Pauline Frommer Said Costa Is Doomed......

[greg-nc]

Why is it damning and what evidence do you have that dollars come before safety? As far as I've seen Costa was in compliance with all safety regulations. The sail-by might now be considered dangerous but I find it very hard to believe that the people outside of Costa that are in positions of authority who are no saying it was reckless and should never have been done, had no knowledge of it being done in the past.

 

Re-brandning will do nothing but tick off the people who still like and want to sail on Costa which is still a large number of people. Costa has made some mistakes but they will get past it.

 

Every hour out in a ship with no working toilets, limited food, and no electricity increases the risk to passengers. To boot, this area of the ocean has a piracy problem.

 

It should be obvious why the government officials in the Seychelles are furious with the entire situation. Multiple officials in several different countries have come forward to state that Costa's actions with the Allegra are totally inappropriate and did not focus on the safety of passengers, but on cheap cost.

 

This, once again, is totally going to blow up on Costa. Similar to the Concordia, their entire handling of the incident will be harshly questioned. This incident might be the straw that breaks the camels back for the cruise line.

[gemsm]

I think if Carnival Corp was smart they would drop "Costa" like a hot potato. Especially after all the lawsuits that are bound to be coming their way

[chrispb]

Girlo, I know you're Welsh, and I wont proclaim to be able to correct your words,(hell I wouldnt even try - harder than Gaelic) but as a native of the same region, can I just point out to you and stowaway, that its "Lockerbie" :p

The per'wee toon o' Lockerbie, was the only thing that ever put it on a map :(

 

Cant be long now??? You packed yet?? :D

 

Sorry Blondie, I know the other poster spelled it wrong and I thought my version looked more "right".

 

Yes, all packed (hence passing an hour or so here). Leaving the house around 3.30 am tomorrow morning. Yawn.

[Blondie008]

Sorry Blondie, I know the other poster spelled it wrong and I thought my version looked more "right".

 

Yes, all packed (hence passing an hour or so here). Leaving the house around 3.30 am tomorrow morning. Yawn.

 

BON VOYAGE!!!

Have a great time!!:D

[Ratt]

Every hour out in a ship with no working toilets, limited food, and no electricity increases the risk to passengers. To boot, this area of the ocean has a piracy problem.

 

It should be obvious why the government officials in the Seychelles are furious with the entire situation. Multiple officials in several different countries have come forward to state that Costa's actions with the Allegra are totally inappropriate and did not focus on the safety of passengers, but on cheap cost.

 

This, once again, is totally going to blow up on Costa. Similar to the Concordia, their entire handling of the incident will be harshly questioned. This incident might be the straw that breaks the camels back for the cruise line.

 

I think the solution is this, every time a ship is built they will build an exact duplicate. One ship will be designated "primary" and the other will be "backup". The primary will be the ship that the passengers embark and sail on and the backup will follow the primary at a safe distance. If any problems arise at all, the passengers will be moved to the backup ship and will continue their fun filled vacation with only a minor disruption. Of course the cruise lines will also give a very nice OBC since the passengers were inconvenienced by having to switch ships. Don't worry about the cost as the cruise lines will just convert to non-profit corps.

 

So some government officials are claiming that Costa handled it wrong and we're supposed to put weight behind what they say? I seriously doubt these officials are experts in dealing with disabled cruise ships. Most government officials are as much of an expert in any of these areas as any of us here on CC are.

[littlesteelo]

I think we need to remember a few things. Firstly, fires are not unique to Costa, as has been said before. Look at the Carnival Splendor fire, they were in exactly the same situation. Furthermore, as far as we know the fire is not Costa's fault, just as it wasn't Carnival's fault on the Splendor. While the sensationalist tabloids would like you to think that, it simply isn't.

 

Secondly, regarding the rebranding question. Rebranding an airline is easy. People usually don't care which airline they fly with, they choose out of convenience, which is not how people pick a cruise line. People pick a particular cruise line based on reviews, their own experiences with the line itself, word of mouth and advertising. Rebranding Costa would lose them many regulars, and they would have to build up a reputation in the cruise industry. While the Concordia incident is a huge blow to this, it does not change the fact that Costa as a brand itself is a big part of Europe's tourist industry, and is a well known name in the cruise industry itself. That kind of recognition takes decades to build. As has been said, once the ship is removed, it will slip into history, and people will forget. Costa is a valuable brand, and Carnival will not simply just throw it away.

 

Thirdly, the cost of such a rebranding would be huge. It would cost millions to rebrand all the ships and reproduce associated materials, which will cost millions in themselves alone. The amount of advertising needed would also be huge, not to mention actually getting travel agents to promote what would effectively be a brand new line. All of these costs put together would likely be greater than the drop in bookings due to the recent events, which won't last forever.

