US Air To Charge For Coffee, Sodas

[+ Lucky]

Always wanting to be first in customer service, US Air will begin to charge for coffee and soft drinks. There does seem to be one way to avoid the charge: refuse to pay! In order to maintain order on a flight, the attendant has the discretion to give the product away for free.

 

Additionally, US Air will cut 12,000 jobs to help serve you better.

 

My feeling: why nickel and dime us? If you need more money, just raise the damn fare.

[JamesK840]

They also just ripped the in-flight entertainment systems out of their planes to save the weight. Cheapskates.

 

It's up to us: be willing, even eager to pay a couple dollars more to not be treated like cattle being herded into a transport trailer...

[Guest msclonly]

I had fly with USAir last month for a short flight.

Everything seemed to be for sale including a better seat!

I believe I got a low protein snack bar free instead of buying something with more carbos in it.

COAir can sure spoil you for your loyalty.

[Lankypeters]

Next: pay toilets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'd say that's a bit of an extreme reaction, now wouldn't you?" -- N.F. Bates

 

 

Lankypeters

[Guest bighugbearphx]

Southwest Airlines, which is US Air's direct competition in Phoenix and Las Vegas, debuted a couple of new TV spots right after US Air made their announcement, obviously poking fun at them.

 

One has a passenger in coach finding coin slots on overhead bins, the seat recline button, the windowshade, the tray table, etc. The other has a flight attendant explaining the fees for soft drinks, snacks, using a pillow or blanket, restrooms, and using the attendant call button. A voiceover asks "How far will they go?" and assures that Southwest doesn't change for anything that should be free.

 

Southwest has an advantage in the current market, since - besides being a very low overhead airline - they lucked out and have a locked-in price on fuel this year that is considerably below market rate. But they have been matching airfare increases on routes they fly, for the most part. And I wouldn't fly them ... no assigned seats, and their attendants have an attitude, IMO.

 

I had to schedule a last minute flight to NY from Phoenix last week. Only three airlines fly non-stop, US Air, Delta and JetBlue. NOBODY had any coach seats available for the either flight the day I had to leave, but had room in first class. So, I had to book first class for the first time in my life (I chose Delta, because US Air cancels a lot of flights on that route). As we were boarded first, and then watched the coach people shuffle down the aisle, I kept imagining they were going "Moooo" and being pushed along by an attendant with a cattle prod ...

[KMEM]

I don't know why everyone's expectations are so high. Riding a US airline today, except for the safety aspect, is like riding a Mexican bus or the stereotypical description of one. Real first class has been gone for a LONG time and cattle class is as above. The airlines have no business plan to deal with fuel prices at the current level and are just grasping at straws to increase their revenue. I agree with Lucky that instead of trying to nickle and dime the traveling public to death they should just raise the fares and get on with it but they are so afraid to lead; so they all just follow. I know everyone can't just follow but when one has the nerve to increase the price, if the others don't follow, watch how fast they retract.

 

If they were going to charge any thing for luggage and these kinds of things they should charge for carry on. That might free the cabin of all the stuff people carry on including, no doubt, the kitchen sink. But, they have no faith that the public can see some value in increased fares (with increased service) so they take the cowardly way out. They would be more cowardly than they are but they can see what the price of fuel is doing to them and they have no choice but to raise revenues any way they can. Unfortunately, as per usual, they don't understand how the public really perceives their attempts at hiding fees.

 

I hate fees and I do not miss any opportunity to tell my bank or anyone else charging them I disapprove. Same with the airlines.

 

Service, such as it is, will continue to degrade and there will be fewer airlines in existance, so less competition. At some point very likely the US government in trying to protect us from ourselves will re-regulate the industry. Instead they should just let them go out of business if they are not smart enough to please the public.

 

We won't go into the TSA and their total BS, will we?

 

Best regards,

KMEM

[Epigonos]

I recently found it necessary to change a flight I had scheduled on American Airlines. I just happened to make contact with a great telephone agent. She was knowledgeable, efficient, extremely pleasant and very informative. When I expressed the feeling that I would rather have air fares raised than be nickeled and dimed to death she had a great answer. She informed me that she and so many of her colleagues agreed with me that when the powers at be realized how they felt a special meeting was called. At the meeting it was explained that because in today’s airline ticket market so many tickets are sold on web sites like http://www.kayak.com where fares are presented from least expensive to most expensive airlines that wanted to remain competitive had to keep basic fares low so as to appear near the top of the list. To make up for maintaining the airfares as low as possible management had decided to make up the difference by charging for everything not nailed down. Actually this makes sense.

[pegasian]

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>Next: pay toilets.

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>"I'd say that's a bit of an extreme reaction, now

>wouldn't you?" -- N.F. Bates

>

>

>Lankypeters

 

 

AND DOLLAR/TOKEN SLOTS IF YOU ARE JOINING THE MILE-HIGH CLUB

 

 

:+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+ :+

[KMEM]

E-

 

Glad you found a pleasant and responsive agent. However, the story he or she mentioned is a copout. Fares, whether cheap or otherwise, being quoted on line are a logical extension of deregulation. Before the advent of everyday internet all the leading travel agents would find you the best price out there and even engage in "hidden city" ticketing, something all but impossible to do today with all the "security" measures. The airlines loved positive ID of all passengers at all times as a means of disallowing the use of perfectly legal tickets being used by perfectly legal "others", meaning your company could buy a ticket for an employee to go somewhere and then decide at the last minute who was actually going. Not possible today with the airlines jumping on the security bandwagon. The whole point being a noticeable amount of customers would react to being treated fairly as an adult and would be willing to pay for it, if any airline could provide such.

 

There is no free lunch. The same people who brag about SW mention how they were lucky enough or smart enough to buy advance fuel, but that will run out. They also mention in the same breath they will not or choose not to ride on SW because of this or that. Every service offered cost money and it must come from somewhere. The airlines continue to deny this and cut down by laying off employees, taking aircraft out of service, dropping service to certain cities,etc. instead of leading them into doing better. I am all for reducing waste but there is a limit while still maintaining a viable airline. Many have or will exceed this limit. We are not through with airlines bleeding red ink just like we are not through with the housing industry, banking and others bleeding red ink.

 

So many problems, so much can be done but so little is being done.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

[+ glutes]

Anton, you are right on the mark.

Cash in your frequent flier miles now folks, they may become worthless (or worth less) in the future.

[Guest msclonly]

Lavatory use!

 

I had four quarters ready, just in case the need came up

.

Fortunately, it was a short flight and I didn't to need use them.

 

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