Airlines May Start Charging for Other Things.

[Corey123]

Did anyone hear about this one?

The airlines are looking to cut out more stuff that used to be for free and are contemplating charging for your first piece of checked baggage!

USAirways is planning to get rid of free snacks in coach class, but it will leave it as is in first and business class.

Delta, United, Northwest and Continental are all planning to raise the cost of airfares and may also start charging passengers for the first piece of checked baggage.

This all stems for the high cost of jet fuel. United is contemplating more pay cuts, job cuts, befefit cuts and outsourcing.

But on the other hand, Southwest is contemplating service to and from Boston.

 

[LadyCook61]

I saw it on the news. It doesn't bother me, I don't go anywhere.

 

[Corey123]

Neither do I.

It's not that I'm afraid to fly. I've done it for years. I'm just tired of the nonsense that the gov't forces you to go through at the airports.

And now this farce with the airlines themselves. It's a joke!!

 

[GB]

What is the joke Corey? And what is the nonsense the govt forces you to go through?

 

[Corey123]

What is the joke Corey? And what is the nonsense the gov't forces you to go through?

The joke is the stuff everyone is forced to go through on the flights.

How about stuff being taken away that for years, used to be for free, being charged for every little thing, your child being kicked off a plane for saying bye-bye to another plane that he sees leaving, being forced to sit in the bathroom because the flight attendant doesn't like his or her jumpseat, not liking the lousy service on the flight and then being accused of creating a disturbance?

The nonsense is the stuff people are forced to go through at the terminals.

How about your shoes having to be removed, being seached two or more times, being searched at the gate room, being stopped from taking certain liquids on the flights for fear that they may be a liquid nytrogen for a bomb, being treated as though you're a terrorist, when on 09-11, the terrorists walked onto those four planes with weapons as though they were walking onto an elevator?

 

[GB]

T
How about your shoes having to be removed, being seached two or more times, being searched at the gate room, being stopped from taking certain liquids on the flights for fear that they may be a liquid nytrogen for a bomb, being treated as though you're a terrorist, when on 09-11, the terrorists walked onto those four planes with weapons as though they were walking onto an elevator?

Do you not remember the shoe bomber??? Is it really that much to ask to remove your shoes to ensure that someone does not have a bomb? That is a joke to you?

I will happily be searched two or more times to ensure I am safe. I do not consider that a joke at all.

 

[Corey123]

Yes, I rember Richard Reid. Who can forget him?

It's just so crazy that every time it is learned that an attempt has been made to bring down or hijack an airliner, that that failed attempt is suspected with innocent people. And the traveling public is forced to put up with even harder scrutinizing.

I realise that precautions must be taken to ward off possible attempts of terrorism, but I think sometimes that they go to the extremes. Like friends always tell me, it's a false sense of security.

Even with all this high-tech stuff in place and all of their dilligent thinking to nab any possible terrorists, top analysts STILL say that it won't stop a terrorist from getting aboard an airliner.

Even the pilots themselves at one time or another have been known to attempt to fly an airliner while intoxicated.

 

[expatgirl]

oh, goodness,,,,, as long as you guys put up with this nonsense, the more the American airlines are going to nickle and dime you.---it's embarrassing....just let them raise the prices and be done with it........

 

[Dave Hutchins]

When flying with the Air Force I felt real lucky to git a potty break let alone a box lunch
or a bag of peanuts. If you wanted any thing to eat you had better pack it your self
and I traveled all over the pacific.and most of the west coast from California to far north Alaska. I think a lot of folks have the gimmy attitude that just becauce they purchased a ticket they were deservings a lot of free give aways. When the truth of the matter is they purchased a ride from point a to point b. Think about it when you bought your ticket did it say free snaks or a meal, or free booze, not even in the very fine print did they say this. I think it is time that every body wake up there is no such thing as a free lunch

 

[Corey123]

Pretty soon, if they can do it, they'll find a way to take out the seats and make you fly standing up!

 

[Dave Hutchins]

mayby take out the seats almost but no cigar. May put in compacters to push us all real close and hopefully real lovie of our situation

 

[redkitty]

I don't care how much security I have to go through to fly. If they start charging for baggage, so what. If you want to fly then you pay. The cost of oil isn't going down and we are going to continue seeing these changes everywhere we look. You just get on with it, such as life.

 

[Corey123]

I won't pay for a checked bag because I'm not flying.

At least not until they relax some of that stuff at the terminals.

 

[GB]

That stuff is there for your protection or to keep the airline afloat Corey. If they do not have the security measures in place then you will die in a fireball falling from the sky. If they do not charge more then they will go bankrupt and this country will grind to a standstill. If you think things are bad now then just wait until air traffic stops. You will be begging to pay double if that ever happens.

