Please charge me more

I have just returned from a business trip to New Orleans … it’s still hot, humid, seedy (at least Bourbon Street) and rich in culture (food, architecture, and history), but that’s not my purpose here.

I flew US Airways and they have already instituted changes in how they operate and by operate, I mean that they are nickel-and-diming fliers now.  I am an elite member with United, a Star Alliance member, so I enjoy perks and privileges like selecting my seat assignments … until now.  It’s $5-10 to do so now.  Yes, this is not a lot of money, but it is the principle.  Charge me a true dollar amount for my ticket that covers everything … check baggage, snacks, air, lavatory, seat belt, arm rest, use of the jet bridge.  Okay, some of this is an exaggeration, but it may just be a matter of time before we have to pay for these “amenities.”

Perhaps, most shocking about my trip, was how many passengers actually purchased snacks.  Way to go in letting the airlines know how unhappy you are with being nickel-and-dimed!  I would rather dehydrate than pay $2 for what is probably tap water!

Airline executives, stop nickel-and-diming me and just charge me a fair fare.  I don’t care if you make a nice profit, I do care if I feel as if I am “taxed” to death.  I thought we had a revolution about that 232 years ago!

Airline ad agencies … are they pinheads?

I recently returned from my summer holiday in Eastern Europe and now I am on my way to New Orleans for a business trip.  Between these two trips much is changing in the airline industry … some of which has many fellow travelers threatening to figuratively storm the corporate boardrooms with torches and pitchforks in hand.  I ask my fellow travelers, “what’s the matter with you?  why do you want to harass and pick on the airline industry?”

To all the US airline carriers, I want to say, “I stand with you and the appreciate the great services that you provide in the face of all your financial woes.”

I remember many years ago, during one of the many airline industry crises, (by the way, these crises are never the airline’s fault, our government, instead of bailing them out, should just subsidize them all the time … more so than they already do) the airlines stop serving food.  Hey, all of you naysayers, that was a good idea.  If I recall, most passengers complained about airplane food anyway.  “Oh, airplane food doesn’t taste good.  It’s over/under cooked.  I think that food made me sick.”  Then, there’s the sanitary conditions.  So, look the airlines did us a favor by not feeding us anymore.  Besides, who wants those tasty meals that the Europeans serve anyway?

The airlines are about to do us another favor … no more snacks or beverages (unless you want to buy them).  We don’t need all those snacks.  We have an obesity problem in the United States anyway.  The airlines are just trying to contribute to a more fit population, besides, there no place to exercise on a plane so you are just storing all those calories as fat … and that contributes to the weight of the plane and fuel cost and your flight discomfort (trying to fit in to those every comfortable seats).

Now, this one, I really do not understand the uproar.  $15 or $50 for a second checked bag sounds reasonable to me.  All those extra bags just make the plane heavier and feul inefficient.  If we cared about the economy we would be more wasteful and only care the bare minimal and buy everything else once we reach our destination.  That would be a real shot in the arm for the economic.  Think about those poor underpaid baggage handlers who always take special care not to damage our bags.  With fewer bags, they will no doubt do an even better job.

Some unreasonable people may accuse the airline industry of nickel-and-diming us to death, but I say baloney.  Food and bags are non-essentials for traveling.  The only thing that you ticket promises is arrival to your destination, which the airlines always do … maybe a couple of days later, but you generally get where you need to go.  For example, when you go to the movies (another great bargain), you have to buy popcorn and soda separately.  Same principle.

In fact, we have been cheating the airlines for quite some time.  They are due their just reward.

Kudos to the ad agencies for managing this public relation nightmare with such competence.  They deserve ever nickel and dime that they receive.  Anything more would be cheating the airlines.

The Unfriendly skies may be getting noisy

According to the June 2008 issue of Global Traverler, the unfriendly skies may be getting a little noisy.  Several European airlines and some US airlines are considering offering passengers WiFi use and allowing passenger to use mobile phone and devises.  Please tell me it is not so … at least about mobile phone use.  WiFi is fine, I would like to be able to check my email, read news, or blog, especially on long flights.

