Attention Span.

A baby cries, a small child tugs at its mother's sleeve, a teenager gets some inappropriate piercings and an airline union goes on strike. Not much in common with any of the above but as we have all learnt throughout our lives, there are certain ways to get attention, some better than others. Sometimes it's just acknowledgment you are after and a quick smile from Mum will send you back to the swings. Sometimes it's about getting your way no matter what and that takes being cantankerous, obstreperous and just downright 'ornery with consequences to match.

Such seems to be the way of the unions, causing passenger grief and disruption at our airports as they wrangle with the national carrier over dollars appropriate to the current working conditions. A long time ago the carrier was owned by the government and union troubles were never encountered. Although I suspect government policies, dealing with the aviation industry, were closer to stand over tactics in the halcyon days of exotic and romanticised travel, and unions either took what they were given or looked for jobs elsewhere. There was only one sheriff in town, in the old days.

Today we operate in an open range filled with gunslingers willing to shoot their mouths off at the slightest mention of strike and give forth vindictive comments that only shoot the innocent, the passengers. If it was an Arnie movie, they would call it "collateral damage". Seems the people caught in the crossfire have no where to run but they do have a choice of shelter and today that choice ends up being the competition airlines.

The strikes will eventually be resolved through a series of ugly meetings with finger pointing, crass comments about the other side and a compromise that both sides will call a win, with one loser, the passengers.

How long the travellers are willing to put up with the inconvenience, disruptions and service downfall will depend on loyalty programs and the airline's ability to spin the end result into a win for all. For many this will not be enough and if they have chosen an alternative carrier in these times of chaos, it may be harder to get them back than the national carrier realises. The recent initiative by the competition to match loyalty status was a stroke of timing genius as corporates willing to give the other guy a go may find they are welcomed as a king and queen and not as a pawn in a game for position and dollars.

Passenger's loyalty attention span, has shortened significantly differences between full service and low cost carriers becomes less about seat pitch, buying a pillow, free drinks and more about getting to your destination. So unions intent on making a point with their employer at the expense of the travelling public, need to be careful what they wish for. The strike initiative may be considered a success if caving in the employer is the desired result but at what cost? The loss of passengers who may never come back to the airline? The loss of brand equity and credibility? The loss of faith from the corporate market to deliver a product worthy of the reputation so long in the making?
Not much use for unions if the airline doesn't have any customers and that could be the end game, if passengers give up on the airline?

PS. Just caught the the competition to Melbourne, and arrived on time. Hmmmm.