Travelling to Tokyo
On Saturday, I went to JFK airport to meet Michael in the lounge. I was surprised to find that we were travelling on a Japanese airline, rather than an American one. I asked him why and he replied that he liked to remind himself of the culture of the country he was visiting, before he got there.
“That’s why I have a real issue with codeshare flights,” he said. “Airlines seem proud of their Brands, yet will readily book you on a flight that’s in their name then hand you over to another company. The fact that many of the airlines are flag-carriers for their countries just makes it worse. Today we could have had Trudy book a Japanese flight that is actually on an American airline, and vice versa. I think you’ve got to visibly value your Brands and Service more than that. Let’s face it, if you don’t, who will?”
“I see what you mean,” I said, although I knew a few people working for airlines who...