The First Sign of the Apocalypse
American Airlines has announced this morning that it will begin charging for the first checked bag. American, the last carrier to jump on the bandwagon of charging for the second bag, has opted to be the first legacy carrier to charge for the first.
American will not only be charging $15 for the first checked bag, but it is to cut domestic flights by 11 to 12 percent, and raise fees for things from reservation help to oversized baggage. Finally, it will retire 45 to 50 mostly MD-80 aircraft.
Charging for the first bag is done by Spirit Airlines in the United States and common in Europe. In Europe, for many airlines, everything is a fee. Whatever happened to simple fares that offer a simple selection of services, with charges above that simple and easy to navigate?
How long is it before our receipt for airline reservations is as long as a grocery receipt?
- Airfare: Point A to Point B – $100
- Airfare: Point B to Point A – $100
- Bag #1 – $15
- Bag #2 – $25
- Call Center Service Fee – $25 or Web Site Convenience Fee – $5
- Fuel Surcharge: $25 (per segment)
- Skycap Service: $5
- Soft Drink: $2
So on and so forth. Where will it end?
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So let me understand- I can’t take many essentials on the plane because of TSA regulations, and now I can’t even take them in checked luggage as part of my ticket cost. And they’re still charging by the bag, and not by the weight, so I need to go find one large bag instead of two, smaller, more managable ones. Airlines already have the worst customer service of any industry. And it’s a service industry! When does the customer start to matter?