Mobile phone use is another issue, actually a problem.  It’s bad enough to have to listen to some passengers talk, but now they are going to be talking on the phone and talking to their travel companions.  Then you have a lot of mobile phone users who seem to have not etiquette … they talk long and loud.  As an aside, I can see those who travel alone as the most agregious.  I think for some talking on the phone is a way to feel that they are not alone.  Then you are going to have those business travelers who think that they are so important that they must be connected at all times.

Air travel may just get a little noisy … noisier.  Congratulations to Luftansa who is only considering WiFi and not mobile phones, because it may disturb some passengers.

WiFi, yes, mobile phone use, no!

By the way, I thought these devises interferred with navigation?  Hmm?

No miles for the deep discounters

I am one of those fliers who have bought into the frequent flier program … I know it’s a ploy by the airlines to create and maintain loyalty at the expense of most fliers, especially those who do not take advantage of the perks and benefits.

So, after each trip, I check to make sure that the airlines correctly credit me my miles.  A couple of days after returning from my Memorial Day holiday, I notice that United had not credited my my miles.  So, I wait a little longer, but eventually call.

United does not award frequent flier miles when you make your reservations on Priceline or Hotwire.  The agent told me that these deeply discounted fares are not available for  mile credit, because they are so deeply discounted.  Oh!  Although, I have not done so yet; maybe, I should take my advice and seek a second opinion.  However, it makes sense that the airlines would not count these fares.  I got an amazing bargain on my fare … I guess it was worth foregoing the miles this time.

Always get a second opinion

I just recently returned from my Memorial Day travel and have to say that that was one of the better traveling experiences I have had … not because of where I went, but because there weren’t that many people traveling … at least through Cincinnati and Washington Dulles and Raleigh.

So what am I complaining about this time?  I decided to arrive at the airport early since I live about 80 miles from Cincinnati’s airport and I thought that I would go to one of the airport lounges and work … there are just so many distractions at home.  I had already checked-in and thought that I would just head off to the club, which is in a different terminal with a different security.  In other words, there’s no way to get from one terminal to another once going through security.  So, I asked the United check-in personnel [mistake number one] if I could enter any terminal with my ticket.  I told her I wanted to go the Delta club … she said empathically, no, absolutely not, can’t be done, don’t even try.  Okay!

Despite her confidence in answering my question.  I was not confident, probably not satisfied, with her answer, so I asked a TSA agent.  He said, you can absolutely go to any terminal you like as long as you have a valid ticket for the airport.  So, off I go, trouble free.  TSA, did ask me, hey, you know you are at the wrong terminal, and I replied, yes, I just want to visit the Delta club, and the agent said okay.  FYI, the Delta club in Concourse A is closed on Saturdays, fortunately the club in Concourse B is open.  I had the club practically to myself!

Last word, always get a second opinion.

Airport lounges … is it worth it?

Are you a frequent traveler? Do you like to work when you travel? How do you deal with noise and crowds? Yes. Yes. No well!

I like to wait for my flights in airport lounges. I belong to both Northwest and United, but not all lounges are the same. All the lounges run the airlines have agreements with their code share partners to club members in their partnership to visit their loungers … typically, only if you are flying on a code shared airline. In other words, club memberships are about as complicated as everything else that the airlines do.

But like airlines, not all clubs in all airports are created the same. Sometimes, alcoholic beverages are included in the membership, other times they are not. Some offer very basic snacks, others offer warm and cold hors d’oeuvres. Some include wifi, others make you pay for the services. These aren’t differences between different clubs, but are can be differences that you find in just one club membership.

For me, I like my clubs and quiet space.

United and US Air … courting

It seems that Delta and Northwest have set off a renewed effort by the airlines to merge and get larger in the name of better service.  These mergers also are supposed to make the industry more stable and efficiently operated.  Maybe.  United and others have said that bigger is better.  Maybe.

Perhaps with fewer airlines, the industry will have fuller flights and operate more profitably than they currently do, but I remain skeptical.  Surely, the industry can be more efficient even with the current number of carriers.  On my recent flight from Atlanta to Memphis, the flight was not very full.  How might this change if there are only two or three larger carriers?  Fuller flights, more expensive tickets, and fewer options and times.

Well, one thing is certain, the airlines probably do not want to let Delta and Northwest drawf them.  So, who is American going to merge with?