[leonardofan]

Holland-America wasn't rebranded when the Prinsendam burned and sank.

(They even had the chutzpah to reuse the name and put a big painting

of the sunken ship in the stairwell of the new one...)

[Tonka's Skipper]

I think we need to remember a few things. Firstly, fires are not unique to Costa, as has been said before. Look at the Carnival Splendor fire, they were in exactly the same situation. Furthermore, as far as we know the fire is not Costa's fault, just as it wasn't Carnival's fault on the Splendor. While the sensationalist tabloids would like you to think that, it simply isn't.

 

Secondly, regarding the rebranding question. Rebranding an airline is easy. People usually don't care which airline they fly with, they choose out of convenience, which is not how people pick a cruise line. People pick a particular cruise line based on reviews, their own experiences with the line itself, word of mouth and advertising. Rebranding Costa would lose them many regulars, and they would have to build up a reputation in the cruise industry. While the Concordia incident is a huge blow to this, it does not change the fact that Costa as a brand itself is a big part of Europe's tourist industry, and is a well known name in the cruise industry itself. That kind of recognition takes decades to build. As has been said, once the ship is removed, it will slip into history, and people will forget. Costa is a valuable brand, and Carnival will not simply just throw it away.

 

Thirdly, the cost of such a rebranding would be huge. It would cost millions to rebrand all the ships and reproduce associated materials, which will cost millions in themselves alone. The amount of advertising needed would also be huge, not to mention actually getting travel agents to promote what would effectively be a brand new line. All of these costs put together would likely be greater than the drop in bookings due to the recent events, which won't last forever.

 

 

 

I suggest you go read the USCG reports out on the Splender........there were serious design, operational and maintence issues.

 

 

AKK

[Tapi]

Yes but aircraft crashes, in the majority, were due to onboard technical difficulties/problems.

 

Oh really? Let's look at American Airlines as an example and their track record in the last 17 years:

 

• 1995 - Boeing 757 crashed in Cali, Colombia killing ALL 159 passengers and crewmembers except for 4 - REASON: PILOT ERROR
  
• 1999 - MD-80 crashed during landing in Little Rock, Arkansas. Captain and 10 passengers killed - REASON: PILOT ERROR
  
• 2001 - Airbus 300 crashed taking off from New York JFK enroute to Santo Domingo, DR killing ALL 260 passengers and crewmembers - REASON: PILOT ERROR
• 2009 - Boeing 737 crashed during landing in Kingston, Jamaica in heavy rain and tailwinds. More than 40 passengers injured - REASON: PILOT ERROR
  

Add to this list the two AA airplanes lost during the 9-11 attacks as well as 2 others that were subject to terrorist threats in 2001 and 2005 respectively, and you have a Public Relations nightmare MUCH worse than the one caused by the captain of the Costa Concordia. Yet you didn't see American Airlines management running to change the airline's name, rebrand, or do any of that nonsense.

 

Costa is a cruise line with a very long and glorious history and extremely loyal following. It's not some "fly by night" or "startup" operation. It might be hard to see it now since the Concordia incident is still fresh in people's memories, but over time, the bad press will fade (it already has started) and things will go back to normal.

[Tonka's Skipper]

Oh really? Let's look at American Airlines as an example and their track record in the last 17 years:

 

• 1995 - Boeing 757 crashed in Cali, Colombia killing ALL 159 passengers and crewmembers except for 4 - REASON: PILOT ERROR
  
• 1999 - MD-80 crashed during landing in Little Rock, Arkansas. Captain and 10 passengers killed - REASON: PILOT ERROR
  
• 2001 - Airbus 300 crashed taking off from New York JFK enroute to Santo Domingo, DR killing ALL 260 passengers and crewmembers - REASON: PILOT ERROR
  
• 2009 - Boeing 737 crashed during landing in Kingston, Jamaica in heavy rain and tailwinds. More than 40 passengers injured - REASON: PILOT ERROR
  

Add to this list the two AA airplanes lost during the 9-11 attacks as well as 2 others that were subject to terrorist threats in 2001 and 2005 respectively, and you have a Public Relations nightmare MUCH worse than the one caused by the captain of the Costa Concordia. Yet you didn't see American Airlines management running to change the airline's name, rebrand, or do any of that nonsense.

 

Costa is a cruise line with a very long and glorious history and extremely loyal following. It's not some "fly by night" or "startup" operation. Italy is very proud of Costa and it will do anything it can to restore it to its original glory. It might be hard to see it now since the Concordia incident is still fresh in people's memories, but over time, the bad press will fade (it already has started) and things will go back to normal.

 

 

I agree with a good bit of your post but, there is going to be more.

