Carnival’s choice on Mexico cruises

Re: David Lazarus’ consumer column, “Swine flu sank Mexico cruise,” May 10:

In the current economic environment it is amazing that Carnival Cruise Lines management can afford to alienate customers by acting with such indifference to their concerns.

Carnival’s focus on the short-term bottom line at the expense of customer satisfaction does not seem like a sustainable business model. Perhaps I have discovered a new stock to short.

Evan Goldman

Redondo Beach

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It’s nice to be reminded now and again that life is not a cruise -- or, as my stepfather used to so aptly put it, life is not fair.

Let’s put the question in reverse: Would Carnival passengers have appreciated being put ashore in a possibly flu-ridden Mexico? And if any had come down with the flu and spread it among their close-proximity fellow passengers, would they have allowed Carnival immunity?

This is, I feel, another classic example of the American attitude toward entitlement. When you travel abroad, be it by air, land or sea, you are assuming a risk; and when traveling on a ship, that risk is shared by all passengers.

The company was right in acting conservatively and owed absolutely no recompense to the passengers.

Bill Baerg

Kumamoto, Japan