Efficiency in Asia

Very recently, I had the misfortune to visit a Toyota dealership.

To refresh the memories of some of our devoted readers, I am not a fan of anyone whose living involves the sales and servicing of automobiles (with a very few local exceptions). Nor am I a fan of Japanese auto products whose reputation for excellence and quality, in my opinion, is the product of a massive propaganda and brainwashing effort to exalt the Asian product and to denigrate the American one.

My visit was in aid of my brother who owns a Toyota (vehemently disagreeing with my opinions re: his ride) and had to bring it in for a recall. As we usually ride together, instead of picking him up at his home, I was to meet him at the service department of the local Toyota dealer.

The service reception area is where the "writers" - people who enter the information needed for a service ticket - sit in their self-important lordliness on a raised platform managing to look occupied and able to ignore customers in a fashion that would make waiters green with envy. I knew we were in trouble when my brother pulled in and handed his recall notice to an employee of the dealership who manually filled out a form on a clipboard. This took few moments and my brother remarked that they were still doing things in pen and paper. One would think that, with the paperwork done, there would be nothing left to do and we would be on our way.

Nothing doing. Clipboard boy handed the recall notice back to my bro and pointed him toward the sanctum sanctorum where a group of bored "writers" were staring at their computer screens, probably watching the latest x rated offerings on youtube.

It became our turn to be written up and since the registration for the car was needed but was in the car and the car had already been pulled out of the bay, we had to recall the car and get the registration. That done, we were on our way.

Or so we thought. The writer informed us that since we had never been there for service before he needed more information and it would "only take about 10 minutes." Ten minutes! To write up the minutia of name address and serial number? Yep. You see, these "writers" come from the old school where computers and typewriters were for the hoi polloi, not factory workers and mechanics. They can barely type. And, they need to know everything about you, from your age to what you have for breakfast every morning. He also insisted on a signature for what earthly reason I can't fathom since Toyota was paying anyway and, after all, the dealership is in possession of the car.

I kept wondering: Toyota is recalling 8 million cars! Don't they have a better system? The recall notices have all the necessary information on them, one shouldn't have to stand as before a judge to answer questions that any idiot should be able to read for himself. I would suggest that one should only have to leave his recall notice and a phone number where he can be reached.

In case they need to know whether you like your eggs scrambled or sunny-side-up.

Lines again

I am on line in the Costco in Brooklyn. A thought just hit me. Since I last wrote from this same Costco line, I don't think I have been to this Costco. I usually go with Lovey to the local one.

So here I am, with just one person waiting ahead of me, and since I started writing this

I was going to write the line hadn't moved, same old store, but they opened a new line and took me first. Cool.

Hello Again

Just a quick hi so that you know I am still around. Recently my company decided tp basically cut off almost all internet access. I will get to that later. However, I got a quick repreive somehow so I just popped into cyberspace to see what is going on at the good Doctor. Thanks Soupeater for keeping things going, but based on the nature of the recent posts, I think we should rename the blog Dr. G gets high, or something like that.

I am sitting at a Dinner (not the one. I chaired) listening with half an ear, and using all other 4 1/2 senses to write this. I think they are going to feed me now so I am signing off.

Up, Up But not without a fee

Long ago, I read somewhere (no attribution, I cannot remember where or when) that in the entire history of commercial air travel, on balance, no one has ever made a penny in air transportation. For the time being, within this framework, the airlines appear to be sitting pretty. They have full planes,they are getting really high prices, they are collecting vast amounts in fees, and they are cutting cabin amenities to the bone (getting away with it, too). They're still not making money.

Many analysts feel that fees will never go away and that the airline companies have finally hit upon the gold mine that has eluded them since commercial air travel became a reality. As things stand now, this is probably true but things could change.


Take checked baggage fees. Here is a quote from a recent WSJ article on airline profitability

Southwest Chairman and Chief Executive Gary Kelly told Wall Street analysts on a conference call Friday that he had no plans to start charging baggage fees because the no-fee policy on first and second checked bags was helping Southwest gain market-share. He, for one, hoped other airlines keep raising their fees for checking luggage.

Full WSJ Article


Since the supply/demand curve applies to everything, checked baggage is no exception. Undoubtedly, some people take less luggage in an attempt to avoid checking any or some bags. The end result is probably to somewhat lower a plane's total load and thereby create fuel savings. On the other hand, much of the luggage which people would have checked had checking been free, now lands up in the cabin to the chagrin of all passengers and no real weight advantage for the airlines. And with the cutback in food service and charges for the elementary comforts of life (blankets, pillows) these items will now need to be carried on board in addition to the extra bags that ordinarily would have been checked.

So where do we go from here? Air travel has become so unpleasant that even business travelers try to avoid it if they can. Admittedly, the airlines will take care of the business traveler and find some way to shield him from the nickel and diming as well as the discomfort. But they still need the hapless occasional traveler to help defray the fixed cost of the trip. and bear in mind, with the economy in the tank and the airlines having adjusted their flight frequencies to where the decreased passenger load has been brought into balance with available capacity, there is no incentive for the airlines to increase the comfort of air travelers.

I wonder what will happen when the total demand for air travel improves along with the economy. More planes will have to be brought back into service and those planes will have to be filled. Unless the airlines are happy with their reduced schedules, they will have to entice travellers to again brave the friendly skies. This will be in the form of elimination of fees, lower prices and greater cabin amenities.
Here's another article from USA Today

Henny Penny meets Al Queda

I recently heard a news report on the radio that a tape, purporting to be from Osama bin Laden, had emerged wherein the said benefactor of humanity stated that his cause is just because he wants to fight global warming and climate change. I never heard or read another word regarding this tape and assume that it was a hoax. (I admit that I heard it when my clock radio alarm went off and I may have dreamt the whole thing.)

In any case, this would have been the anti-climate change crowd's greatest propaganda coup. If Osama is for it, we ought to be against it.