Originally Posted By Mr X $8, to be exact (oh, they'll throw in a pillow too though, how nice of them!). <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/08/american-airlines-to-char_n_454109.html" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...109.html</a>
Originally Posted By DAR Never asked for a blanket, always have my own headphones and always eat before I fly. They're charging, but I ain't playing.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan You ever get the feeling that airlines just want to be in some other business entirely, that they really don't want people to fly? It's the damnedest way of doing business that I've ever seen. Business is down, so the way they combat that is not by going out of their way to make passengers feel welcomed and a little bit pampered, but by charging for everything they can think of. Then, they wonder why business is down.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Here's my solution to the blanket shortage that UAL passengers have been plagued with forever: <a href="http://www.eaglecreek.com/accessories/travel_comfort/Comfort-Travel-Blanket-50019/" target="_blank">http://www.eaglecreek.com/acce...t-50019/</a> The blanket is large enough to cover your legs (mine always freeze on airplanes), and quickly folds up into itself and zips closed. I attach the blanket's zipper pull with a small carabiner to the outside loop of my laptop backpack. It's lightweight but quite warm.
Originally Posted By DAR Southwest just entered into this market and as of right now don't charge for bags.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>You ever get the feeling that airlines just want to be in some other business entirely, that they really don't want people to fly? It's the damnedest way of doing business that I've ever seen.<< As usual, their customers are getting what they deserve. Almost NOBODY (worth mentioning) chooses their airline based on amenities. It's entirely about price. So there's no economic reason to give you any free stuff.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Almost NOBODY (worth mentioning) chooses their airline based on amenities. It's entirely about price. So there's no economic reason to give you any free stuff.*** That may be true for short flights, but I for one take all that stuff into consideration for the long haul flights I take...thus I have consistently paid MORE to fly Continental due largely to the fact that it's a more pleasant flight with all the extras (no charge), the new aircraft, and a number of other factors. These last few years I could've saved literally hundreds of dollars by choosing Delta or United, but did not do so.
Originally Posted By gadzuux Airlines are steadily dropping the number of scheduled flights and packing people into completely full cabins. Then - they're cramming the seats closer together to squeeze in a couple more rows. Then - by charging exorbitant rates for checked bags - the airlines are encouraging passengers to schlep all of their packed luggage into the cabin - minus the toothpaste and shampoo and hand cream of course. Then - when space runs out, they're 'checking' it for free at the gangway. Now, they're essentially encouraging people to bring along their own blankets and pillows - verrry bulky items. It really does seem as if they're actively trying to make flying as difficult and unpleasant as they can. And who really checks ahead of time to ensure that blankets and pillows will be provided? What they really want is for passengers to sit quietly for long periods of time. So wouldn't it seem to make business sense to encourage the kind of behavior they seek? Make it easier for people to sleep - give them a blanket and a pillow, turn the lights down, minimize the PA interruptionsl, and most importantly, make the seats comfortable enough to sit in for six hours or more. This all seems so short-sighted - they may pick up an extra hundred bucks or so per flight with this plan, but at what larger cost? I'd be resentful if I were asked to pay for a blanket and pillow, and I'd likely refuse Then I'd sit there and quietly seethe for the remainder of the flight. They need to remember that they're in the "service" business - all planes are pretty much the same. And all airlines maintain these insanely complicated loyalty programs at enormous costs, all while hacking away at the cheapest and easiest items that passengers appreciate. It's not just "nuts", it's bad business.
Originally Posted By Mr X There was a piece on theOnion.com about how the airlines were going to gut their planes' interiors, drug the passengers into a stupor, and then herd them onboard like livestock. Ever wonder if the top executives really DO think along those lines!?
Originally Posted By Mr X ""On top of everything else, this is going to create a lot of new employment opportunities," Marren said of the company's modernization and efficiency efforts. "For instance, we're going to need energetic go-getters who are handy with a shovel and a bucket of peanuts. And we'll also be on the lookout for talented professionals with previous experience operating high-voltage livestock prodding equipment." Acknowledging concerns that some of them suffer from a fear of flying, the airline announced that it will soon begin forcibly tranquilizing all of them upon arrival at the check-in gate and attaching a small $45 sedation surcharge." <a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/news/united_airlines_exploring" target="_blank">http://www.theonion.com/conten...xploring</a>
Originally Posted By Mr X If they're REALLY smart, they'll start charging for oxygen masks and seat belts. I'll bet a LOT of people will shell out $20-$30 bucks for those kinds of luxuries!
