Consumer outrage over WestJet’s recent changes to their cabin configuration has me thinking how cheap flights are the latest symptom of our obsession with quantity over quality.
Welcome to the 147th edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a quote of the week. In addition to cheap flights, this week’s edition looks at the connection between weight loss drugs and airline profits, the impact of climate change on the Winter Olympics, and doulas helping clients navigate extreme weather.
On my mind this week: Cheap flights and airline woes
WestJet, Canada’s second largest airline, has been making headlines recently for all the wrong reasons. After a video about the lack of legroom in economy class on their newly configured planes went viral, consumer outrage forced them to walk back plans to implement those changes across their fleet.
All of this has me thinking about the airline industry and how flying has changed over the years.
Getting there used to be half the fun
I remember when flying used to be fun. People dressed up to get on a plane, and air rage was unheard of. In those days the flight was part of the fun of going on holiday.
I loved flying so much that, in the late 1980s, I applied for a job as a flight attendant at Wardair, a Canadian charter airline that knew what service was all about. From good meals served on real china, to free alcoholic beverages and free checked bags, to cabin crew that greeted you with smiles instead of snarls, they delivered a totally different customer experience.
Ahh…the good old days!
Cheap flights – You get what you pay for
It’s easy to point the finger at greedy airlines but this is yet another symptom of a consumer culture that prioritizes quantity over quality. We want more of everything and we want it at rock bottom prices. Then, we complain when we don’t get the quality, durability or service we expect.
I wrote a post about this trend a few years ago when we replaced our 30-year-old stove. Airline prices are no different.
Just for fun, I compared today’s airline prices to what we paid years ago. When I went to France in 1982, my roundtrip ticket from Toronto to Paris on Air Canada cost $930. That same Air Canada flight today costs $1,364. The Bank of Canada’s inflation calculator tells me it should cost $2,717.
Ultimately, if we want to fly more often, at cheaper prices, we can’t expect luxury. People like to complain about poor quality and bad service, yet they continue to fly with budget airlines or book stripped-down economy fares on larger carriers.
You get what you pay for.
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Three highlights of the week
It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:
- On Sunday, my husband and I went to the Kitchener Rangers game. The Rangers—our local Ontario Hockey League junior team—defeated rivals Guelph Storm 4-3 in an exciting game.
- I won $1,000 in the raffle for our local Grand Philharmonic Choir. Interestingly, this is the second time I’ve won one of the grand prizes in this raffle. I won $800 two years ago.
- SeniorShape, one of my favourite YouTube fitness channels, released a new 60-minute video on Monday. It was perfect for a day when it was way too cold and windy to get outside for a walk.
Things I learned this week
Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:
The link between weight-loss drugs and airline profits
Speaking of airlines, an interesting tidbit of information popped into my inbox earlier this week.
The growing use of weight-loss products could save the four biggest U.S. airlines as much as $580 million in fuel costs this year as slimmer passengers make planes lighter.
(Source: Los Angeles Times)
Could climate change spell trouble for the Winter Olympics?
I’m so excited. The Winter Olympics start in less than two weeks. That means I will be glued to my TV for two weeks watching hockey, curling, speed skating, ski jumping, …
Sadly, climate change is having an impact on the number of locations that can host the winter games. Recent analysis shows only 45 to 55 of 93 past and potential host sites would still be climate-reliable by the 2050s.
(Source: Yale Climate Connections)
Climate doulas help clients navigate extreme weather
Extreme heat poses health risks for pregnant women and their unborn babies. Florida doula Esther Rose Louis is part of a pilot project training doulas in southern Florida to assess climate risks for pregnant mothers and help them stay safe. Doulas in other parts of the U.S. are making similar efforts to help clients cope with the impacts of climate change.
(Source: CBC What on Earth)
Quote of the week
The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.
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I’ve been noticing those WestJet changes too – do you think other airlines will follow suit? 🤔
It will be interesting to see what happens. I think WestJet’s biggest mistake was trying to deliver a budget airline level of service while charging the same prices as major carriers. People won’t put up with that. When you buy a cheap flight on a budget airline you’ll accept a lower level of service.
Congratulations on winning that money. You can save it for your next trip, using, of course, a cheap airline. I hear you about the airfare; it has definitely changed a lot over the decades. One of the best cheap airlines out there, in my opinion, is Ryanair. I paid 30 euros for a flight to Italy when I was stationed in Belgium from 2011 to 2014—unbeatable, and it was an okay experience.
Thanks, Edward. When you consciously choose a budget airline, you lower your expectations. I think the mistake WestJet made was thinking they could charge the same price as Air Canada and deliver a budget airline experience. It didn’t go over well.
You’re welcome, Michelle. Yeah, not sure what they were thinking. People are too smart to pay more for less.
I once saw a photo prototype for “bunk bed” style plane seats and it was the epitome of quantity over quality. West Jet quickly backtracked on their new design after the immense backlash. It’s kind sad how they try to milk customers dry for every cent for the sake of profit.
On the flip side, Carney’s speech was incredible. One for the history books.
