AverageAussie

YouCut_20240410_135732924.mp4

Were politicians included in this research study?

The whataboutisms are strong on this thread.

So, if there is a criminal prosecution with those deferred cases, are they going after company or the individuals behind those decisions?

Well if it isn't the "perception" of premium, then what is it? There is still a massive difference in price (well beyond just seat comfort) for 99% of business tickets and someone is still paying it. Otherwise airlines just wouldn't get bums on those seats. Your point that there's been a decline in #2 & #3 (service and all the peripherals attached to the fare class) just underscores the fact that marketing of the product works. A survey by Australian Frequent flyers suggests there is a split in preference for business travel. 43% prefer a daytime flight and only 36% prefer nighttime flights. The lie-flat feature doesn't get much use during the day.

To answer your first question, it was 2023 (several times). But why is this relevant? Would my opinion be any less worthy if it was 10 years ago? In any case, it's all about perception when it comes to airline ticket sales, not necessarily the reality. Pricing is dynamic, but certainly not arbitrary. Every airline will have an actuarial department that does nothing but constantly analyse and price their seats for every single flight. If cumulative booking rates fall behind on their algorithm, then they will either drop the fare, run a special on select flights and/or release a few reward seats. The pricing is ultimately determined by supply & demand. One example for the Aussie market is QF. Business fares on their A380 might typically be about 4½ times the Economy fare ($705 vs $3,226 in early May, SYD to SIN route) whilst the seats themselves only occupy about triple the real estate. So if that's happening and tickets are still being sold with those fares, then there's more to it than just the seat. You can come up with as many personal anecdotes as you wish, but until the overall PERCEPTION of value diminishes there won't be any drift back to Economy travel or re-alignment of the fare differential.

Has her groin area been pixelated for a reason?

I do. If you have the discretionary income (or reserves) then why not enjoy what's left of our short lives? Some people do appreciate the finer things and place a high value on being fussed over. The only thing that ever concerns me when I'm lucky enough to fly business, is dying 0.08 seconds sooner in the event of a full-speed crash somewhere than those plebs 20m further back in cattle class. I've lost 80 milliseconds of my life.

Are you ever unreliably informed?

Yes. It makes sense if you consider that the 787 actually evolved out of Boeing's "Sonic Cruiser" project in the 1990s. That concept passenger plane featured Delta-wings (seen on the Concorde) and was designed to fly at Mach 0.98. In a post 9/11 world there wasn't much interest from the airlines for that, but Boeing chose to dial down the cruising speed to Mach 0.85 and focus instead on fuel economy. Some of the technological advances carried across to their 7E7 project - and that eventually morphed into the 787. It's not unusual for the "ground speed" on a 787 flight to exceed supersonic speeds - with a decent tail wind of course.

Each to his own. My numbers were a personal weighting, based on my subjective preferences. There's not a lot to differentiate seats other than the materials used, width and of course leg room. Service on the other hand goes well beyond the greetings and coffee & biscuits on offer. It includes the boarding & deplaning process, entertainment, and even communication skills by crew such as announcements and defusing potential issues with passengers before they become serious. Why do you think people are prepared to pay double or triple the airfare for a personalised experience on business class, when there's only an incremental improvement in the seat itself? IMHO - I'd much prefer to fly Economy class on EK with only 1" extra width in their seats, rather than JQ with their limited IFE, servings of dried out pasta, stale sandwiches, $10 beers and a corporate culture that sees every gram of passion sucked out of their crew. When the service is less than optimal, you can have the best seat on the plane and still feel disappointed when you get to your destination.

A lot can be a result of your own state of mind & attitude. I'm slightly shorter by a few cm compared to you, but I'm heavier than you - so I'm burdened with a BMI of 29.6 (overweight) vs 23.4 (normal range) for you. It has been even higher than that and yet I've still always looked forward to a 9-hour flight if direct to BKK. If I fly indirect via a secondary port, the total travel time can get close to (or even exceed) your 15 hours. If it's a long flight in Economy and a sardine packed seating arrangement such as JQ or 3K, then I might try for an exit row - which gives me ample room to stretch out. If I can use FF points and upgrade into business class then you can guarantee that I'm ecstatic.

