your luggage and your handbag. A little secret here – the weight of your luggage costs them nothing. If you’re 2kg over or 2kg under – it’s nothing to them. When was the last time you saw them weighing the passengers? EasyJet is one of the decent EU companies – they don’t charge for weight, but will charge extra for 2 pieces instead of one.
Essentially, we suffer for that cheap fare and are trading all comforts for a discount. It’s a weird mentality as the fare will be the cheapest part of your vacation.
But what happens when something does go wrong, and it invariably does on discount airlines – from reschedules to late flights to just needing customer service. Unfortunately, the bargain airlines have to deal with bargain flyers and they develop are harsh, if not rude (dare I say sadistic?) mentality.
Imagine you come to work each day, and half of your mandate is to charge your customers as much as possible – and if you spoil part of their trip. Or make them unhappy about your brand – well who cares, they’re just discount flyers, after all, those cheap bastards.
You weigh their luggage and then get to blurt out – “you’re 0.8kg over – you need to pay 60 GBP for that purse!” You do this day after day, weeks, months until you probably take some pleasure in it. And the company rewards you. It’s part of the culture – charge the customer for everything – a drink of water, being able to board first, a meal on a 12hr flight, a ‘slightly’ larger seat.
Norwegian surprisingly fell into this category of sad experiences. Who could imagine that an overnight flight would offer no in-flight service? (sigh)…
The worst, however, was Flybe. We had a great time in Heptonstall (Hebden Bridge) – in Northern England, soaking up the pub culture and visiting the grave of Sylvia Plath. Our hotel stay at the White Lion was equally fantastic. We were excited to go to Isle of Man (my 33rd country/territory) – and weren’t supposed to leave for the airport until 8 am (for an 11:30 am flight). It’s a fairly short train ride (1:20) so we should have been to the airport by 9:30 or so. But, with all the excitement I woke up early, and we left at 7:20 am. I figured I’d get to the airport and do a little shopping.
Sadly, just after boarding the train, someone jumped in front of one of the trains. A surprisingly frequent occurrence (280 people last year). You have to wait while the police drive to the scene, the forensic guys, the photographer – they mill about the countryside looking at the mess – collect the evidence and witness statements, don big white bio-hazard spacesuits and I guess to clean up the scene. Eventually, the train moves on.
Sad for the jumper, and unfortunate for the thousands of commuters that just had their trips messed up, canceled, or commutes ruined. That jumper personally cost us over 600 GBP – as our 1:20 min train ride turned into a 3:40 nightmare. All the trains into Manchester being delayed and having to queue for station platforms. It’s crazy to think how much each suicide costs in total – for all travelers affected.
Finally, we arrived at the airport 30 min before boarding, ran to the Flybe counter and the women gleefully announced we were too late to board. We could wait for 6hr for the next one. Okay – so we lose the day and light in the Isle of Man, but we can handle that. But then she says it will cost 99 GBP per ticket with NO Bags… We each have 1 carry on suitcase and 1 shoulder bag – so you can imagine you’re looking at 130 GBP each – 260 GBP on top of the 77 GBP we already paid for our original flight… Ouch…
I explained we did everything right, about the suicide on the tracks, of which she was well aware of as all trains coming into Manchester Airport were delayed. At this point she physically lifted her hands (palms up) lifted her shoulders and eyebrows and sneeringly said – ‘well it’s not our fault’ – lol
I grabbed my passport and walked away.
Flybe and cheap airlines make me sad ;(
In the end – 30 min later we were in a comfortable train seat to Edinburgh. The train associate gave us discounted fares, and we were able to make the trip for only 40 GBP each.
If it’s one lesson learned it’s that discount airlines offer cheap fares but even cheaper customer service. Their eye is on their bottom-line and not maintaining customers or doing the right thing. For them, suicide on the track meant a little windfall for all the passengers that couldn’t get to Manchester Airport that morning. Charge each more than twice the original price and it’s a good day of Monopoly money.
It’s difficult enough for Filipinas to get all the right visas to visit the rest of the world – but when airlines step in to make achieving your goals even more frustrating it’s just depressing.
I keep a little list of the airlines I will no longer fly (and the good ones). With over 200 countries to go – I will be doing my best to share my personal stories of good and bad experiences. Something (eventually) has to change with the airline industry or they will be weighing us and charging per pound or hanging us on hooks like winter coats as we fly through the air.
