:smack:
If the airline loses my bag do i get my money back? 
[QUOTE=Furious_Marmot]
I couldn’t care less about luxury, but I would be more than happy to pay an extra few tens of dollars to fly with an airline that can actually function as a proper business, with appropriate staffing levels, maintainence schedules, and enough seats for every ticket holder on every flight.
[/QUOTE]
Pretty much what air travel was like in the '70s and even '80s. Food (sometimes even good) very little bumping, and actual service. I suppose it cost more, but I don’t remember being particularly shocked by prices back then. I did a lot of flying in the early '80s for work, and actually enjoyed it. Not any more.
[QUOTE=Furious_Marmot]
Why not go all the way and charge for the total weight of the passenger and all his stuff. If fuel costs are so onerous, then a pound of passenger is every bit as damaging to the bottom line as a pound of luggage. Obviously, there would need to be minimum prices to keep really small people or children from flying below cost. Yes, you wouldn’t know exactly what your ticket price is, but as long as the terms are spelled out clearly, you should be able to figure it out within a few dollars using a scale and a pencil. Heck, Travelocity, et al could put a little java calculator gizmo right on the website. I don’t see many problems at the ticket counter, if they are already charging most of their passengers for a checked bag, they are already slowing things down. Privacy concerns (in an airport, yeah right) could be alleviated by weighing the passenger and bags at the same time on the same scale.
[/QUOTE]
That is a good idea but it would lead to some extreme and potentially dangerous behavior. If passengers felt compelled to hit the gym and train every day a few months before the trip then that would be what we call a win - win. The people become more healthy and they save on their plane fare. But, lets not kid ourselves. What would happen instead would be an explosion of bulimia, even weirder fad diets than we have now, intentional dehydration, and possibly even self amputation.
The airline industry has some of the most fickle customers there are when it comes to price. Half the people would volunteer to sit on a stranger’s lap if it saved them $10 off the price of a competing ticket. You have to be careful what incentives you give because you might end up with a bunch of passengers that fasted for a week, shaved their head, and didn’t wear any underwear so that they could weigh in at a lower rate.
Here is a story from Marketplace on this - sorry audio, no transcript yet. It is an interview with Howard Putnam, former CEO of Southwest. He thinks that the other traditional airlines will match this, but that it is a mistake, and that they should just bit the bullet, raise fares, and not try to nickel and dime people.
[QUOTE=Voyager]
Here is a story from Marketplace on this - sorry audio, no transcript yet. It is an interview with Howard Putnam, former CEO of Southwest. He thinks that the other traditional airlines will match this, but that it is a mistake, and that they should just bit the bullet, raise fares, and not try to nickel and dime people.
[/QUOTE]
Well, there it is. It’s gonna’ cost more to fly, folks. Pay all at once or pay as you go, but you’re gonna’ pay.
[QUOTE=Sunrazor]
Waitaminnit! I just flew American to and from Raleigh, NC, and we were always in the back of the plane, last to board.
As for charging for luggage, I think all airlines should charge for all baggage, by weight. Flat charge for up to 30 pounds checked, 5 pounds carry-on, then a dollar a pound after that. 'Course, I take pride in packing light, checking my bags and walking onto the plane with my boarding pass and a magazine in my hand.
[/QUOTE]
90% of my flying is on American between Raleigh NC and Chicago IL, and it always seemed that in either direction when I was sitting near the back I was in the first or second boarding group (after First Class and Platinum Club members, of course) and when I was sitting near the front I was in one of the last boarding groups. Maybe they use different boarding plans on different flights.
In today’s paper there was an article about American’s new policies, with a sidebar article about the fact that they were considering cutting flights from RDU. Among the cuts being considered were some of the multiple daily flights to Chicago and Detroit. I hope they don’t decide to cut the flights I’m already booked for, since that would screw up my travel plans.
[QUOTE=anu-la1979]
Hmm. Considering the number of hair products I own + stupid fluid regulations, I guess I’m now paying $15 extra every time I fly American.
[/QUOTE]
Same here. For any trip longer than 3 days, I’m going to be bringing too much fluid to use carry ons. So - I guess I won’t be flying American.
[QUOTE=Shagnasty]
That is a good idea but it would lead to some extreme and potentially dangerous behavior. If passengers felt compelled to hit the gym and train every day a few months before the trip then that would be what we call a win - win. The people become more healthy and they save on their plane fare. But, lets not kid ourselves. What would happen instead would be an explosion of bulimia, even weirder fad diets than we have now, intentional dehydration, and possibly even self amputation.
The airline industry has some of the most fickle customers there are when it comes to price. Half the people would volunteer to sit on a stranger’s lap if it saved them $10 off the price of a competing ticket. You have to be careful what incentives you give because you might end up with a bunch of passengers that fasted for a week, shaved their head, and didn’t wear any underwear so that they could weigh in at a lower rate.
[/QUOTE]
I suspect you are right, I had not considered how actual people would act, ie. not in their enlightened self-interest. Considering how expensive a plane ticket is, and how rarely most people fly, you’d think that less than 1% of the price wouldn’t matter. Who am I kidding, I’d be the one getting sat upon. Although, if a restaurant knocked 10 bucks off my bill to share a table with strangers, I’d do it.
[QUOTE=LurkMeister]
90% of my flying is on American between Raleigh NC and Chicago IL, and it always seemed that in either direction when I was sitting near the back I was in the first or second boarding group (after First Class and Platinum Club members, of course) and when I was sitting near the front I was in one of the last boarding groups. Maybe they use different boarding plans on different flights.
In today’s paper there was an article about American’s new policies, with a sidebar article about the fact that they were considering cutting flights from RDU. Among the cuts being considered were some of the multiple daily flights to Chicago and Detroit. I hope they don’t decide to cut the flights I’m already booked for, since that would screw up my travel plans.
[/QUOTE]
I think we’ve flown our last with American anyway. Of the four aircraft we flew on (two out, two back – we always have to go through Dallas) during this last trip, three were delayed because of various problems. United, which is the big dog in Denver, has direct flights to RDU. They cost more, but I’m willing to pay it for a direct flight.
American isn’t the only airline to impose fees lately. The price of oil has many airlines looking for revenue anywhere and everywhere…