I keep reading all the brilliant minds and soothing know-it-alls telling us what is wrong with the airline industry, as two more airlines turn to the bankruptcy court.
I have an answer and I’ve tried to find a bankruptcy lawyer who will help me act as an intervener in an airline bankruptcy case. If you know such a person, who will talk to and work with an ordinary human being for less than $1 million, please let me know.
The problem with every airline company is that it is in two different businesses with two different goals. First it is an industrial company with the sole object of lowering costs, second it is a clientric company with the goal of lifetime relations with its clients.
Solution: divide the company into two companies that contract with each other. One company provides the gates and airplanes; a purely industrial operation with the goal of minimizing costs. The other company does the marketing, customer relations and customer service on the ground; a clientric company that aims for a lifetime relationship with the customer. Both parts of the company will have clear goals and reasonable profitability under all circumstances.