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How Much is Seven Extra Inches of Legroom on Continental Worth to You?
The money streaming in from baggage fees is spoiling the airlines rotten. So while millions upon millions of fresh greenbacks come over the check-in counter as passengers get caught by the new fees, the airlines continue to look for more ways to make an extra buck. And although Continental is keeping their free meals in economy for now, they will be charging additional now for something they never have before: seats with more legroom.
It's a very low-cost-carrier move, one that airlines like Jetblue and Virgin America can get away with, but Continental? Times—they are a-changing! Or they will be beginning on March 17 when Continental offers up unreserved coach seats with more legroom with more cash at check-in. A quick visit to SeatGuru.com should tip you off as to which seats will get the $$ treatment or not (hint: definitely the ones highlighted in green), and in some cases, we're talking up to seven extra inches of legroom.
The premium coach seats—since that's what they really are—will go on sale as upgrades 24 hours before the flight, available if you check-in on Continental.com or at the airport, based on availability. Price will be determined by flight length, of course.
Related Stories:
· Continental Airlines to Sell Seat Assignments [ATTips]
· Continental Airlines News [Jaunted]
· Airline News [Jaunted]
[Images: SeatGuru]
Tags: Checked Baggage Fees / Airline Fees / Baggage Fees / Virgin America / → All Tags
Virgin America Quietly Raises Checked Bag Fee To $25
Almost exactly one month to the day that United and US AIrways matched the checked baggage fee hike already done by Delta and Continental, Virgin America has raised their checked bag fee from $20 to $25.
Every day that passes without a baggage fee hike is a good day, and this was not a great way to start off the week. On the other hand, Virgin America still has a better deal going with their luggage than the other airlines mentioned, since those legacy carriers charge even more for every bag after the first one, and weight limit is 50 lbs. Virgin American however is sticking with the $25 for each checked bag, not just the first, and with a weight limit of 70 pounds.
The big hold-outs in the checked baggage fee game are still Southwest and Jetblue, and we know for sure that at least Southwest is in the no-fee game for the long haul.
Related Stories:
· Bag Fee Alert: Virgin American Raises Bag Fees from $20 to $25 [Rick Seaney/FareCompare]
· United Airlines and US Airways Happily Match Checked Bag Fee Hike to $25 [Jaunted]
· Checked Baggage Fee coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Payton Chung]
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American Eliminates Standby, Unveils Shiny New Mandatory $50 Change Fee
It was a good idea by American Airlines to drop a bunch of new fees all in one week. There's no reason to extend the frustrated coverage, which is what stretching out the announcements would have done. It's just the airlines' bad luck that the week they chose ended up being one where half the country is functionally shut down, leaving us with little to do but detail each and every one of their new charges. On Monday it was $8 blankets. Now let us introduce you to the $50 standby fee.
To be totally technical it's not so much a standby fee as much as it is the elimination of a standby option. It used to be the case that, having bought a coach seat and missed your flight, you could hang out next to the gate hoping for a flight with open seats. We always thought that was a bad idea - better to just pay the change fee and get a confirmed middle seat on what was gauranteed to be a miserable flight - but apparently some people were exploiting the "free loophole."
Tags: Airline Fees / American Airlines / Onboard Services / Airline News / → All Tags
So It's Come To This: American Charging $8 For Blankets
Earlier this morning, American Airlines announced that they're going to start charging $8 per blanket on any domestic flight over two hours. Ditto for any flight to Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. On domestic flights lasting two hours or less, blankets will be totally eliminated. Under the new policy passengers on those flights will be warmed by sunbeams, glitter, and the glowing thoughts of puppy kisses. Awww, puppy kisses!
Actually we kind of appreciate this change. It was only a matter of time before the very idea of mere comfort became just another opaque airline fee. In the past that's only been an implicit part of civilian aviation. The conceit has always been that coach provides a basic and decent level of comfort, and that higher booking classes are extra luxury. Now that we're tacking on $8 fees for rolls of lint that do little except provide opportunities for gross in-flight behavior—well, at least they're being honest.
Tags: Checked Baggage Fees / Delta / JetBlue / Baggage Fees / Southwest Airlines / US Airways / United / Continental / Airline Fees / → All Tags
Kayaks, Surfboards, and Antlers: How to Check 'Special Item' Luggage
Honestly we have enough trouble dealing with checking just one piece of luggage, so it’s difficult for us to imagine dealing with anything unique at the check-in counter. Surprisingly, airlines are pretty welcoming when it comes to your oversized bags, sports equipment, musical instruments, and anything else you might need to bring with you. However, it’s going to cost you a few extra bucks.
If you’ve got a big track and field meet coming up or just want to bring a nice present to Bruce Jenner, no need to worry about bringing your javelin on the airplane—it’s totally cool. It will need to be checked—no carrying it on please—and if you’re flying on Continental Airlines it will cost you the same as any other checked bag. American Airlines isn’t as friendly to javelin throwers, and they’ll charge $100 in addition to their usual checked bag fees. Vaulting poles aren’t allowed on American, but United will take up to two poles in a case for $175—at that point it might be worth just driving.
Tags: Bad Ideas / Ryanair / Airline Fees / Airline News / Airlines / In-Flight Comfort / → All Tags
The Ryanair Pay-to-Pee Scheme Is Totally Happening
We are due to fly the on low-cost, much-hated European carrier Ryanair in just over 48 hours, and already we're freaking out about if our carry-on bags are small enough to avoid extra fees. But now we're worried about even more than that! Ryanair has reaffirmed their commitment to making the dreaded in-flight "Pee Fee" happen.
