When Good Service Isn't Green Enough

(MoneyWatch)  How times change. Picture this scenario: A transatlantic flight to London cancels, and the airline reaccommodates most passengers on the next flight. There are a still a few people stranded who won't be able to get out. What should the airline do?

• A) Find another plane to fly them over in style.
• B) Put them on the next available flight, even if it's 3 days from now.
• C) Tell them to go home and stop whining.
• D) Offer them a rowboat and some oars.

Just a few years ago, most people would have chosen answer a) and said that the airline should get another plane to fly those remaining passengers. If the airline stranded those fliers for three days straight, it would result in some pretty bad press. But now, that's the wrong answer.

This exact situation happened to American earlier this year, and believe it or not, the airline flew the plane over to London with only five passengers. Fantastic customer service, right? Not so fast.

These days, flying five passengers on a plane designed to hold several hundred is considered to be nothing short of a crime. It's bad for the environment, and the press jumped on the airline for being irresponsible.

Of course, when American made the decision, it was likely the right one. I'm sure they could have found a way to get those passengers over there at some point, but that doesn't mean they could get a full planeload of passengers back from London without having that plane fly over and pick them up. Then there are always the crew issues that arise if they don't work the flight over.

The airline was simply trying to keep its operation running smoothly, but that's no longer the right thing to do if the environmental impact is too great. To date, environmentalism in air travel is still getting started in the United States, but it's at a fever pitch on the other side of the pond. Let that be a warning -- it'll be here soon, and everyone in this industry needs to be ready to deal with it.