US Airways trying bold experiment of breaking the last straw
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Food, Travel, Recession
Just when will fliers rebel against all the cost-cutting at the airlines? Probably never. We will just keep taking the charges in stride. If anything is going to make us stop flying, it is that costs are going up and people just don't have the money to travel as much these days.
Today's news about Northwest adding up to an $80 surcharge on flights is bad news, but has become pretty typical these days. The bigger headline may be what US Airways is trying to do, as reported by the New York Times: charge for coffee and other beverages. The hidden lead here is that the fee was originally announced June 12 and did not cause too much of a fuss, even though it marks the first time a major airline has stooped to these cost-cutting depths. It is only surfacing now because the union that represents flight attendants is complaining about it.
Even the company seems a little skeptical that they'll be able to pull it off. Officials are apparently telling flight attendants that they can be liberal in applying the new charges, meaning that if anyone complains, they can just placate them with a free drink.
I can imagine how those conversations will go:
Flight attendant: Would you like a drink? That will be $2.
Passenger: What, are you kidding?
Flight attendant: Nevermind, here it is.
And so on down the row. And just wait until one guy doesn't get the message and figures out that he paid for his lousy cup of coffee and other people got theirs for free just by asking.
What US Airways may be calculating wrong, however, is that they may not make much profit from this angle. They should negotiate now for a bigger cut of the airport concessions business, because more people will be buying drinks along with their food now -- especially since security measures still prevent people from bringing in their own beverages.
I suspect they aren't really trying to make a fast buck with this deal anyway, but rather they are trying to cut back on fuel charges by carrying fewer beverages. I was on a flight recently and asked for a little water to drink (I was very pregnant at the time and was running late and had no time to purchase or refill a water bottle on my way there). And the answer was a curt no. They didn't have drinking water aboard the aircraft. None. Not tap or bottled or anything.
So if you are worried about the next cutback, I would worry most about flush toilets.
Today's news about Northwest adding up to an $80 surcharge on flights is bad news, but has become pretty typical these days. The bigger headline may be what US Airways is trying to do, as reported by the New York Times: charge for coffee and other beverages. The hidden lead here is that the fee was originally announced June 12 and did not cause too much of a fuss, even though it marks the first time a major airline has stooped to these cost-cutting depths. It is only surfacing now because the union that represents flight attendants is complaining about it.
Even the company seems a little skeptical that they'll be able to pull it off. Officials are apparently telling flight attendants that they can be liberal in applying the new charges, meaning that if anyone complains, they can just placate them with a free drink.
I can imagine how those conversations will go:
Passenger: What, are you kidding?
Flight attendant: Nevermind, here it is.
And so on down the row. And just wait until one guy doesn't get the message and figures out that he paid for his lousy cup of coffee and other people got theirs for free just by asking.
What US Airways may be calculating wrong, however, is that they may not make much profit from this angle. They should negotiate now for a bigger cut of the airport concessions business, because more people will be buying drinks along with their food now -- especially since security measures still prevent people from bringing in their own beverages.
I suspect they aren't really trying to make a fast buck with this deal anyway, but rather they are trying to cut back on fuel charges by carrying fewer beverages. I was on a flight recently and asked for a little water to drink (I was very pregnant at the time and was running late and had no time to purchase or refill a water bottle on my way there). And the answer was a curt no. They didn't have drinking water aboard the aircraft. None. Not tap or bottled or anything.
So if you are worried about the next cutback, I would worry most about flush toilets.
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Reader Comments (Page 5 of 5)
8-04-2008 @ 8:42AM
lauren said...
I have to say, though, that not providing at least water is a health issue. We all know that from sitting for hours and not drinking enough water can lead to deep vein thrombosis. Just wait till the airlines get sued from not providing water for someone who gets this. "documented from the American heart association: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3010041 "
If i am at a movie theater, i can at least still get up and go to the water fountain for free water. That's the least they can provide!
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8-04-2008 @ 9:34AM
Vicki said...
I had the pleasure of flying US Arirways Friday which was the very first day this "pay for your beverage" took place. My daughter warned me hours before the flight that she heard this on the news. Obviously most of the pasengers didn't know anything about it until they were on the plane and were notified it would cost $1 for a cup of coffee, $2 for a can of pop and $7, yes I said $7 for a can of beer or a teeny bottle of alcohol. Needless to say, this didn't go over well and I spent the next half hour listening to complaint after complaint. Make your money elsewhere US Airways! This is insane.
