Sep 14th, 2010 at 11:00AM: It would be so much easier if we'd just pay more, right? That's what the airlines seem to believe. It's impossible for them to turn consistent profits because we just won't accept higher prices. And, kicking the poor off the plane doesn't seem to be an option.
I got up this morning and read George Hobica's hilarious "interview" with Wilbur Flywright, CEO of BrokenWings Airways. In it, I was ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
airlinefees posts
Four reasons airlines blame passengers for their current woes
Sep 14th, 2010 at 11:00AM: It would be so much easier if we'd just pay more, right? That's what the airlines seem to believe. It's impossible for them to turn consistent profits because we just won't accept higher prices. And, kicking the poor off the plane doesn't seem to be an option.
I got up this morning and read George Hobica's hilarious "interview" with Wilbur Flywright, CEO of BrokenWings Airways. In it, I was ...Hidden airline fees under attack, industry pushing back
Sep 8th, 2010 at 2:00PM: It isn't so much the airline fees that are being targeted these days: it's the extent to which they are hidden. Three advocacy groups are pushing for airlines to do a better job of disclosing how they'll nail passengers for extra cash. So, a battle of paper is emerging. On one side, advocates are pushing a petition to get airlines to open the kimono a bit more. And on the other, airlines are ...Five business travel factors for Obama and the midterm elections
Sep 8th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Leisure travel is irrelevant during the election season, but the woes of business travelers seem to resonate. With the midterm contests two months away, all eyes are on the White House ... and President Obama's success rate with road, rail and runway repair.
This is the one time business travelers make the presidential agenda, according to Portfolio.com: "Presidents (or people campaigning for ...Could airline baggage fees create another Steven Slater?
Aug 14th, 2010 at 2:00PM:
We're still in the early stages of figuring out just want made flight attendant Steven Slater jettison himself from a JetBlue plane via the emergency slide. There are conflicting accounts from the passengers on board, including those who allegedly pushed Slate over the edge, and then there's Slater's story about having been beaten by an unruly passenger's bag. He raised the issue of how ...
Southwest wins on bet against extra fees
Aug 1st, 2010 at 5:00PM: How did Southwest score its recent record revenue? Well, it could be because it isn't jacking up fees for all the extras. The decision to do business the old fashion way seems to have been good for a quarterly profit of $112 million and may provide a good reason for other airlines to reconsider these unpopular measures.
In a roundup of coverage on the airline's quarterly financial results, USA ...Top five reasons you'll pay more for flights
Jul 27th, 2010 at 1:00PM: It looks like flight deals are a thing of the past. The airline sector is starting to recover, as evidenced by an aggregate $1.3 billion in earnings for the six largest U.S. carriers last quarter, and more profits are said to be on the horizon. Of course, we're still in the early stages, and those earnings do pale in comparison to the $22.7 billion in losses sustained in 2008 and 2009. So, the ...Congress says airline fees, basic math obscure deals
Jul 15th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Deal-hunting used to be relatively simple. You'd fire up your computer, hit a few aggregators and online travel agencies, maybe a few airline sites. Then, you'd pick your ticket and pull the trigger. The lowest number wins, right?
Wrong ... at least according to Congess.
Down in Washington, the folks who'd rather not be distracted by continued high unemployment or wars in two countries ...Spirit Airlines to Congress: paying for overhead bins helps the poor
Jul 14th, 2010 at 5:00PM:
You just don't need to take your bags on vacation, said Spirit Airlines CEO, Ben Baldanza. He's told Congress that his airline, which brands itself as a "super-low-cost" carrier, actually makes it easier for the proletariat poor to take to the skies, even if it does require that they plop down $45 to stuff a carry-on into the overhead bin.