Originally Posted By SuperDry Let me provide a counter argument, to an extent. Until last year, many carriers provided free pillows and blankets, at least to some extent (that is maybe not one each for every passenger on daytime flights). Although they may have been laundered frequently, they were still used for several flights before being replaced. Then, H1N1 flu struck. Especially in the early days, did anyone want to use a pillow or blanket that another passenger had just used? Especially in the early days, the carriers were wise to pull their previous pillow and blanket supply. They couldn't switch to a policy of providing a new one to every passenger overnight even if they wanted to - it takes time to ramp up on that scale. Now, you have the option to purchase a *new* pillow and blanket for $8 on shorter flights where they're not provided for free. Although free (or included in the price) pillows and blankets provided fresh for every passenger would be nice, that hasn't been available for ages: the only options in the past few years were probably-slightly-used-since-last-washing for free, or nothing. The current option is better than those two.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Especially in the early days, did anyone want to use a pillow or blanket that another passenger had just used?<< Maybe I'm not germ-phobic enough, but I honestly don't go around worrying about that kind of thing. Yes, I wash my hands and all that but if some germ is going to live on a blanket, it'll just as likely live right on the airline seat itself, our the (puny) armrest. It'd be nice if this was being done out of a concern for public health, but let's get real: This is an attempt to wring a little more money out of folks. This sort of policy provides an excellent chance for a competitor to ridicule it and play up service vs. price. If they're going to charge for anything, they ought to charge for carry-ons beyond a small laptop bag or purse. Charging for checked baggage encourages people to try and cram oversized baggage in the cabin instead of stowing it in the baggage compartment where it belongs. Which, of course, causes discomfort and delays and extra stress as flight attendants argue with a guy trying to stuff his golf bag in the overhead bin.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I don't get why they just don't charge a premium to fly for infrequent travelers and offer lower fares for repeat customers the way that theme parks do with APs. I realize that the theme park model wouldn't translate exactly, but I think that more money could be made if the industry focused on their regular repeat clients (business travelers perhaps?) and offered more pricing perks. Jet Blue tried a $599 unlimited pass for a month last year, but I don't know how successful they were with it. <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2009/08/13/jetblues-599-unlimited-travel-pass-deal-or-no-deal/tab/article/" target="_blank">http://blogs.wsj.com/middlesea...article/</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros "Southwest just entered into this market and as of right now don't charge for bags." They don't charge for 2 bags per person. However, as recently as 2 years ago, each person on SW got 3 bags for free, while the others were charging $10-15 for the first. I still don't think it's a bad deal at all to get your 2 free bags (and a third for $25 if you need it), but they have started to lean in the same general direction as the rest of the airlines. "Make it easier for people to sleep - ...minimize the PA interruptions..." That's my number one complaint about several airlines out there, but specifically Delta. They come on and ramble about things that nobody cares about, and do it quite frequently. If you're trying to sleep, it will wake you up. If you're listening to music, you will stop it because you think it's important, but it's not. One of the most frusterating things in the air, IMO. "...the airlines were going to gut their planes' interiors, drug the passengers into a stupor, and then herd them onboard like livestock." You know, that doesn't sound like a half bad deal. You'd get there in one piece, and it sounds like it would be a fairly pleasant trip, from what you'd be able to feel/remember of it. I might have to look into that airline! : ) "charge a premium to fly for infrequent travelers and offer lower fares for repeat customers" That's an interesting idea. I'd never really thought about it as a possibility, but with modern computer technology, it just seems like it would be pretty easy to do, especially after you got the system started. I don't know if an all-you-can-fly buffet idea would work that well for most people, but reduced cost on each additional trip would certainly be a nice perk. I know they kind of do that with frequent flyer stuff, but this would be directly visible, and I think it would be a great way to increase repeat business and brand loyalty.
Originally Posted By Mr X Except that in general, companies don't care how much the price happens to be (or at least, they've already negotiated the rate), and thus the business travelers THEMSELVES could care less about how much it's costing and wouldn't know one way or another if they were enjoying a frequency discount, but anyway they DO care greatly about their amenities (and note that all premium class cabins still get blankets, as do premium card holders, frequent flyers, and all the rest of that bunch).
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Then, H1N1 flu struck. Especially in the early days, did anyone want to use a pillow or blanket that another passenger had just used? Especially in the early days, the carriers were wise to pull their previous pillow and blanket supply. They couldn't switch to a policy of providing a new one to every passenger overnight even if they wanted to - it takes time to ramp up on that scale.*** I don't know if I buy that (VP Biden might though!). Before the bird flu there was SARS, before that something else and so on...there have been outbreaks aplenty all through the decades since flying became common. But only now they're deciding charging is a good "solution"? At the same time they're charging for extra bags, charging for meals, heck even one airline attempted to charge for the toilet! Seems to be more of the same if you ask me. If there wasn't so much blatant bilking going on, I might be more inclined to be receptive to your hypothesis (and I think the airlines could get away with pitching it that way if it were the ONLY issue, and a health one at that!).
Originally Posted By mawnck >>They need to remember that they're in the "service" business - all planes are pretty much the same.<< ... and they're the only way to get from point A to point B quickly if the two points are widely separated. Whataya gonna do? Jump on the bullet train? >>And all airlines maintain these insanely complicated loyalty programs at enormous costs<< Next thing to go. You watch. It comes down to this. You are in Detroit trying to get to Atlanta for a meeting tomorrow. All the airlines suck. You gonna take the plane, or stay at home? Once Americans get over the need to fly at all, the airlines will improve. Like oh so many other things, it's not gonna happen.
Originally Posted By Mr X Detroit to Atlanta is less than FOUR hours (assuming stops along the way) for a decent high speed train. I think America CAN get over the need for flights (and when we do, we'll be in a much happier position in terms of flight CHOICES and how the airlines treat us, their valued customers). As long as they ARE "the only game in town", the abuse will surely continue unabated. It's interesting watching this from Japan though...where train is king and flights are just an alternative, it's the train companies that sometimes charge too much and act all special (the airlines are just happy to serve!).
