Jaunted

Airlines

We Wuz Robbed

March 23, 2006 at 2:34 PM | 0 Comments

Will passengers swallow Northwest's new $15 surcharge for aisle seats and exit rows? Northwest claims in the Washington Post that the early response is better than expected, though they wouldn't provide the numbers to back it up. Plus, the fees have already spawned a workaround by some business travelers: book the seat next to a premium one, and then move on in if it's unoccupied. We've always said that business travelers are a lot like hermit crabs.

By making premium seating available to everyone (for a price) instead of letting frequent fliers get first dibs, Northwest's move may also be the death knell for elite status programs. Joe Sharkey--himself recently demoted to near-plebian gold status on Continental--asserts that as the perks get scarcer, customer loyalty is going out the window. Although that too may be harder to accomplish without a seat in the exit row.

United, meanwhile, thinks there's still money to be made in the Economy Plus concept. Unlike Northwest, which is charging for what used to be free, United asks for an additional $25-$99 per flight to move fliers to the premium economy section of the airplane, which has extra legroom. An upgrade to Economy Plus is free for the ever dwindling numbers of elites and passengers who bought a full-fare coach ticket. The program makes more money than if they had put the extra seating back in, as American did recently.

Economy Plus, though...isn't that like a benevolent dictatorship?

[Image via darkavatar/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   Northwest's Prime Seats Sell [WaPo]
·   Still Loyal to Your Airline? [NY Times]
·   United Pushes to Upgrade Service [WSJ, scrip req'd]
·   United, NWA, & JetBlue [Jaunted]