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8-04-2008 @ 11:15AM
helaurin said...
Another reason you can't compare movies-concession to airline-concessions: You can step out of a movie to get to a free water fountain, although you might miss a minute or two of the movie. Try stepping out of an airplane to get some potable water - but watch out, that first step can be pretty big.
That said, I understand why airlines have to charge more given the recent onslaught of rising prices. Don't forget, there are plenty of people who bought their tickets months ago before fuel got as expensive as it is now. So rather than doubling the cost of tickets for people purchasing closer to the flight, they are charging based on services used.
I don't agree with charging for basic water; if there was a way for them to install something essentially like a water cooler, similar to that found in offices, I think the per ounce price for that water should be a lot less than water bottled for individual use and that should be free in general, but water should be made available for free if a flight is held or delayed for a significant length of time. Ten minutes isn't significant;on the other hand, if you are expecting to be on a flight for two hours, and find yourself stuck on the plane and delayed for an hour, most folks might appreciate even a cup of water.
I may not like them charging for snacks, soda and alcoholic beverages, but I can understand it given the relatively meteoric rise in the costs of doing business.
I also don't feel it should be taken out on the flight attendants; as someone else pointed out, they didn't have a voice in this decision.
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8-04-2008 @ 11:29AM
GARY said...
LETS SEE, THE STEEL INDUSTRY,COAL,AUTO,TEXTILE AND NOW THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY. HOW IS THE COUNTRY DOING? LET US ASK ALL THE CEOs AND ALL OF THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS , IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE STILL LIVING VERY COMFORTABLE.
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8-04-2008 @ 2:33PM
Fred said...
Try flying todays airlines when you remember the days when people dressed for a flight, free meals and drinks, fit stewardesses, clean planes and no gestapo acting TSA agents. Today the airlines are buses in the sky. You have armrest prints on your thighs from tiny seats. People dress like they are going to the beach, nothing is free and the staff including some stewardesses are way overweight. Recenlty on a flight on US Air the stewardess weighed at least 250 lbs.(a conservative guess) The very same day US Air announched in order to save fuel it was getting rid of their entertainment centers on flights because they weighed 500 lbs. Where is the logic?? Airlines should be increasing fares and keep everything else status quo. The extra bag charge is hurting other industries such as the cruise industry. Who is going to fly to LA to catch a cruise ship for a 7 or l0 day trip if they have to pack 2 or 3 suitcases for the trip and be subjected to the extra bag charge. I for one will either stay at home, find the nearest port and drive or take a train. No wonder the Airline travel travel is down at airports, Why wouldn't it be.
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8-06-2008 @ 11:21AM
George said...
IT USED TO BE FUN TO FLY. You could stand in the airport and see well dressed people with manners going on a flight as though it were a vacation. The fares, drinks, and meals were actually pretty good. A lot of people you could see were either going to meet someone to make love, or they were returning from seeing someone where they made love. AND- only the people who counted in business made the flights to go to those business meetings, most of those were in first class.
Now we have a group of rabble climbing over one another in their work-in-the-garden-clothes to get on a cattle car plane. You need a vacation after you fly, and the hostesses and hosts are beat up on a continuing basis. The food is non-existent or at movie theatre prices. The people now bring the results of their love making on board and do not keep them under control, as though it is now the duty of the flight attendant and other passengers. AND- now every minor strap hanger in a business or government that is trying to boost his/her air miles goes to those business meetings. I go to these quarterly government meetings and watch 400 people at a meeting requiring 20 and think of the fact it is costing the taxpayers over a million dollars to give these people a place to sleep away from home for a few days. It could all be done by e-mail or secure video.
And the airline executives are just milking what they can get for their off shore fund. They don't care about the people or employees. I don't know of anyone worth the salaries they get.
So many losers in the air now, too bad we can't run businesses or govern ourselves anymore. Well, I am sure there are plenty of nations out there who will be glad to do it after we destroy the rest of our lives and institutions as we have done with the airlines. And congress is worried about your next vote, not fixing anything-they need the benefits and retirement they can vote themselves to be paid for by the cattle. IT USED TO BE FUN TO FLY!!
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