I’m leaving on a jet plane …
February 4th, 2006 | by mbhunter |… and I still want a really low fare with as many amenities as I can get my hands on!
Liz Pulliam Weston has an interesting, and quite good, article on MSN.com entitled
More nickel-and-dime fees to fly? Good!
In the face of market competition and high fuel prices, something’s gotta give, and the first things that are going are the frills that we have come to expect when we fly, like free soda and pretzels, more-or-less equal opportunity coach class seating, blankets and pillows, etc. This by itself may not stop the bleeding on the financial statements, but at least the airlines are reaching for the Band-Aid® box.
But are there benefits of more a la carte services from the customers’ perspective? Who wants to pay more? I’m not sure who actually welcomes higher prices and fewer included services. That’s the impression Ms. Weston gives. In some ways I can see where she’s going with this. Paying more will make your life easier in a very stressful situation. The airlines are re-defining what things are necessary and what things are amenities. Some passengers (she being one of them) will pay extra for what they want, which is a more relaxing trip.
But this is nothing new. The people who pony up more money will almost always win out on service against the bargain hunters. First-class passengers are almost always treated better than coach class. But doesn’t a first-class passenger like to get a deal, too?
I see no need to pay anything but rock-bottom prices for travel. The less my ticket costs , the better. I welcome higher prices about as often as I welcome a root canal. I really don’t care how you, the airline, get that price to me. If you have to charge me for soda and peanuts, fine — I’ll bring my own. If you have to charge me $50 extra for a heavy checked bag, fine — I’ll make sure it’s light enough before I get there (as Ms. Weston suggests). I’ll avoid your fees until you have nothing left to take away, and then you’ll be forced to raise prices on the main ticket. That’s fine — do what you have to do.
Or, if you want to continue giving me complimentary meals and instead file bankruptcy, hang the common shareholders out to dry, then re-emerge a much stronger company after restructuring for three years, you know what? That’s just peachy-fine with me, too! I don’t care! But marmosets will fly before I give the thumbs-up to higher prices.