At first, the announcement of charging 1 Euro per airplane bathroom visit was a publicity stunt, but when Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary gets a money-making scheme in his head...you know it's not a joke. Ryanair is reportedly looking to install pay toilets on flights under one hour, which would affect most UK-Ireland routes and the occasional other European short hop. Luckily our flight comes in at just over an hour, so we'd not have to deal with keeping a Euro coin handy just in case, but still.
It gets worse, after the jump.
Tags: Baggage Fees / Checked Baggage Fees / US Airways / Airline Fees / United / → All Tags
United Airlines and US Airways Happily Match Checked Bag Fee Hike to $25
WHEN WILL IT STOP?! Probably never, and that's our final answer.
This week's big airline news has been the abrupt increase in fees for your first checked bag, going from $20 to $25 on two airlines; first went Delta, then Continental, and now we add a third and fourth airline—United and US Airways. American is the last legacy carrier holding out and of course it probably won't take long for them because once there's blood in the water...
The United announcement was made late on Wednesday, and it took affect yesterday, with United charging $25 to check one bag at the airport and $35 for a second bag on flights within the United States, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Canada. You can shave off a few measly dollars by checking it online and doing the airport bag drop for $23 for the first bag, and $32 for a second. What a rotten deal.
Now that we've been seeing these fees creep up over the last six months or so, we're no longer taken by surprise, but we can't say the same for leisure travelers and those who roll up to the airport with their bags, thinking that nothing has changed. These are the folks who will be hardest hit by the baggage fees, and who will be the most frustrated with check-in agents, so avoid waiting in line behind someone with lots of baggage of check, who maybe is also wearing Juicy Couture sweatpants.
Tags: Checked Baggage Fees / Airline Hell / Airline Fees / Baggage Fees / Travel Rants / Continental / → All Tags
Continental is Also Charging $25 for the First Checked Bag
We knew it was on the horizon but we didn't think it would happen this fast. But alas, it has. The grinchy folks at Continental have announced today that they have matched Delta's checked baggage fee increase to $25 for the first checked bag.
The complete details are here. It looks like there is no fee for the first checked bags on your international flights, but second bags will be charged $50. And while it does cost less to check-in online, it's a laughable difference—$23 versus $25. Usually, it's $5 less to check-in online. Sigh.
Get ready for some ranting now.
Tags: Ryanair / Airline Fees / Airline News / Britain Travel / Airlines / → All Tags
Ryanair Kicks Off 2010 By Taking On UK Consumer Rights Agency
Refusing to sit on the laurels of their solid 2009 finish, where they were dubbed the worst family brand, Irish LCC Ryanair is starting 2010 with a flourish. Less than a week into the new year, the airline is already in a tiff with the UK's Office of Fair Trading, which had the audacity to complain about the airline's brazen abuse of consumer protection regulations.
Ryanair more or less charges £5 per person—that's per ticket, not per order—on every online booking. Some people might say "hey, if there is a universal £5 charge on every ticket, that's not a fee as much as it is a ticket that costs £5 over the listed price." And that would be true, except Ryanair has until now allowed customers to avoid the fee if they booked with the no-one's-ever-heard-of-it Visa Electron card. That way they could dodge UK regulations on ticket pricing—in theory anyone could avoid the fee—while still reaping the extra few pounds from the vast majority of customers.
Tags: Baggage Fees / Checked Baggage Fees / Airline Fees / Delta / → All Tags
Delta Now Demands $25 For Your First Checked Bag
We dubbed it "Biggest Travel Media Story of 2009" and it looks like the issue is here to stay: airline baggage fees. Making an attempt to follow the different levels of extra charges at each airline is futile, the fees change so often while new ones are added. But luckily, the brilliant folks at SmarterTravel have given it their best go with an ultimate guide to such fees.
As one of the biggest proponents of doing away with baggage fees altogether, even if it won't happen now that airlines have tested the fresh money, we are heartbroken yet again to hear that the fees are going up!
Will the extra fee madness ever end?!
Tags: Airlines / Airline News / KLM / Airline Fees / → All Tags
KLM Launches 'Economy Comfort' Class On Flights
Dutch airline KLM is launching a new class of seats, following British Airways in making a kind of "coach-plus" option available to passengers. With British Airways the class is "World Traveler Plus," buying customers no pre-boarding perks but scoring them nicer seats and a little extra attention. It sounds like KLM's new Economy Comfort zone will basically be the same, albeit with a bunch of complicated upgrade conditions at various rewards levels. Here are a few more details about the seats:
A seat in the new Economy Comfort zone offers passengers up to 10 cm more legroom and allows them to recline twice as far as a standard seat. Economy Comfort passengers will also be able to disembark first, because the zone is in the front section of the Economy Class cabin. The service and meals in Economy Comfort are the same as those in Economy Class... This new alternative reflects KLM’s pledge to fulfil the changing needs of its customers, one of which was the call for more comfort options in Economy Class
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LuggageLimits.com Untangles The Absurd Web Of Baggage Fees
Even by the airline industry's new "charge for everything as many times as you can" standard, checked baggage fees are still absurdly complicated and expensive. Things have gotten to the point where airlines like United are letting passengers pay hundreds of dollars before they fly so they don't have to pay hundred of dollars when they fly, as if that makes sense. That's in between dozens of upgrades and conditions and levels that all affect fees in different tangled ways. Passengers today can be excused, then, for not having the first clue what's going on with luggage—something that new website LuggageLimits.com is set to change.
The ambitious new site is built around a central database that picks out what you can expect by matching your airline with your departure and arrival airports. Once you choose your airline, a bunch of general information gets displayed, both as a broad description and in boxes with specific information. At the top there's a drop-down box where for setting airline-specific ticket class, which reflects the idiosyncratic options of each company.
