Airline complaints ‘on the rise’

BBC reports

Complaints from customers about the airline industry have risen by 11% in a year, a consumer support group says.

So is everything really bad when it comes to customer service in the airline industry? Well no…

It accepted that complaints came from a “tiny” minority of passengers.

Companies should not ignore complaints but often they rise to the top of the agenda as people are more likely to complain then to praise. Likewise it is important to deal with them, as people not happy with a service will often tell ten other people about it, while people who had good service often tell only one person. Says more about society than the level of customer service though.

United looking for plane bargain

The US’s third largest airline, United, is asking rival plane makers Boeing and Airbus to prepare bids for an order that could total 150 jets.The carrier is hoping to take advantage of the recession to get a better price for the deal that could be worth $10bn dollars.

Alitalia ‘running out of fuel’

BBC reports on how Italy’s national airline may be “running out of fuel”.

Italy’s national airline, Alitalia, may have to cancel some flights because of a lack of funds to buy fuel, a top official has warned.

The competitive nature of the airline industry combined with huge increases in the cost of fuel is hitting airlines hard. Only a few days ago, XL collapsed leaving thousands of holidaymakers stranded abroad.

BA chief warns ‘airlines will go bust’

The Guardian reports on the view of the British Airways Chief Executive that more airlines will go bankrupt.

More airlines will go bankrupt this year as rising fuel costs and weak consumer confidence ravage the industry, the chief executive of British Airways warned today.

Willie Walsh said carriers that struggled to make a profit during the recent sales boom will not survive the “worst ever” trading environment the industry has seen. The downturn has put 25 airlines out of business this year, including Luton-based business carrier Silverjet.

Rising fuel prices are creating a difficult business environment for airlines and as a result some may experience troubles and go out of business, as costs rise and revenues fall.