 

1.. We have a year or so with regular news reports coming out about a trial and official investigation reports going on and being released to remind people of the Concordia and Allerga.

 

2. The trial may very well include Costa excutives and operations people and questionable company operational policies.

 

3. A year of wreck removal and all the news agencies and enviro groups keeping it in the spotlight and reminding us.

 

4. Yes Costa has a loyal following ..but that is only *bread and butter* earnings. To stay alive a line needs new first time Costa cruisers....With this terrible accident(and the Allego) new cruisers are not going to be so fast to book Costa or a crusies at all.

 

5. Yes memories will fade in time, but over the next year or so when all this is going on........will be a hard time for Costa.

 

6.. Italy loves Costa, yes, but right now the goverment is in no position to help it much!

 

 

 

I feel Costa will survive and will likely keep the brand and livery. However, it will have to lose 50% of its capacity, get lean and then slowly rebuild.

 

Just MHO

 

AKK

[sidari]

"Yes Costa has a loyal following ..but that is only *bread and butter* earnings. To stay alive a line needs new first time Costa cruisers....With this terrible accident(and the Allego) new cruisers are not going to be so fast to book Costa or a crusies at all"

 

European customers will be the ones who keep Costa going as they have done for many years! the American market of sailings to the Caribbean may suffer but even now the Transatlantics appear to be well booked up.

 

Costa have never relied on American passengers in Europe and i am sure they will not begin to start now.

[Tapi]

Airline example........Valujet became AirTan.

 

Not quite a good example that compares to Costa's situation.

 

Valujet and AirTran were 2 different and separate airlines. One was based in Atlanta, GA, the other one was based in Orlando, FL.

 

Valujet was only 3 years old and with an accident rate 14 times higher than the major airlines when it had one of the most horrific and negligent crashes in US history. The airline was completely shut down by the FAA after the accident to investigate.

 

Valujet then started up again a few months later. Eventually, AirTran from Orlando, FL purchased Valujet, merged their operations, and continued operating as AirTran to become one of the most succesful low cost carriers in history.

 

While there are many things to be learned from the Valujet/AirTran story, it hardly parallels the situation that Costa is facing now. Yes, there will be an investigation (of course! Why wouldn't there be one?), with its associated press coverage, but ultimately, we are not talking about a small, startup cruise line with very limited assets. We are talking about a major cruise line, financially backed by the largest cruise corporation in the world, and with a long and celebrated history, dating back to 1854 (1947 for passenger services). Costa is hardly a 3 year old startup airline with a shady and tarnished reputation from the start.

 

The only people that are still thinking about the Costa accident on a daily basis are those in the cruise line industry, and the hardcore cruise line fans. The majority of the public has moved on to other news. Believe me, they are not thinking about Costa.

 

Even when there's an update, it's usually a 30 second snippet in the news, not the prolongued nonstop weeks long coverage that we endured a few months ago. Costa will return strong, and the Concordia incident will just be a distant memory...

[Esprit]

The only people that are still thinking about the Costa accident on a daily basis are those in the cruise line industry, and the hardcore cruise line fans. The majority of the public has moved on to other news. Believe me, they are not thinking about Costa.

 

Even when there's an update, it's usually a 30 second snippet in the news, not the prolongued nonstop weeks long coverage that we endured a few months ago. Costa will return strong, and the Concordia incident will just be a distant memory...

 

My view too

[Tonka's Skipper]

"Yes Costa has a loyal following ..but that is only *bread and butter* earnings. To stay alive a line needs new first time Costa cruisers....With this terrible accident(and the Allego) new cruisers are not going to be so fast to book Costa or a crusies at all"

 

European customers will be the ones who keep Costa going as they have done for many years! the American market of sailings to the Caribbean may suffer but even now the Transatlantics appear to be well booked up.

 

Costa have never relied on American passengers in Europe and i am sure they will not begin to start now.

 

I agree Costa American following is not great....and I agree the UK cruisers will continue to support Casta, but to survive Costa needs new cruisers to the brand and the folks who were scared off by the Concordia....it will be a long time before those folks start looking to book again.

 

What will be a steady reminder of reports from the trials(when they start) and wreck salvage will keep this in the forefront of old and possible new cruisers minds.

 

It not all about the US and Canada.

 

 

In any case....time will tell!

 

AKK

[Mrs. Wilburforce]

This was my thinking. Why not follow the Aida model, which is a German only speaking cruise line. It could fill the niche market for Southern Europe much as Aida does for Northern Europe.

 

Sorry to disappoint Pauline Frommer and the Americans who would want a rebranding, but Costa will always be Costa IMO. If its image will continue to be tainted in North America the line could always drop the North American marketing and work just fine solely with Europe, South America and Asia.