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Airline fees: Please don't lie, don't be moronic
Jul 9th, 2010 at 9:00AM: As much as you may hate ancillary fees on airlines, they're clearly making a difference. The nickel-and-diming of the average passenger was good for a whopping $7.8 billion last year ... up 42 percent from 2008. Airlines are making serious cash on inconvenient fees, which means they aren't going away. The coming travel market recovery (look for it in 2011) will put more asses in seats and, of ...Hotels explore a la carte pricing
Jun 13th, 2010 at 12:00PM: We've spent plenty of electrons over the past two years griping about the almost comstantly arising airline fees. Paying to check bags, get blankets and so on has become part of the misery that comes with getting on a plane these days. Meanwhile, the hospitality industry managed to stay above the fray. The same pressures affecting the airlines came to bear on hotels, as well. And, the constraints ...Galley Gossip: Switching seats, exit row safety & asking for upgrades
Apr 14th, 2010 at 9:00AM: Recently on a flight a passenger took the empty seat beside me. He had an assigned seat that he left behind. If by luck of the draw I had an empty seat (true not paid for), then it seems to me that as a beneficiary of said luck that I have inherited certain rights. If the other guy had stayed in his OWN seat, I would have had the enjoyment of more space. His moving AFFECTED me. The only reason I ...Two billion reasons why you pay to check bags
Mar 30th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Or, you could call it "2 billion reasons why flight attendants shouldn't get raises." It works both ways.
The labor debacle at British Airways reminds us of the perpetual stupidity turmoil that has come to characterize the airline industry. Not to pick on BA, but the strike shows how disconnected the flight attendants are from the nuts and bolts of the business, and it translates across the ...Fees passengers hate actually make sense
Mar 13th, 2010 at 4:00PM: I honestly don't have much of a problem with all the extra fees being tacked on by airlines. They have an obligation to their shareholders to deliver results: it's a fact of life. And, realistically, they don't do us any good if they can't afford to put planes in the air. But, I suspect I'm in the minority on this one. A recent online poll by Airfarewatchdog.com sought to learn which fee ...Airline recession will continue into 2010, good news for passengers
Dec 16th, 2009 at 4:00PM: The airline industry must be excited to see 2009 coming to a close. It was a year of route cuts, perk cuts and abuse from passengers over all kinds of sacrifices in the cabin ... and a genuine commitment to fees for extra bags. The global financial crisis triggered in September 2008 hit the travel industry with extra severity, forcing airlines, famous for not being able to generate easy profits ...Congress to investigate airline fees ... but not for your benefit
Nov 14th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Congress is digging into all those new airline fees. Extra bags, special check-in situations ... you name it. Before you start cheering on our lawmakers, though, you should know that they aren't doing this from a sense of consumer advocacy. Frankly, Congress doesn't give a damn how much you pay for air travel. But, it does care how you pay. Why? A cash-strapped government is wondering if it's ...50% of air travelers will fly with the flu to avoid a fee
Oct 24th, 2009 at 11:30AM: I'm a one of the those people who always seems to get sick after a long plane ride. A few days post-trip, I suddenly get a runny nose, sore throat and all the other telltale signs of a cold, most likely contracted from a sick passenger. Usually it's minor, and I'm out of commission for only a few days.
I guess I've just been lucky that it hasn't been the flu, because, according to a recent ...United to try checked luggage buffet
Oct 6th, 2009 at 4:00PM: Do you always travel with two bags to check? Some people don't travel light, and they know that, in this new world of airline fees, they're going to have to stomach an extra charge as a result. Under a new United Airlines plan, you'll be able to "subscribe" to extra bag privileges. Instead of paying $20 for the first bag checked and $30 for the next one, you can shell out $249, buffet-style, and ...Welcome to the first airline-owned restaurant!
Sep 21st, 2009 at 9:00AM: Airfarewatchdog visited recently a new restaurant in our neighborhood and boy were we surprised at what we saw on the menu. That's right, diners! This restaurant is under new management! At Trans Air Airlines, we sure weren't making money flying people places, so we thought what the heck, why not try the fine dining business to earn some "ancillary revenue" as we like to call it. While you're ...Airline fees continue, necessary evil
Sep 6th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Yes, you've heard about this all year, and you'll probably hear about it for a while to come. Airlines are still looking for ways to pull every dollar they can out of your wallets, but the reality is that they have no choice. Seven of the nine largest airlines in the United States had a rough time in August, making these measures more important than passengers might realize.
The second bag, ...Avoid high baggage fees - rent clothes from Zero Baggage
Aug 11th, 2009 at 11:30AM: Airline baggage fees just keep going up, and there seems to be no end in sight. With few airlines left that don't charge for checked bags, travelers who can't manage to get everything they need into a carry-on bag could end up paying some hefty fees. One Canadian company has come up with a plan to help.
Zero Baggage promises to provide travelers with an "environmentally responsible, anxiety-free ...
