When you are told that your plane is going to be delayed for 24 hours would you accept the 150 yuan (US$18) offered by the airline as monetary compensation or would you protest and ask for more?
Three years ago, most people were certain to accept the offer and they would probably have been quite satisfied with the amount. Even if they were not satisfied, they would still accept it because they had no other choice. They could not protest by "occupying" the plane and refusing to get off. That was against the law and the only result of such bold action would have been several bitter days in detention centre.
However, these days passengers seem to have no such worries as we not only hear of such "sit-ins" on planes but some of us have even had our own experience of the practice. Last week, three of my friends took a flight from Qingdao to Shanghai. At the airport, passengers were told that the flight would be delayed six hours due to a mechanical problem. Half the passengers refused to leave the airport and demanded compensation. Eventually, the airline had to give in and promised them 300 yuan (US$38) each as compensation.
This was not the first case of such a protest and there is no sign it will be the last. More and more passengers have learned to take this "radical" step as a protest against airline delays. Although the law hasn't been changed, the police seldom involve themselves in these disputes - especially after the CAAC (General Administration of Civil A iation of China) announced guidelines last month calling for airlines to publish compensation plans for flight delays.
This announcement was warmly welcomed by passengers but was met by silence from almost all the airlines. Only a regional carrier operating out of Shenzhen has worked out a compensation plan in accordance with the CAAC's request.
Why did the big carriers stay silent? It seems that they would prefer to argue and quarrel and bargain with passengers about the amount of compensation each time a flight is delayed rather than make a clear and detailed schedule of compensation payments.
Of course, once they publish a schedule of payments they would have to observe it and pay compensation to all delayed passengers. At the moment, they only pay compensation to those passengers who decide to protest to get it. In other words, the "gentle" passengers don't receive anything. Perhaps we can use a Chinese saying to explain this: "Only the crying baby gets the sweeties." It is quite obvious that there are not too many crying babies now bothering the airlines.
Apart from that, the airlines are delaying publishing a compensation schedule in the hope they will eventually force the CAAC to drop the original proposal. In this way, the passengers will lose their legitimate reason to complain and everything will go back to the original state of affairs. This is surely a smart idea of the airlines as more and more cases of "radical protest" by passengers will win sympathy for the airlines from the general public.
The "radical protests" may also shake the CAAC's determination to stand by the passengers suffering delays since the "occupying" of planes can only lead to more delays and disorder.
However, they may be forgetting one point which is that when history turns a new page, it can't be easily turned back. When people's awareness of their rights has been awakened, it can't be easily forgotten. Even my little niece believes it is right that the airlines should have to shoulder responsibility for compensation if a plane is delayed due to the fault of the airline's.
There will be more and more "crying babies" with the same belief if this trend continues. In the near future, passengers will inevitably take the compensation policy of an airline into consideration when choosing which airline to fly. It is commonly acknowledged that the reason why people are willing to spend more money to go by air is that it is faster and more comfortable. So it is extremely important to assure passengers that the airline will live up to its reputation. And an announcement to pay compensation to passengers in the event of flight delays will serve as a strong guarantee of the carrier's high standard of service.
Eventually, it will help the airlines to attract more customers and expand their business. Instead of arguing with passengers each time a plane is delayed, a schedule of payments will enhance their reputations.
As far as I know, in many Western countries, such as the US, they have a flight delay rate higher than 20 per cent but with frequent flights taking off at short intervals, passengers needn't wait a long time for the next flight. And many air carriers also have a plane on stand-by for emergencies. So the passengers can change planes and depart on time. The guarantee of compensation is only a part of the whole service and a quick response to fix any delays is vital.
Competition with their foreign counterparts once they gain full access to the domestic civil aviation market will be a real test for China's airlines and it's coming in the near future.
To improve services would be to make Chinese airlines more competitive and ensure their future survival. But it is a pity that they are applying their efforts and wisdom in the wrong place. It is ridiculous of them to fear that their compensation payment plans would be abused by passengers. Remember, we all want to come and leave with smile, not with money.
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