NO IFE on domestic A/C

[DCaf]

So, the other airlines (DAL) that decreased their schedules will expect to lose their slots?

I don't know the answer. I imagine it's a pretty complicated formula involving percentage of slots used over a period of time. Every airline would be different as to their usage.

 

[midnightmech]

Thank God CBS got it right.......yea all the IFE is coming off, probably in the next week too......and there putting in 20 watt light bulbs too...that was on CNN.....and ABC reported that US is going to start gliding in to save fuel.....LMFAO at all this ridiculousness being posted

 

[Art at ISP]

I would like to ask a question of some of the pilots out there. Would the removal of approximately 500 lb from an Airbus add up to $10M in fuel savings?

I have a sneaky suspicion the REAL reason is they're too cheap to pay the studios the rental fees for the films.

In either case it will cost a lot more than it saves, but the answer could speak toward the credibility of the Sandcastle, which is already questionable.

Thanks.

 

[flybynite]

Art,

I question the whole thing. 10 mil is one huge bill for inflight entertainment and I don't believe it.

We're shelling out over 110 million a year in pissy $50 bonuses to everyone just to get the planes pushed on time. Which by the way is their damn job. They don't need a damn bonus to push the bloody planes.

I say lose the $50 bonus.....keep the IFE.

What say you??

 

[flybynite]

I'm in the middle of a 4 day trip and I'm also the lead.

I'm also getting hammered with questions about the the company pulling the IFE from the fleet. I'm telling them everything I know.

The truth.

They are livid.

 

[sharktooth]

This should also help with OTP as we take many delays for IFEs.

Please show us here just one example of one delay taken because the IFE did not work. By itself and without being a safety of flight item (screen stuck down) a delay for an IFE is unconscionable and rather ridiculous, on its face.

Back to your cubicle, intern!

 

[sharktooth]

I think each and every employee at US should hold Tempe responsible for the situation the company is in due to the contempt that it has for its employees and customers. You being naive and fragile is not my problem. You need to face facts. Your company is getting ready to enter into a nosedive and oil is just the catalyst, not the culprit.

Well said.

For every employee that held their tongue and/or refused (forgot) to follow up on a problem, US moved that much closer to the cliff's edge. The culprit(s) are those who placed anonymity over career, quivering in their dark corner, afraid to speak out.

 

[hp_fa]

I would like to ask a question of some of the pilots out there. Would the removal of approximately 500 lb from an Airbus add up to $10M in fuel savings?

I have a sneaky suspicion the REAL reason is they're too cheap to pay the studios the rental fees for the films.

I am not an ATP, but I suspect that the $10M is a combined number from carrying less weight and not paying the various content licensing fees.

 

[jimcfs]

I am not an ATP, but I suspect that the $10M is a combined number from carrying less weight and not paying the various content licensing fees.

I think you're correct, hp_fa. According to a Bloomberg News story I've seen, the savings is "about $10 million a year in fuel and other costs," and the studio fees are a part of that "other" costs. Still, $10M is a drop in the bucket, no?

 

[hp_fa]

I think you're correct, hp_fa. According to a Bloomberg News story I've seen, the savings is "about $10 million a year in fuel and other costs," and the studio fees are a part of that "other" costs. Still, $10M is a drop in the bucket, no?

Yes and it may end up to be a really stupid place to save that. We have heard here from one FA who is flying this weekend and posted that the customers are upset at the planned change. I suspect that it will get worse. Piney Bob would probably call it "the value of cheap", and I would agree with that.

Passengers made a sport of bashing airline food in economy class for years. The truth is they could, and now do, bring on better food then what was served to them. So, I don't miss food and won't gripe about it. Non-alcoholic beverages are a different subject. Folks need to hydrate on aircraft. The humidity level on a jet aircraft is somewhere around 5% and the airline needs to deal with the issues that arise from the environment in which the aircraft is designed to operate. The airline, already talking about raising average fares multiple hundreds of dollars, should simply add $2.00 - $5.00 into that jumping fare and provide the required hydration. Otherwise I predict that one or more lawsuits will eventually arise and the cost of cheap will become expensive, very expensive. There is already more than enough information on what happens in the air as far as humidity and more than enough information about the hydration needs of the human body, so an airline defending itself with the "gee I didn't know that" defense is headed for big trouble.

I suspect that the lack of IFE of some type will also eventually be a problem, but not (in a legal sense) to the extent that legal problems from hydration issues that will occur due to a lack of providing adequate hydration in the environment in which the aircraft is designed to operate.

 

[UPNAWAY]

You guys are chicken little about everything. You do realize more then half of all commercial Aircraft in the US do not have IFE! Big deal, not!

 

[sharktooth]

You guys are chicken little about everything. You do realize more then half of all commercial Aircraft in the US do not have IFE! Big deal, not!

But, those aircraft never had IFE to begin with.

Besides, it is not whether aircraft have IFE or not. It is about the apparent "bait and switch" tactics in use by Tempe (a ticket used to include entertainment, now it does not, for the same price). Not only that, but having IFE is apparently "potluck", not to mention the idea of making replacement two separate and more costly operations.

Back to your cubicle, sir and try not to embarrass tempe any more. They do great all by themselves.

 

[SS255]

You guys are chicken little about everything. You do realize more then half of all commercial Aircraft in the US do not have IFE! Big deal, not!

And most of these aircraft are used for flights of under 3 hours. US's competitors fly their aircraft with IFE on the transcon, Mexico and Caribbean routes. WN is the only airline which flies true transcon routes which does not have (nor has ever had) IFE. And if US had the reputation WN has, they could probably get away with it. But US has the reputation of charging high fares, nickel-and-diming customers, and having lousy customer service. HUGE difference!

If US were smart and strategic about this, they would use the rising fuel costs as a kick in the butt to expedite the upgrading of the IFE systems with newer, lighter systems. The bulk of US's IFE costs are related to license fees and maintenance fees to fix 20-year-old systems, NOT the fuel costs associated with 500-lb systems. They can be using handheld portable players like Alaska uses, or they can install an embedded seatback IFE system which only plays after the customer swipes his or her credit card. Charge a rental for the player itself, and that way they can recoup their programming licensing fees. It's not rocket science!!!

Instead, they make a public statement that customers bring their own headsets, and therefore "get away with" watching programming (for free) for which US has paid a license fee....and US foots the bill. And since US is no longer in the business of providing services for which customers do not pay an "a la carte" fee, their solution to the problem is to rip out the IFE systems. It will cost them far more than $10M a year in customer goodwill if they rip out the systems, and provide NO IFE on a 6-hour flight.

 

[Art at ISP]

The problem is that they place NO value on customer good will-in fact it appears that customer BAD will is more attractive to them.

In re reading the article which quoted Travis I believe he also blamed the studios for this decision by saying they were raising the movie rental fees. In this economy, I have to say that I think that is highly unlikely, but it just gives him the opportunity to make someone else the bad guy.

Other airlines are IMPROVING their IFE, US is REMOVING it. I guess they don't understand the difference...oh that's right, they don't care.

I bet when MORE than $10M in revenue walks away, they will say "we'll get someone else" again.......

The pool of "someone elses" is shrinking rapidly....

 

[US Oringinal]

This is for ANYONE who is on here who works at HQ:

DO THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY THINK THEY ARE DOING A "GREAT JOB" AND ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK??

Seems to me they are doing their best to "ala carte" US into BK #3 !