What do air carriers hide from us?

To date, it is impossible to imagine life without aviation. Each of us can board an airplane and fly to anywhere in the world. We can fly on business trips, visit our relatives and friends, and also go on vacation. However, are you sure that when you bought a plane ticket you were informed about everything? Of course, the most horrible of us do not hide, but at the same time and try not to dedicate it.


Overcrowded heavens

If you flew on an airplane about ten years ago, now you must have noticed that there is more "transport" every day in the sky. Not only the number of flights increases, but also the number of aircraft. Experts have confirmed the fact that the most important reason for late flights in Europe is a huge number of flights. After all, very often the aircraft can not take off at the appointed time, because the runway is full.

The main reasons for the violation of the schedule of airline departures by airlines:

  1. Too dense schedule of flights.
  2. Delay in the aircraft.
  3. Control systems are overloaded with air traffic.
  4. Passengers are late for landing.
  5. Slow work of the ground service complex.
  6. Weather.
  7. Malfunction of air transport.
  8. Problems with the landing and registration of passengers.

Ay, pilots, where are you?

Every day more and more people start using air transport, and on average one new airplane carries far more people than old models. This means that the pilots are also getting smaller. However, airlines also need pilots, and now they need more. For example, it is necessary for Russia that flying schools each year produce 300-400 pilots each. But the real number of them is only 50-60. Therefore, to date, flight certificates are issued to applicants who do not have the necessary skills and practice, and this is explained by the fact that pilots are sorely lacking, and the average age of pilots in Russia is 52-56 years.

We have considered only the picture of Russia, but America, China, Japan, India and a number of other countries also have this problem. Why can not they solve this problem? The fault is the salary level, which is completely inconsistent with the work done, and the state does not have the necessary funds to subsidize the training of pilots.

Give me my miles

Now almost every person who flies at least once on an airplane knows that many airlines have a bonus system that allows customers to get extra miles, provided that he will use a particular airline. These bonuses are calculated in different ways. Basically, this is a rather complicated system, taking into account the direction and distance of the flight, the level of participation in the program, the tariff, the class of service and so on. Of course, it is very easy to accumulate miles, but it will be quite difficult to get them to you. Many airlines introduce rules according to which the validity period of bonuses is limited, thus you can not spend your miles immediately, but only when you fly a certain range. In general, bonuses are often a bait for customers, which they never have time to use.

You can take advantage of a premium flight, but again this is possible only if there is free space in the plane of the desired flight. And it's impossible to pass a bonus ticket, it will just "burn" and that's all. In general, each airline has its own tricks. What can I say, even if manager Jennifer Lopez can not get a bonus ticket, and she has accumulated already 70 thousand "gift" miles.

Did you buy a ticket at a nice price? But how much do you have to pay for this?

In Europe, it has recently been discovered that many sites cheat buyers, while indicating a smaller amount of the ticket price, which means that various fees, taxes and insurance do not enter into the cost. Out of 447 sites, 226 do not work correctly. For a long time airlines have been calling their price, and in addition they still have to pay taxes of the country where the flight and airport taxes will be made. Moreover, now they have also introduced a fuel surcharge, and for each country it is different. It is generally believed that this does not go to the revenue of the air carrier.

The air carrier first of all thinks about your money, but not about your comfort

Probably, each of us faced with the cancellation or delay of the flight. Of course, it's amazing to hear, but it happens that the planes fly away before the appointed time. Nobody will ever warn the client that the flight is delayed, even if the air carrier has everything necessary for this. The passenger himself must be nervous and follow the situation at the airport. There is a document that states that if the flight is canceled, the passenger's rights should appear on the scoreboard at the airport, and if the flight is canceled or delayed for more than two hours, then each passenger must receive a written notice, where his rights will be indicated. But none of us has ever seen such a document in my eyes, let alone hold it in my hands ...

And where is the first class?

In general, seats for passengers are divided into economy class, business class and first class. Prices, of course, differ, and how much you can find out when buying. But now we will talk about the conditions of the flight, because the air carrier himself can not fully understand this. Surely in the first grade the place will be more comfortable than in other variants, alcohol without restrictions and richer food. In the business class, the conditions will also be better than in the economy class. However, there are no definite distinct differences between one class and another, everything is based on the airline's imagination. Each airline has its own additional services. The only thing you can know for sure is that in more expensive classes you can carry more luggage.

New planes only dream of us

Now around the world, about 21 thousand aircraft. In general, these are medium-sized planes, and more than 10,000 aircraft have an age of more than 20 years. Approximately 5 thousand jet light aircraft have an age exceeding 18 years. The average age of aircraft in Russia and the United States is 17 years. The average age of aircraft in Europe is 10 years. Maybe we are not informed that we are flying on old planes so that we do not experience additional stress. Although in Russia there are planes that are 45 years old, but they are in excellent technical condition.

And it was not my suitcase

We all travel with luggage. It happens that an air carrier loses the things of its passengers, and this happens quite often. For example, in 2007, 42 million suitcases and bags were lost during the year. According to statistics, 85% of luggage again fell into the hands of its owners within 48 hours after the loss.

Try to catch tags and some distinctive marks on your suitcases, addresses and mobile phone numbers, so that your bag can be found later.

Read the air ticket

Each of us should remember that the air ticket is not only a document for the flight, but also a personal agreement with the airline. Therefore, you must keep it until the moment the flight is made and you realize that you have no complaints about the airline. Remember that you can return the entire cost of the ticket only if the flight was canceled, delayed or transferred, and also if the carrier did not provide you with the connection of flights, landing at the designated point was canceled, when changing the type of aircraft or class of service.

In any other case, there are certain time restrictions on the return of the ticket. The most frequent cases: more than a week before departure and more than a day before departure. As a rule, if you did not come to the boarding, then a ticket at a reduced rate can not be returned.

If you have lost your ticket before the flight, the agency in which you bought it can give you a duplicate, but usually a small fine is charged. Moreover, you will have to approve that you agree to reimburse any costs to the air carrier if your ticket is found by third parties and will use it. And you can not return a duplicate, because it can not be exchanged and returned.

Now none of us thinks of flying or flying. If you want to relax in an exotic place, go on a prestigious business trip or visit an aunt who a few years ago left for distant countries, then you will have to use the world aeroflot. Now we have such an opportunity - to visit any place in the world, the main thing to be attentive when choosing an airline and buying a ticket, because during flights the air carrier is responsible for our life.