Flying has rapidly become a commoditized game.  Lately, every airline has decided that it’s a race to the bottom with ticket fares, and there is no way to make ordinary travelers pay more for anything.  When they do identify perks, they’re always for things like snacks, baggage, and comfort.  The problem is, most people are willing to forgo those things, or they believe so strongly that they’re entitled that airlines can’t charge for them for very long.

So I have a new idea, and one that I think I would pay extra to have.  Airlines have become incredibly inefficient with delayed flights, cancellations, and poor customer service.  I would pay extra to have none of that be a problem.  Here’s my thinking:

• I want a ticket that guarantees that I will arrive at my destination, no matter what.
• If I don’t arrive on the same day, I start getting a percentage of my ticket refunded.  After 36 hours, my ticket is 100% refunded.
• If the airline can’t reasonably get me to my destination on my preferred day of travel, then my ticket will entitle me to a free hotel room, food, and a seat on the next possible flight to my destination.  This would be true for any kind of delay or cancellation, be it weather, mechanical, etc.

That’s it.  I’ll pay extra for absolute peace of mind that when I enter the airport I will get where I’m going.  And if I can’t get where I want to go, I will be accommodated.  I figure my willingness to pay for this would be around $15-20 a ticket, give or take a little.

Now, the airlines will of course market this as some kind of add-on.  “Would you like to purchase Get There insurance for $20?”  This, I think, is the wrong way.  The right way is to create a category of ticket and give it some name like “Peace of Mind.”  Make the tickets only available through the airline website and not through the ticket aggregating sites.  Maybe add an extra perk, like a free snack.

I think this would sell nicely.

© Stanton for Stanton Champion, 2008. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: airlines, price, promotion

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