6 July 2005
Airline removes seats to cut costs
Portable chairs now available in airports
ATLANTA, Ga. -- First it was in-flight meals. Then is was magazines, pillows
and peanuts. And most recently,
even flight attendants have been eliminated from
economy class air travel. These moves have come about as airlines try to compete
in a market where
 expenses are soaring while revenues are sinking.
Now JetRed Air
Lines has taken the next logical step in
"downsizing" the coach cabins on its domestic routes. Beginning
next month, travelers will not only be expected to bring their own
pillows, blankets, food and water, they will be required to bring their
own seats as well. In the latest round of cost-cutting, JetRed management
has decided to do away with on-board furniture, leaving it up to passengers to provide their own chairs.
Of course, where there are
changes, there are also opportunities. That's what Ralph Linginhoff,
president of Chairs-in-the-air, discovered.
His company is the first to open stores in 16 major airports offering
portable, FAA-approved chairs (shown here) to passengers. These chairs may either be
purchased or, for passengers who prefer the convenience of not having to
lug a chair around while they are traveling, rented.
It is anticipated that other companies will enter the portable passenger chair market in the next few months as
competing airlines are expected to begin removing seats from the main cabins of their
aircraft as well. Trying to stay ahead of the competition, Linginhoff's company will introduce "The
Commander," an upscale model with leather webbing and a built-in
battery charger for laptop computers.
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© 2005 Applied Psychology
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