I saw that, too. And to think that in the 1970s, Air Canada had a disco on the upper deck on the 747s. How things have changed!
Yes, I was so proud to be Canadian when I saw Carney’s speech. Calm. Confident. Intelligent. Everything a leader should be!
Flying used to be a luxury. I think something got lost when it became overly commercialized!
I would rather pay a little more for comfort and safety when it comes to air travel. Given a choice between being in a car all day or flying for two hours in a plane, the choice is an easy one for me. Statistically, it’s much safer to travel by plane.
I’m with you, Pete. And despite the bad rap that flying gets from an environmental point of view, depending on the distance you’re travelling, it is sometimes the better option.
Love the quote, Michelle. And your prime minister’s recent speech. I’m so sorry for Donald’s terrible behavior.
I love your thought process about flying. How interesting when you use the inflation calculator! That’s brilliant. And the saving money because of weight-loss drugs. You did such a great job of weaving the airline theme all the way through.
Hope you have a great week ahead!
Thanks Wynne. Yes, I admired Carney for having the guts to say what many others were thinking. Unfortunately, now I fear we will pay for it.
I do wonder if there’s space in the airline industry for a niche player that offers a better class of service for a higher price without going to the extreme cost of business class or first class tickets.
You have a wonderful week too!
Congratulations on your windfall win! Fascinating to read how weight-loss drugs will save airlines huge amounts of money on fuel costs… Of course, I think you have written in the past about how air travel uses a lot of fossil fuels (more than train travel and maybe bus travel, too?); so we all need to be doing much less air travel in general if we are going to leave anything like a habitable planet for our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren to savor. It is tragic that we human beings used to weigh the consequences of our actions based on how they would ripple for generations to come — and now someone like Mark Zuckerberg becomes a dangerous billionaire based on a mantra of “moving fast and breaking things.” I will check out the YouTube exercise channel you recommend for today’s snow day here in Boston, MA. Thank you, as always, for your thoughtful blog posts!
Thanks, Will.
It’s interesting that the days when flying used to be enjoyable were also the days when people didn’t fly here there and everywhere on a whim just because they could. I suppose it’s true that familiarity breeds contempt.
With both of our daughters living far away, and one of them soon to be living on the other side of the world, I unfortunately need to fly if I want to see them. I do try to be intentional about it, though, and be responsible in other ways.
Our short-term and selfish mentality is so frustrating. I don’t know what to think any more.
I agree 100% and the instant gratification culture. We’re in a position where our travel budget is in Frontier territory, but… we plan around the understanding that there’s a 50/50 shot the plane will be on schedule. You absolutely get what you pay for, it foolish that people expect premium service from a budget purchase… yet we see it everywhere.
What a lucky duck! So, do tell: any big plans for the $1,000 win?
The interesting thing about the WestJet story is they started out as a budget airline, but then grew into a national carrier and positioned themselves as competition to Air Canada. Their prices are on par with Air Canada but their service has deteriorated to that of a budget airline. You can’t have it both ways.
I’m quite boring, so I don’t have any big plans for my win. I’ll probably donate some of it to charity, and maybe treat my husband to a nice dinner out. I’m going to visit my daughter Colleen in February, so maybe I’ll treat her too.
That is the best way to spend a small windfall. I’d do the same. ☺️
So much to love in this post, Michelle! “Climate doulas” really caught my attention…and I get the need, the feeling of insecurity about weather. And your memories of airline travel once upon a time…I remember, I do! And who would’ve guessed the connection between weight loss drugs and airline fuel? Does that mean all of those drugs are so pervasive now – so much so that impact will be seen in fuel costs? Wow and wow! 😜❤️😜
Yes, weather insecurity is a big issue for all of us, but especially in Florida where the heat is extreme and threat of hurricanes always lurking.
The link between weight loss drugs and airline fuel blew me away. From working in the health and retirement benefits business, I saw how pervasive those drugs are by how much they drove up costs in employer benefit plans. It’s scary really. I recognize obesity is a serious health issue, but do wonder if this is another symptom of a world where people want a quick fix without doing the work.
Enjoy your Sunday! We’re in for another major snow storm later today. Better hunker down! 🤗
Oof! You crawled into my head — “quick fix without doing the work”. Hmmm. Yes.
Take care with the approaching storm, dear one. We’re getting a round of lake effect here this morning but thankfully nothing major. Xo! 🥰
I think I brought this crazy winter on us when I dared utter the words, “I actually don’t mind winter as much as I used to.” a few weeks ago. Someone is testing me. 😂
Oh, Michelle! Shame, shame! 😜❄️😜
🥶❄️🥶
Oh my…perfect use of emojis! 😜
Congrats on the cash! You’re right about a culture that wants it fast and cheap. What have we set ourselves up for?
Thanks!
After I scheduled this post, the expression “familiarity breeds contempt”popped into my head. It’s true. When we had less, or when we flew less often, we had a deeper appreciation. The more we have, the less gratitude we feel, and the more we want. Meanwhile the world around us falls apart. It really is sad.