Airlines are companies Corey. Why do you not think they should charge what they need to keep their company going? Have you seen how much fuel it takes to fly a plane? You think it is expensive to fill your car? Think of that plane.

 

[AmericaWestCMH]

If they do not have the security measures in place then you will die in a fireball falling from the sky.

Those 'security measures' look good on paper, but the execution is laughable at best.

If they do not charge more then they will go bankrupt and this country will grind to a standstill.

These baggage fees aren't about survival, it's beating around the bush to pillage a few extra bucks from leisure travelers who would balk if their $99 ticket to Disneyland went up $10.

Airlines make their money in the premium cabins and from cargo, cattle class is usually just gravy. Notice how these baggage fees don't apply to first/business class pax, full-fare economy, or anyone with status in their FF program.

 

[Corey123]

That stuff is there for your protection or to keep the airline afloat Corey. If they do not have the security measures in place then you will die in a fireball falling from the sky. If they do not charge more then they will go bankrupt and this country will grind to a standstill. If you think things are bad now then just wait until air traffic stops. You will be begging to pay double if that ever happens.

Airlines are companies Corey. Why do you not think they should charge what they need to keep their company going? Have you seen how much fuel it takes to fly a plane? You think it is expensive to fill your car? Think of that plane.

But that's the cost of doing business.

It was 09-11 that put them in the red, then along came Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that put them in even deeper turmoil (Katrina destroyed some of the oil rigs out at sea). And even today, the American carriers are still having rippling affects.

I lost my job at United because they wanted to make some cuts. The smaller airlines seem to be surviving, but even some of them bit the dust because of rising fuel costs.

And if at some point in time, I have to fly somewhere, trust me, I'll look for the lowest possible airfare.

But right now, I don't care about flying.

I still haave fying benefits with United Airlines until 2010 but who wants to fly on standby these days with the planes being so packed that it necessitates being stuck at an airport all day?

As far as security goes, I'm not complaing about the metal detectors. They were always there. It's that extra added stuff that's so time-consuming and aggravating! Security practically follows you around the terminal until you get on the plane - and even then, they might just decide to be even more scrutinizing and pull you off the plane just to check you again!

Someday, I'll fly again, but not at the present time.

 

[GB]

While they may not be executing the security measures as well as they could (no argument there), would you rather they got rid of them? Yes they are pretty pitiful when you come right down to it, but it is absolutely better than nothing. Plenty of others scary things have been stopped before they happened because of those laughable measures. You can fly on the airline without the security checks. I will happily wait an extra 2 hours and stand on 20 lines to go through 20 checkpoints for any added measure of security it gets me. i find it a very small price to pay personally.

As for the extra charges, have you been paying attention to fuel prices? Do you think it only applies to cars? People complain that prices are raised and that they are charging where they don't need to, but when the airline only raises prices for a certain segment then people complain that they are just doing it to make money. The other way to look at it is that they are raising prices the minimum amount possible and giving the added benefit to the customers who fly with them the most or who buy the more expensive tickets.

Have you seen all the airlines declaring bankruptcy? Do you think they would be doing that if they were making the profits you seem to think they are?

Airlines are a business. Why should they not be allowed to make a profit?

 

[GB]

As far as security goes, I'm not complaing about the metal detectors. They were always there. It's that extra added stuff that's so time-consuming and aggravating! Security practically follows you around the terminal until you get on the plane - and even then, they might just decide to be even more scrutinizing and pull you off the plane just to check you again!

And this is bad why? Would you rather they just let everyone on the plane who passes the metal detector? You don't want to be inconvenienced? Would you rather breezy through security and have the terrorists or other crazy people do the same just to save you 30 minutes?

 

[expatgirl]

ok, that is another fallout of downsizing.....cutting back on services......the flight out of Germany was unbelievable a month ago.....this is international Lufthansa by the way........two attendants for 20 rows of First Class and Business and the ticket prices are about doubled so no complaints and 2 attendants for the next 1000 rows of Economy. Unbelievable.....used to be 4 for that number of rows.......not anymore.......this is why I always try and get a seat up front if I don't want to eat my fellow passenger.....as a rule the airlines serve the front first....from what I understand the attendants and pilots and ground support staff of most airlines have had to take salary cuts just to stay employed......how they maintain their composure and still render competent service is beyond me

 

[Corey123]

GB;

Being checked at the metal detector should be sufficient enough, I think.

Once you've passed that area, you should be left alone, because there really isn't anything else suspisious that you can take with you onto a plane.

Anything else that would otherwise be refered to as contraband has been checked there at the security checkpoint. What else dangerous could anyone pick up that is not availible to them in the stores there?

And BTW, terrorists more than likely won't ever try another 09-11-style attack because they know that the gov't is on to any new attempts to hijack a plane in the air.