Pick your flight seats based on which airline has most legroom
PASSENGERS will be able to see which airlines offer more legroom or have the worst record for delays when they buy their tickets, under a government drive to take the frustration out of flying.
Tickets will be sold that combine flights with rail and bus connections, and ministers are considering telling airlines to be clearer and more accurate with information when there are delays.
The industry has responded by insisting passengers “already have access to impressive amounts of information” but said it would look at possible further improvements.
The moves form part of the Government’s new Aviation Strategy which is looking at everything from mobile phone apps to communicate with travellers, to banning plastic cutlery.
The Government wants the industry to ensure passengers have all the information they need to make the best choices – and that includes addressing the thorny issue of legroom. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the distance between rows of seats can vary by up to four inches in economy class.
Ticket comparison websites will be encouraged to offer passengers more options to book flights based on the issues important to them, such as seat room, likelihood of delay or carbon footprint. The Government noted that while overall satisfaction ratings were “generally good”, more could be done, particularly when things went wrong. It said: “When it comes to information provided to customers when flights are delayed or cancelled, satisfaction levels drop considerably.”
Passengers complain mostly about lack of information during disruption. A Civil Aviation Authority survey found 89 per cent of passengers who said their flight was delayed were at the airport when they found out, while 81 per cent who had flights cancelled only learnt about it at the airport.
“This highlights the need to ensure that passengers are advised promptly,” the Department for Transport document said. Ministers believe apps could be the answer and encouraged airlines to communicate more effectively with passengers. Apps could include information on which gate to travel to, how long it will take to get there, and the luggage carousel number.
The Government is also looking at so-called “multi-modal” ticketing to cover planes, trains and buses to make journeys “more seamless”. In some countries flights are already offered as part of an integrated ticket.
A spokesman for Airlines UK, the industry body, said: “In a number of areas – ranging from seat pitch to on-time performance – passengers already have impressive amounts of information. In that regard the market is working well.”