alt Hacker NewsI just got back from a week-long vacation where I flew Southwest. It was my first Southwest flight in a while and I will now not fly any other airlines.
The rise of "basic economy" seems a lot like the general phenomena of "enshitification" and has a similar motive - degrade your product to squeeze the last drop out of the consumer. And it seems logical that charging by the "degree of shit" in a product means every level is going to be shit actually.
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>The rise of "basic economy" seems a lot like the general phenomena of "enshitification" and has a similar motive - degrade your product to squeeze the last drop out of the consumer. And it seems logical that charging by the "degree of shit" in a product means every level is going to be shit actually.
How do you draw the line between "cutting frills that nobody really cares about" and "enshitification"? Prior to airline deregulation air travel was luxurious[1]:
>BERAS: But it's not just that the planes were more spacious. Back then, the airlines would go out of their way to compete with each other on amenities.
>MALONE: Right. Like, the plane we're on, it had a lounge in the back. You might get a six-course meal or a fancy cocktail included.
>BERAS: Plus, all kinds of other perks, like custom playing cards delivered in a fancy case, shaving kits delivered in a fancy case, cigarettes delivered in a fancy case.
>MALONE: Yeah. And, you know, as we get into the '70s, the amenities got ridiculous. Airlines even had meat carving stations, so flight attendants would roll the meat right up to you and carve it up right there in front of you at your seat.
>BERAS: But perhaps the pinnacle of all amenities was...
>VAN DER LINDEN: They had a piano bar, an honest-to-God piano.
But air fares dropped after deregulation, after much of these perks were reduced[2]. Of course, people who wanted those amenities would rather than they be bundled, because they'd be paying for it anyways and airlines could benefit from economies of scale for offering those amenities. They might even call it "enshitification", if the word was around back then. But most people would rather that their experience be a little crappier but save a few hundred bucks on airfare instead.
[1] https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1197960905
[2] https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/3rdparty/2013/2...
I frequently wonder if these folks attempting to squeeze the very life out of the “consumer” (I prefer the phrase “citizen & voter”) ever stop and wonder what will happen when there’s nothing left to squeeze? Because that day is coming sooner rather than later. Its my suspicion that it will end with blood. Rather a lot of it.
Southwest just started charging for checked bags after over a decade of being the airline that doesn't do that.