It might depend on the individual manager, otherwise this is something new if it's a directive from the top. I'd try a third branch before giving up. Get your Thai partner to front up and put their negotiating skills to the test. If that all fails, then walk down the road to the next nearest bank and open an account there. N.B. I have 2 x BB a/cs. One for receipt of rental payments and expenses. The other one for everyday personal use. Absolutely essential for reporting & reconciling later.

Can you PM me next time you head down the 7/11 please? I'll quietly slip into the line ahead of you and then fumble about with my phone, waiting for you to get triggered behind me. #wealthaccumulation20bahtatatime

Some airlines are de-bundling their business class fares, so that adds even more complexity to the choices. It's basically up the individual and their perceived value for money - given the available choices. I've only been in PE class once on a connecting flight when CX gave me a free upgrade thanks to QF status. Enjoyed the comfortable seats and better quality food on offer. All of my business class bookings have been when I needed to burn some FF points and the only options available to me were Economy or Business. The points upgrade made good sense. But that might change with QF leasing 2 x A330s from AY on the SYD-BKK route for the next few years. Those planes have 21 x PE seats included in their configuration. My choice then will depend on where those tickets fit between the other 2 fare classes - and of course availability.

It's not difficult. Plug in some ANC headphones and browse through the entertainment selection. Take some reading material in case that may not interest you. Study the menu choices. If you're in a window seat, enjoy the view on take-off & landing and when passing over major storm systems. I love flying and being offline from my phone for a few hours.

It's simple. They're all heathens and no one in these countries votes for the GOP. rudy_earthquakes.mp4

Exactly. That's why I prefer the window seat. They all have their advantages & disadvantages and we need to accept that passengers will have their own priorities - and reasoning. Probably bottom of the rung is the middle seat on the 2 side lanes, with disadvantages from both of the adjoining seats. I suggested that if travelling as a couple and with a preference for the aisle, that he select adjoining seats in the middle lane. That way the 3rd passenger in that row can exit to the aisle on the other side.

It might depend on the fare class and your status, but you may have seat selection still available as an option (free or as a paid option). Log in to "Manage your booking" to see what's available. If not, then you could still ask at the desk when checking in. No guarantees of course and you'd be well advised to do it early.

The seating is what everyone notices and makes up a big % of the experience. And I repeat - the airlines make that call on how good or bad that will be. But it's the subtle details that we don't notice that also contribute overall. Plane design will impact things like air pressure, windows/ lighting, noise & how it handles turbulence. It happens sub-consciously. If I were to quantify it, I'd say: Seating 40% Service 40% Everything else about the plane 20% Items 1 & 2 are under the airlines' control. Item 3 (as explained) can be an inherent feature of the plane.

Strange. Never happened to me. The only comments I seem to get are "blow into this bag, sir"

Thailand/ Phuket isn't the only SEA destination that is dealing with an influx of badly behaving tourists. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-04/bali-has-a-plan-for-its-badly-behaved-tourists/103656532

Thanks for that clarification. It's probably a better approach to the issue than police laying formal charges - and clogging up the courts. This way the perpetrator is put on notice and there is a record of the conversation and/or warning - in case the behaviour is repeated. Your last sentence however is a non sequitur.

Let's put some perspective on this. Despite a common perception in Australia, there are aprx 400 people deported from Australia every year on "character" grounds (eg criminal conviction). About ¾ of those are from NZ. Is that also "not a good look"?

No idea what to make of that word salad. What is a "non-crime"? Are you expecting a disability or mature-age to be an excuse for racist behaviour? What preceded the so-called "melt down"?