Since I spend a lot of time at work thinking about user interfaces, user experiences, and using design as a tool to make interacting with websites easier for users, I thought maybe I’d lend my expertise to airlines. There is one, simple thing that would improve everyone’s experience while flying.
Recently had a bad experience with United that could have been made better at three or four different points throughout the journey. But here is one tip that would make traveling in a cramped plane far more “special”:
Stop (letting people notice you’re) charging for food
I don’t care if you charge me for food - just don’t let me know you’re doing it. Tack $10 onto every airfare and provide complimentary snacks. If I am paying $350 for a ticket, I’ll happily pay $360 to believe I am getting something extra - i.e. a choice of snacks and a choice of beverages.
This translates well to alcoholic drinks, as well. Currently most airlines charge $6 for a drink. Why not offer people a chance to pay $10-$15 extra for unlimited beers or mixed drinks when they purchase their ticket? Sure you’ll get the occasional person who drinks $20 worth of alcohol, but I think it is far more likely you’ll have the occasional passenger who doesn’t feel like drinking on the plane and simply eats the $15 charge.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
All you can drink on a plane! Sounds nice in theory.
To be honest, I don’t fancy being in an enclosed and cramped space with a bunch of boozy idiots. It’s not like a bar/club where you can kick people out when they get too drunk and air hosts/hostesses shouldn’t be expected to do the same job that you would expect a bouncer to do. I know that you can get just as drunk by paying extra for it but certain people would feel like they had to get value for their money.
Maybe all the beverages you can drink and 2 glasses of wine/beer, more on longer trips.
Dave - yeah, they don’t need to necessarily give unlimited alcohol out, but they should do something rather than make it feel like you’re getting screwed if you want a drink :)
International flights, a la Qantas to Australia and back, have free (and unlimited, as long as you aren’t off your face) alcoholic drinks. While I usually do not get a drink, more often because I forget I can, the times I have it helped to settle down and relax into an uncomfortable seat and doze for a bit.