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US airlines are pushing to remove protections for passengers and add more fees

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Re: US airlines are pushing to remove protections for passengers and add more fees

#421

Post by rimunroe »

raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #360
hiroantag wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What an odd question...families travel all the time for vacations or to see grandma and grandpa for thanksgiving. You can't leave a kid at home.

Then pay the extra money to choose your seat like most adults do. Delta said in an earnings call for instance that less than 5% choose basic economy where you can’t choose your seat.

> Then pay the extra money to choose your seat like most adults do.

It's an additional expense which isn't a luxury for parents. You can't sit far from an infant for 6+ hours because they need close attention. Also, sometimes there aren't adjacent seats for you to choose. Nevertheless, gate agents are usually able to somehow make things work. I'm not sure how they do this on a packed flight though. I didn't notice anyone being called over the PA after a gate agent moved all three of our seats to a different row on our last packed flight.

Re: US airlines are pushing to remove protections for passengers and add more fees

#422

Post by cosmicgadget »

asah wrote: post #107
jghn wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd pay $99 so that the person in front of me *can't* recline their seat

I'd pay $99.01 so I can recline again... oh wait, I see where this is going...

I'd pay $99 to sit across the aisle from you two and giggle.

Re: US airlines are pushing to remove protections for passengers and add more fees

#423

Post by AtlanticThird »

hiroantag wrote: post #256
tveyben wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do kids have to fly…???

What an odd question...families travel all the time for vacations or to see grandma and grandpa for thanksgiving. You can't leave a kid at home.

He said had to, as in necessities. No one has to go on vacations, much less fly for them

Re: US airlines are pushing to remove protections for passengers and add more fees

#424

Post by rimunroe »

AtlanticThird wrote: post #420
rimunroe wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, just like other people need to. Families move. Families are spread out. Families go on vacation. We traveled so my only remaining grandparent could meet her great granddaughter before she dies, which could be any day now. Do you think we should make doing that harder just for slightly higher profits?

Hmmm didn't realize families had to go on vacation, and even more so they had to do it by flying I didn't do these things for economic reasons growing up, and I'm perfectly fine today

You're free to argue people shouldn't expect to be able to go on vacation once in a while or see family. However, not only do I think that's absurd but it doesn't address my other examples.

Re: US airlines are pushing to remove protections for passengers and add more fees

#425

Post by AlotOfReading »

raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #369
WorldMaker wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plus all the additional time wasted in planing/deplaning the cabin in general as you wait for 90%+ of passengers in rows ahead of you to grab roller bags from overhead bins. Including the time wasting bottlenecks of "overhead bins full, everyone else must now gate check" guaranteed to slow the last passengers from planing and then on deplaning the crowds stuck in the jet bridge waiting for gate checked bags. (Then th…

I have never had a gate checked bag where you don’t pick up your bag at baggage claim except for regional flights on small planes where even standard carry ons won’t fit in the overhead. And for the pedantic really small planes like Sansa in Costs Rica for their 30 minute flights between San Jose and other cities.

I've seen everything from gate-checks on the carousel to a special pickup counter to leaving the bag on the tarmac covered in ice, with standard commercial airframes. It depends on airline policy and available airport infrastructure.

Re: US airlines are pushing to remove protections for passengers and add more fees

#427

Post by bluGill »

ahmeneeroe-v2 wrote: post #322
doodaddy wrote: post #16

> Instead of the clear, itemized pricing system that passengers currently rely on, airlines could hide fees until later in the booking process… They call what we have now “clear”? Where when looking at a page of flights I don’t know how much the multitude of economy/economy+/economy++/premium economy/business/business++ seats will cost until I click on each flight? Where every carrier offers slightly different variat…

This is a pro level feature set. I don't think most flyers feel bilked that they can't do this. Absolute price sensitivity (meaning bottom line, not "cheapest business class") is the factor for most people and that is easy to see on any of the flight search engines.

For most perhaps, but I want to know what I'll really pay. I already know I'm going to check luggage (or not, but now that I have kids and am going for longer vacations checked bags is not something I'll do without), so I want to see the price with checked bags. Likewise I know I'm willing to pay for the legroom of economy plus (the rest of my family doesn't care, though my kids are soon hit their final growth and soon will). I've just added $1000 to my actually price, but all I see is the per person ticket price with no options...

There is a reason I took Amtrak last vacation. Too bad they doen't go do where my next vacation will be.

Re: US airlines are pushing to remove protections for passengers and add more fees

#428

Post by supertrope »

lumost wrote: post #89
doodaddy wrote: post #16

> Instead of the clear, itemized pricing system that passengers currently rely on, airlines could hide fees until later in the booking process… They call what we have now “clear”? Where when looking at a page of flights I don’t know how much the multitude of economy/economy+/economy++/premium economy/business/business++ seats will cost until I click on each flight? Where every carrier offers slightly different variat…

Not to mention the lack of standards on leg room/entertainment packages/food quality for any of the above combinations on any airline!

You can always buy an economy plus ticket.

Re: US airlines are pushing to remove protections for passengers and add more fees

#429

Post by ghaff »

matwood wrote: post #373
ghaff wrote: post #299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with all that. The food still isn't great. And the seat still isn't great for a red-eye relative to business. I wouldn't generally work on a plane anyway. I've been in PE--don't remember the circumstances--but as I recall didn't think it was anything special for the cost.

Your final point is exactly it. PE is better, but the cost difference is generally too high above EP. At that point I tend to just go BC. To your other points, at the end of the day, it's an airplane. And since I'm usually flying US airlines, even business class isn't that special outside of laying flat. I do fly back and forth to the EU enough though, that being able to work for 4ish hours is pretty useful.

>it's an airplane

Yeah. For me, $5K or whatever is still a decent amount and, even if you just put it in the vacation pile, that's a decent amount for meals and other experiences vs. being a bit more comfortable over a 10 hour (or whatever) flight.

Re: US airlines are pushing to remove protections for passengers and add more fees

#430

Post by mrguyorama »

terminalshort wrote: post #396
onlypassingthru wrote: post #363

It seems like the smart play here is a three step process: 1) Deregulate claiming that competition will lower costs 2) Further consolidate carriers so that there is even less competition 3) Profit! With the corporate buyout of government, it won't be long until we see the announcement for the new AmDelTed.

This has worked so far, though. Prices are down ~50% after inflation since the airlines were deregulated.

No, service is down 50% after inflation. Regulated tickets included things like sufficient leg room and snacks and luggage. Now all that costs extra.
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