TC

Just flew home from Mexico on NW. No pillows on board. Was told by the flight attendant that NW has stopped providing pillows on flights as of March 1st. When asked why....she responded, "money".

As one who used the pillow to eek out a bit of comfort for my back in those horrid seats with no recline, I am appalled. Couldn't they think of a better way to save a few bucks?

Back pillow - just one more thing to haul on-board. As John Stossel would say, "give me a break".

Flyboy

There aren't that many ways to save a few bucks. Labor is one area and it is costing a lot of people a lot of money. Most airlines are bleeding red ink and the few that aren't are "no frills" discount carriers. Pillows, food, drinks and any other extras are things that are optional. In an environment where people's decisions are largely dictated by fare, those are the kinds of expenses that need to be cut. Personally, when I compare the modest impact on me of such a cost-cutting measure compared to pay cuts and layoffs for the employees, I have a hard time thinking of it as something that's very important.

TC

I see where you're head is, FlyBoy, but didn't they already own those pillows? Couldn't they have at least left the old pillows on the planes and just not replaced them? I still have a hard time with this managment style. I live in a NW hub and see all the jazz festivals, etc. that they bankroll. I'd rather have a pillow at my back than another mindless TV ad or a banner at every music event in the state with the NW logo on it. To me, it seems the choices for cuts are always to the detrement of customers or employees.

Flyboy

You make a worthy point to debate, TC. Comparing "corporate citizenship" types of activities against inflight amenities for impact on the bottom line has to be a rather murky science, at best.

TC

Corporate America IS a murky debate subject. I've watched the switch from product based retail to image based retail and (while the Super Bowl commercials are fun) I have a very difficult time justifying all the $$$ spent on image to create the illusion of a solid consumer worthy product when none exsists.

Sunnyboy

Let me add my $.02 - it is not practical or sanitary to reuse the pillows without changing the covers and that's where the expense (or cost savings by not having pillows) comes into play. Those the disposal pillow cases have to be changed after each use that means a labor expense as well as the cost of the pillow case itself. Can you imagine how dirty the pillows would be after just a few days without clean covers??? I certainly wouldn't want to use someone else's pillow. For what it is worth NW is not the only airline eliminating pillows. AA also stopped offering them just a few weeks ago.

wally34949

Why don't they charge $5.00 like they do for a beer or wine.

TC

While I see your point about sanitation, I use the pillow at my back, not for my head so its not such an issue for me. They still offer blankets which the flight attendants are now handing out to be used like a pillow. I'm sure the blankets aren't cleaned after every flight. Maybe that is the savings -- the dark colored blankets aren't so noticably dirty.

My point is this; the seats are closer together to squeeze out every dollar's worth of legroom, the pitch is less, there is no food or entertainment, we sit on runways for hours, and now my back is aching and I can't even sleep. What next? If we all just stand for the duration of the flight, the airlines could fit in a lot more bodies.

I don't care. I'll just bring my own pillow like I bring my own food and lots of people bring their own DVD players, but it gets harder and harder to stash all that stuff "under the seat in front on you" during take-off.

bettyk

Flying hasn't been enjoyable for a long time. It's the worst part of traveling IMHO. However, the cheap ticket prices allow me to go places I never could afford otherwise, so I just grit my teeth and figure I can bear anything for 10 hours or so.

In 1979, we flew to London from Dallas for $379 on Braniff. Last year, we flew to London for $460 on AA. Considering how much fuel costs have increased in 25 yrs, airfares are a huge bargain. But therein lies the problem for the airlines.