What about the rest of us stuck here in coach?

AirTran Airways is allowing coach travelers to impulse purchase a business class upgrade while they are on the plane.  While a writer at The Economist focuses on the value to the purchaser of the upgrade (see article) we would turn attention to the impact on the rest of the coach passengers that remain at the back of the (air)bus.

 

Putting a clear price on a better seat may indeed help coach travelers value their own decision to fly in the economy section.  This may reset expectations even lower (can they get lower?) for air travel in economy, thereby potentially improving the perceived experience should AirTran deliver the basics right.  Alternatively, we could see all out chaos as coach travelers fight to pay to get themselves into the "big seats".  Whatever the case, it seems that AirTran is following a pattern by most airlines to bring the air travel experience to all-time lows.

 

Contributed by John Carroll III, SVP, Synovate Customer Experience