Letters to the Editor
-
Thanks
I actually expressed my profound disbelief when my girlfriend and I saw that ad for the first time. A minor argument ensued based on the fact that I'm "no expert", "cynical", and/or "negative about everything".
Thanks for clearing it up just a little.
-
Implications are interesting, though
The fact that people so readily believe this commercial says a lot about how little credibility the airlines have with their customers. Passengers have been either lied to (either by commission or omission) so much that they're entirely willing to believe a story premised on an airline misinforming (or lying to) one of its own employees.
-
Empty trans-atlantic flights
You've already written several posts about flight congestion, but a brief news blurb the other night that some airlines send empty flights across the Atlantic, wasting huge amounts of fuel and generating huge amounts of pollution, so they don't lose their place in line, floored me. Is there more to the story, or is the system really that dumb?
-
Would first officer Watson
be so kind as to whip out his iPhone and order 40 pepperoni pizzas and some bread sticks while we're sitting here for the next five goddamned hours just six feet from the gate ramp?
Thank you.
-
Real Story?
Have you tried to contact First Officer Watson? It'd be interesting to hear his side of the story - if this is based on a real story, or just a script he was handed, and how he feels about the image of the airlines that the commercial conveys.
-
Likewise same
I had the exact same reaction to this one. Love Apple, want an iPhone. Ludicrous commercial. A real insult to the intelligence.
-
Ground this ad!
I read this article without ever having seen the ad in question. As I read through the argument, I presumed that Apple had in fact been trying to set up a "we help you beat the Man" scenario, in which they offer yet one more solution to how technology can solve all of life's problems. I generally like that approach, and it can be effective and clever.
I then watched the ad online expecting to have my thoughts confirmed. They were not. The ad is a quite a stretch on the credibility scale, and the makers seem to be assuming that Apple customers are likely too dim to understand the complexity of the air traffic control system, are uninformed about a problem which has been news for years, or really believe that the air traffic system is no more complicated than a McDonald's drive-thru. None of those sit well from a segmentation viewpoint in my mind, although I suppose much of the iPod set wouldn't know any better either.
How does such messaging get created by such a sophisticated brand? Was it just a poor force-fit creation because of some larger collaboration with weather.com? Regardless of the genesis of this ad, it's clear that we have seen a mistake from Apple allowing the brand to both insult the intelligence of their buyers and slight the work ethic and capability of the ATC system in just a few brief seconds. While not calamitous, I see no benefit from the ad. I'd suggest to Apple that a better scenario would have been referees consulting weather.com to call a rain out, or some other down to earth story, so to speak.
The other implication of the article is that it's somehow insulting for a passenger to validate and perhaps question the assertions of airlines for delays and cancellations, and that a paternalistic reply by the business is not only acceptable but merited. I would disagree entirely. Who is the customer here?
-
The Commuter Ruse
The whole traffic thing is a bit beyond me, I admit that. But many times airlines that have hourly flights will perform the 'Commuter Ruse' as I call it. It works like this.... The flight you are on is delayed for an hour for (insert excuse here). Then the flight after you is cancelled (insert another excuse here). Fortunately, there is enough space for the cancelled flight to all fit onto the flight that was delayed for an hour. One plane, two loads of people, more profit.... and all it takes is a little professional lie.
Perhaps I'm being paranoid, but since it has happened many times to me with subtle variations to keep the script fresh, I stand by my premise that it is a tactic to consolidate flights without having to admit to it.
-
But a simpler use sticks it to the man.
Here's a related use for your I-phone. When I'm in Seattle and they announce that my flight departureis delayed a half hour, and I can tell online that it hasn't left it's starting city an hour or two away, it's time to plan accordingly. The airlines like to dribble out the delays this way to keep you from rebooking on another airline.
-
Parody of the Iphone ad
If anyone wants to see a hilarious parody of the ad discussed in this article, check out this link (warning, does contain strong language.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EAQb2Fodbs
-
Tunnel vision once again..............
This advertisement simply promotes the tunnel vision which is ever present in today's society.
We are all caught up in our own arrogant little worlds where we all know best. If someone tells us something we don't want to hear, it cannot possibly be correct, there must be a conspiracy at work which is hiding 'the truth'.
It is no different to the ever growing problem of road rage whereby ignorant drivers who have no idea of the 'big picture' decide that they have been slighted by some poor fellow road user, and decide to react aggressively rather than accept that not everything will work out in their favour all of the time.
As an airline pilot myself, there is nothing more infuriating than a passenger who decides that he or she knows best. They know 'the truth' and they make their views known through cowardly remarks under their breath as they leave the aircraft, knowing that the pilots have not been sitting there working on a smart alec response and so will most likely simply smile and say good bye as they walk past.
No doubt they leave our aircraft feeling smug and slightly elated having 'showed them'.
In my experience, the airlines do not lie. I am not a novelist and so the task of making up yet another story in order to cover up the latest problem would be impossible.
I accept that as pilots we do not give our passengers a thorough description of any mechanical problems which are causing delays, but this is merely a sensible approach to the problem. Passengers need to know that we have a technical issue which is preventing our departure. The fact that is a crack in the number one blocker door in the number two engine is irrelevant, and often leads to more questions which are impossible to answer unless a mechanic is present.
It is not a case of lying, it is simply an effective way of dealing which one of the many issues we face on a daily basis.
Unfortunately the general public thinks pilots are overpaid, underworked individuals, who simply sit up the front and do very little, particularly since modern aircraft are full of technology and highly automated. What they do not realise is that the modern airline pilot is less of a pilot, and more of a crisis manager. Prioritising the various issues at hand is what we do every minute we are preparing for or conducting a flight.
The less time spent explaining our problem to passengers, the more time spent getting the problem sorted out and the aeroplane into the air.
Think about it logically for a moment. Which is the more likely scenario; 1) The reason for the delay is as described by the pilots or 2) The airline is engaged in a network wide conspiracy which is aimed at keeping you on the ground at your departure port, angry and frustrated?
It's time to sit back and look at the bigger picture for a change.