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Airlines Struggle Anew With Flier Frustrations
December 31, 2009

For the struggling United States airline industry, the new decade is starting out much like the old. Executives at carriers that survived the 2001 terrorist attacks, soaring fuel prices and a rough economy are now scrambling to find ways to minimize the impact of the Christmas Day bombing attempt on consumers’ travel plans in the new year.

The chief executives of several major airlines said this week that they have been in constant contact with officials of the Transportation Security Administration, which oversees security at the nation’s airports, discussing the best ways to provide more safety on planes while keeping passengers’ comfort in mind.

They acknowledge that the procedures have to be unpredictable to be effective. But they also say that the unpredictability could push travelers to avoid airports at all costs. They say consumers’ perception of the inconvenience while traveling may even hurt the industry more than travelers’ worries about another bombing attempt.

“I don’t think people book away because of fear,” said one executive, who agreed to speak candidly about the industry’s concerns only if he was not quoted by name. “I think they book away because of inconvenience. If it means three hours in line at an airport, they aren’t going to take their trips.”

In the last few days, airline executives said in interviews that they were most concerned about the impact of increased security on travelers taking short trips — Boston to New York, New York to Washington, Chicago to Detroit — given what they saw in the weeks after the September 2001 attacks.

Even a slight decrease in passenger traffic could be difficult for US Airways and Delta Air Lines, which already have cut back on their East Coast shuttle flights, adding smaller planes to the medium-size jets that traditionally flew the routes. To entice more travelers back into the air, several carriers, including United and Southwest Airlines, have stepped up fare sales.

Source :- http://www.nytimes.com