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Recent Comments:
Top ten overrated international travel destinations {Gadling}
Nov 2nd 2010 12:07PM There's a GREAT reason for visiting the ATOMIUM in Brussels -- the thrill of zip-lining from a metal hatch at the very top down to the grassy fields below, to thrilling applause from tourists. Awesome.
It's official: All the major airlines now charge for bags. But there's a bright side, too {WalletPop}
Nov 6th 2008 11:38PM Airlines are not charging us to check bags to "rip us off." They are charging us for that (and food, etc.) to try to stay in business. They're all losing money, because they have been selling their product below cost for years. In the late 1960s I commuted from Washington, DC, to my college in Florida for $214 R/T on Eastern Airlines. Last winter (40 years later) I flew between the same two cities for $180 R/T. For some reason airlines are deathly afraid of raising fares -- so they impose fees, instead: fuel surcharges, fees for checking luggage, for food, etc. It reminds me of the phone company bill. It used to be one number, then (after deregulation) it became a booklet of "a la carte" charges. I think the airlines are making a poor judgment call -- most of us would rather pay an inclusive (higher) fare than pay extra for food, drinks and checking our bags. Is it reasonable to expect airfares not to increase, when the cost of everything else goes up?
As for all the nasty comments about poor attitudes and service, I flew more than 100,000 miles last year and never once encountered a rude airline employee -- nor did any airline lose my luggage. I might be luckier than most, but given the volume of people flying, I am amazed that the reduced staffs of all airlines are able to do the job as well as they do -- with low pay, absurd schedules, and without pensions or job security.
