Airline fees on the rise (again)

[NYDisneyKid]

http://news.travel.aol.com/2010/08/...om/2010/08/13/airline-fees-on-the-rise-again/

 

[DVC Grammy]

I try to use SWA if I can, partly because they offer competitive fares, but also due to their 2-bags-free policy.
I tend to take longer vacations, so using just a carry-on wouldn't work for me.

 

[twinklebug]

Southwest has been the airline of choice for my family for the past 6 years. I don't mind having the option of paying $10pp for EBCI (I do use it most of the time) and am glad we are still allowed 2 checked bags included with each of our tickets. I just hope they can keep the smiles and no-fee policy going.

Which major airline used to tout itself as "The Friendly Skies"? Bet they're not so friendly now.

 

[LilyWDW]

Here is the thing...

If they do away with fees, then prices are going to have to rise. All fees do is allow for the airline to keep ticket rates "low" and attractive to the customer who is looking for a low fare.

Don't think for a second that if they stopped charging you for checked luggage that you would never have to pay for it again. Instead, it would just be tacked on to the ticket's cost.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Here is the thing...

If they do away with fees, then prices are going to have to rise. All fees do is allow for the airline to keep ticket rates "low" and attractive to the customer who is looking for a low fare.

Don't think for a second that if they stopped charging you for checked luggage that you would never have to pay for it again. Instead, it would just be tacked on to the ticket's cost.

I'd actually prefer this. I hate when I get a price, then have to add in the taxes, then the fees. Just tell me what the price is at the beginning, with everything included.

 

[twinklebug]

I'd actually prefer this. I hate when I get a price, then have to add in the taxes, then the fees. Just tell me what the price is at the beginning, with everything included.

Buying airfare is getting to be more like buying car insurance isn't it. You never know what the total price is until it's time to pay. Next we'll have deductibles if that luggage we've paid for goes missing.

 

[LilyWDW]

I'd actually prefer this. I hate when I get a price, then have to add in the taxes, then the fees. Just tell me what the price is at the beginning, with everything included.

Oh, I agree 100%. My post was just a warning to people that even if there were not fees, they would find a way to increase revenue. That would mean increasing the cost of the ticket itself.

The current way makes it difficult to really compare prices because you have to try and remember all the different fees from the different carriers. I wish they would just raise the dang ticket prices and get on it.

 

[Brian Noble]

This article is trying to play it both ways:

Take the Peak-Travel Surcharge, for instance. Never heard of it? You may have already paid it. Holiday and summer fares are notoriously expensive, but they are even higher now that airlines such as American, Continental, Delta, United, and US Airways are adding between $10 (for mid-week summer flights) and $30 (for the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend) to each leg. Delta was even so bold as to add a $50 surcharge to one-way flights on the day after the Super Bowl. And unlike fees for baggage or blankets, these surcharges are folded into the fare, making them undetectable. "It has become extremely difficult for consumers to effectively compare prices and make informed choices when purchasing a fare," says Banas. "And airlines have been taking advantage of that fact, especially by not disclosing fees appropriately."

If it's folded into the fare, it's not a fee---it's just a higher fare. And, if consumers are comparing fares, then, well, they see the increased costs. Am I just missing something?

Edited: It gets better though:

So the moral is that profitability comes at a cost -- to the consumer.

Well, um, duh. Where else would profitability come from? The money fairy?

 

[DebbieB]

This part is misleading:

Southwest also does not charge an extra fee if you want to go standby, another trendy new add-on that airlines have started implementing. The legacy carriers now charge $50 if you want to take an earlier flight than you are scheduled for. American gives you the option to bypass the standby charge -- if you want to pay another fee instead. Their new Your Choice "boarding and flexibility" package, which costs between $9 and $19 and is available on some of their most popular routes, provides early boarding, free standby, and a $75 discount on flight changes.

In order to fly standby on Southwest, you have to upgrade your ticket to full fare (if you had a discount fare). That could be more than $50.

 

[Brian Noble]

The article also mentions that Southwest generated over $600M in fee revenue in 2009. That can't all be ECBI, can it? They only flew 86M passengers that year. Where else is it coming from?

 

[DebbieB]

The article also mentions that Southwest generated over $600M in fee revenue in 2009. That can't all be ECBI, can it? They only flew 86M passengers that year. Where else is it coming from?

Something doesn't sound right there. That's more than Continental and almost as much as United. EBCI only started in September 2009, that total is for all of 2009.