Now USAirways plans to charge for asile and window seats. I wonder what would happen if everyone refused to sit aisle or window? Would they send a plane out with people just sitting in the center seats? What happens when you only have an aisle or window and your choice (no center seats on plane).
Seriously, all of these garbage charges are going to make it very difficult to comparison shop. I wish they would just raise the fare and be done with it.
Posts: 589 | Location: Pittsburgh, PA U.S.A. | Registered: 16 December 2005
This charge will apply only to aisle and window seats in the front part of coach, though of course that will make the competition for the remaining aisle and window seats tougher. I think it's Northwest that's already had a policy like this for a while for the "prime" seats.
Posts: 691 | Location: San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 28 June 2006
Geez...this is getting to be ridiculous. Bags, meals, beverages, window/aisle seat...I guess it won't be long before they weigh each person to make sure we don't layer too many clothes to lighten the carry-on bag! LOL
Next, all the airlines will be installing straps to hang from, when they make us stand for the entire flight when we can't afford to pay extra to actually get a seat to sit on!!!!!! (All the seats will be empty, but the aisles will be full of standees.)
There was an interesting interview with an Air One executive in today's Boston Globe. (The Italian airline Air One is starting flights from Boston to Milan.) An excerpt that relates to this discussion:
quote:
Your partners - United Airlines and US Airways - just announced they will charge many passengers $15 to check in the first piece of luggage. What do you think of that? What we're witnessing in Europe is an increase in fuel surcharges. To my knowledge, no traditional carriers in Europe are charging for bags. I'm against this measure. One of our strengths has always been to be transparent to the market. It's not fair to come out with an ad campaign that says the ticket is $300 and in small print say there are airport fees, fuel surcharges, bag fees. We all have to rethink our model. We also should keep in mind our customers. If you make customers pay at check-in counters, you'll have long queues. Then probably everyone will try to bring big bags on board. That will create delays or confrontations between flight attendants and customers, these types of nasty things. My feeling as a passenger is we sometimes forget the bottom line is achieved through a satisfied customer.
I recently flew back east and had to take four flights in total to do so (roundtrip). I flew on Continental, US Airways and Delta. On each and every segment of my trip the flights were delayed and it took forever to get everyone on the plane and get their huge suitcases shoved in overhead. I actually had a man try to shove his large suitcase in the FULL compartment right over my head and BAM, that sucker fell right on my head - full force. No kidding. I had a blaring headache after that and I let it go so we could just get on with our flight. What a mess.
Ah, the days of nice air travel seem to be over. More and more I feel I'm being herded onto a city bus.
And pay extra for normal coach seats? Give me a freakin' break.
On my last United flight, the nasty, condescending man at the front check in desk wanted me to pay $98 for an Economy Plus seat. (Made snarky comments like "oh, you aren't a 1K member? Too bad. Guess you'll be sitting in the back") But the very nice man at the boarding desk changed me from middle-of-the-middle back row to Economy Plus window, without charge. Simply because the seat was empty and I asked if I could have it. And this was on a full to the gills flight.
Reported in our papers recently is that airlines are now looking to remove everything from the plane that adds weight because of the high fuel prices. Airline financial losses are predicted to be enormous.
Even things like magazines may go and the next very obvious area will be luggage weight. I don't think it will be long before cabin baggage will be checked and be part of our luggage allowance. On the other hand this may be a good thing to stop people trying to cram oversize bags into the overhead lockers.
Maybe time to take that trip before prices go sky high.
Posts: 354 | Location: Melbourne, Australia | Registered: 16 January 2007
Reported in our papers recently is that airlines are now looking to remove everything from the plane that adds weight because of the high fuel prices.
Would that include paying passengers? We add weight, don't we?
Wonder what Orville and Wilbur Wright think if they are listening to all of this talk about the changes that are coming to the industry that grew out of their first brief but evolutionary flight...
"More than anything else the sensation is one of perfect peace mingled with an excitement that strains every nerve to the utmost, if you can conceive of such a combination." ~ Wilbur Wright Brenda
According to the news article about saving weight passenger weight is being considered with an extra charge for overweight passengers !!!!!!!!!!! How on earth do they decide what is a reasonable weight. I presume if they said an adult male weight on average is 90kg and you weighed 140kg you would cop a penalty but what if you weighed 100kg and would you get a credit if you weighed 60kg?
As far as comfort goes have a look at the new Airbus 380 when it goes onto the USA/Europe route. The seats and spacing on the Singapore airlines flight from Europe to Asia are much larger than usual economy.
Posts: 354 | Location: Melbourne, Australia | Registered: 16 January 2007
I presume if they said an adult male weight on average is 90kg and you weighed 140kg you would cop a penalty but what if you weighed 100kg and would you get a credit if you weighed 60kg?
Don't even get me started on that one. Clothing stores already do this. They charge more for their plus sizes than regular sizes - okay the more labor, more material argument - but if that's true, why do petite sizes cost as much as regular sizes? Less labor, less material - gets my goat.
And while we're on the subject, I'm po-ed about the fact that ice cream companies decreased the size of their cartons (way less than 1/2 gallon now) and charge the same. Just raise the flipping price, but you making it smaller, hoping I don't notice is an insult to my intelligence!
Kim, I've noticed that with more and more products, too! A pet peeve of mine also. The nerve of not charging more but giving less - I hate it!
As for these airlines tricks, has anyone read if people are actually flying less or traveling less because of the higher prices and new restrictions? It certainly gives one pause.
My theory is that we are going to see less travel in the coming year; this summer I think people are traveling on plans made and paid for several months ago, at least that was our story and the story we heard from people we met on our recent Italy trip. Our other summer trip that involves air travel was also booked and paid for many months ago. We are seriously reconsidering tentative plans for this winter/spring.
We've always planned well in advance for our European travels.
Now that we're retired we can be more flexible. Retirement also means a fixed income, too. We built in a budget for European travel but since the costs have gone up so much, we're going to have to watch for sales.
We're putting together some ideas so that when sale fares come up in our budget range, we'll be somewhat ready to go on short notice. We prefer shoulder season and are even considering off season. One of our best trips to London was in November!
I am 5 foot 7 and weigh 118 pounds. Shouldn't that mean that I get a rebate lol~ Or maybe because my husband is 10 pounds overweight we could lump our weight together. Kind of silly isn't it? You almost have got to laugh about it~
Kim, I hear you--the pizza guy just brought us two tiny little "medium" pizzas. The smalls must be the size of coasters.
I was just looking at the new checked luggage policies at Northwest since I'm flying on them to Europe soon. While pleased to see the infants can carry on their diaper bags free of charge (I guess if Mom or Dad carries it, that'll run you extra) I can't make head nor tails of all the charts and dates and exceptions and whatnot. I suppose if I stared at it longer I could, but honestly, it reads like a parody of a policy, it's so byzantine.
Ships are looking better and better. And if we had decent railroads... Anyway I'm going back to homemade pizza.
Slow Travel Talk 
What happens when you only have an aisle or window and your choice (no center seats on plane). 
