Oh, airline travel. You used to be so cool. Flights were affordable, on-time, and featured amenities like meals, blankets, and a selection of current magazines and newspapers. Now, despite rising fares, fliers are lucky to get a bag of pretzels to munch on and a SkyMall catalog to read, and when it comes to making connecting flights and getting reunited with luggage, it's a crapshoot. What happened?
A recent AP item reports that as airline satisfaction rates have declined, customers have begun to push back, demanding improved service to justify the wave of extra fees for things that were once included in the ticket price. Airlines are responding with new initiatives to improve punctuality and baggage handling, as well as upgrades for business and first class passengers.
Is Southwest Airlines flying planes anymore or has everybody working there been transferred to the "No Fees" advertising department?
Here's the latest in-airport ad Southwest is bragging about. Kinda funny, yes, but rue the day that the carrier starts charging extra for anything. We're envisioning a passenger backlash fee!
If there was any doubt Southwest was your savior when it comes to airline fees, the carrier has started using Handel's Hallelujah chorus in its "No Hidden Fees" ad campaign. (You can even download the track as a ringtone!)
Along with a couple TV ads and a chart showing all the things Southwest gives out for free, there's also a word search game on the airline's "No Hidden Fees" microsite, featuring terms like "One checked bag" and "Pillow."
The only problem with all this is that now Southwest will never be able to charge a fee for anything--lest the airline look like a pharisee!
Struggling carrier Midwest Airlines has sealed a deal for $60 million in new financing, and has inked another bargain to add 12 regional jets to its fleet, while trimming its 717 holdings. The carrier has already secured $40 million of the promised money--needed for paying off debts to airports, among other things--and it also got a $15 million loan from Republic Airways, the company Midwest has hired to operate those dozen regional jets.
The outsourcing of the Midwest Connect service starts on October 1, which means another couple hundred employees will be furloughed--on top of the 1,200 jobs already cut this summer. The airline says that's to train its people on the new Embraer 170s that Republic flies; the Midwest pilots' union has its doubts:
Management [has] restated its continued intent to wring drastic, draconian concessions from our pilots, holding our very jobs hostage as part of its deal with Republic.
But the airline simply doesn't need as many pilots working because it's also renegotiated a lease with Boeing. Midwest will return 16 of its 25 717s to their manufacturer. That means just nine planes will be kitted out with the new seats announced in August.
Oh, and one last thing: Midwest will start charging $15 for your first checked bag on flights October 21 and later.
Turns out United doesn't have the heart to charge passengers for food on transatlantic flights. The carrier, which was planning to start asking for $9 a sandwich next month on a limited number of flights, recanted on its plan in an "open letter" sent to customers:
Thank you for your direct, candid feedback on the test we had planned to launch in the fourth quarter for food choices on some of our flights. We heard you and have decided not to move forward with the test of offering customers buy-on-board options in United Economy on certain trans-Atlantic flights. We will continue to offer complimentary hot meals on those flights.
So score one for the pro-consumer crowd--and the aviation blogs that made a racket when United first announced the new charges. Now we can look forward to more free pasta like this!
It's now the day after Labor Day, which means flights are set to get more expensive and harder to find. Right? Pretty much.
The Boston Herald recently reported that yep, things are about to get wrose. This year alone, fares from major cities have risen about 16 percent and fares between smaller cities have risen by almost 37 percent, says industry watcher Rick Seaney. Even Southwest, which continues to turn a profit, is trimming flights. It recently announced that it would cut approximately 200 flights by early next year.
As the industry moves into the fall, analysts predict much of the same, as the airlines will begin to see what they can get away with and how much the market will allow for fare increases. Expect even fewer freebies, and more fees for what used to be included in your ticket. For now, the best way for consumers to beat this trend is to book as early as possible and jump on good fares when they fit your schedule.
Midwest Airlines, once the classiest coach ride out there, will add 11 new seats to its remaining planes by October 21, a move that will no doubt result in middle seat armrest battles at the back of the carrier's 717s.
Along with the added seats comes a fee for the good ones, a move other struggling airlines have already instituted. But it's not as bad as it sounds, says the Midwest spin machine:
40 wide, two-across Signature seats will feature even more legroom than today and will be complemented by 59 newly designed Recaro Saver seats, uniquely engineered to provide maximum space between your knees and the row in front....
Travelers paying higher-value refundable fares will be assigned a Signature seat, if available, at no additional charge. Or, find the lowest available fare and secure your Signature seat for a modest fee at time of booking.
At least other airlines admit they're hiking fees. But it seems Frontier will slip a travel insurance charge onto your ticket unless you deliberately opt out of it. Travel troubleshooter Chris Elliott has the scoop:
After finishing [a] transaction, [customer Angela Gross] discovered she had also signed up for a $10.95 insurance policy. How did that happen? A small box at the bottom of the booking screen was pre-checked, indicating she also wanted to buy the policy.
Seems pretty slimy, which is why we weren't surprised to find out that Spirit has been known to do something similar. Check those check boxes before booking, people!
