The problem is, the entire domestic US airline industry has devolved to a point where they have allowed their customers to believe the only thing they are paying for is the actual flight. Everything else, from food to better seats is an extra charge. In the "glory days" of flying, airlines used to sell an experience. If you were flying at all, you felt like a first class citizen ... one of the lucky few who got to go anywhere, and you paid for the privilege.Â
Airlines are trying to get better, to be sure. They don't charge their frequent flier to check bags. They sell "upgrades" to seats with an extra 3 inches of leg room and "mileage acceleration" to let you earn double frequent flier miles by paying a fee. But once you add all these things together, it seems like a lot of money.
Imagine if you could purchase a ticket that included premium seating, 3 bags free checkin, free parking at the airport, double airline miles, priority checkin, priority luggage handling, 2-3 alcoholic drinks on the flight (depending on the length of the flight), food coupons for the flight and in the airport, access to the airline premium lounge, and any other amenity under the control of the airline to give you. How much would all of that together be worth? An extra $50? $100? The point is, imagine if all the nickel and dimed fees were rolled together into a "premium" ticket option.Â
You could certainly argue that what I'm advocating for is basically business class, but right now the price difference on many routes between economy and business class flights is more than double - and sometimes much much more. Having something in between could change the airline industry. Having an all-inclusive price option could also work for your business. You might be surprised how many of your customers may pay more to get everything they need all at once.
Rohit is a founding member of the 360 Digital Influence group at Ogilvy, one of the largest agencies in the world. He is author of the best selling new marketing book Personality Not Included, a guide for small business on how to be more authentic, keep your customers and inspire your employees, which has been published globally in 8 languages.