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?

Dehydration excitement and compliments to flight attendents!

I just recently returned from my Eastern European holiday, about which I plan to blog extensively.  The holiday was extraordinary and brought the region history together as my high school and undergraduate education could never do, but that’s a story for another day.

You hear all the time how important it is to make sure that you are hydrated and that you move around.  I know this to be important, but because I am healthy and active, I sometimes ignore these simple suggestions, particularly the drink liquids.  I hate using airplane restrooms.

So, we are flying practically all day starting from LA, California to Cincinnati, OH and from there to Paris, France before continuing to Austria.  On the flight from Cincinnati to Paris, I have dinner and wine and periodically do lower body flexes.  I decide to try to go to sleep. 

Some time early morning as we are approaching Europe, I start feeling sick … that dehydrated feeling.  I unbuckle and get up thinking I will walk around … maybe I just need some exercise or something to drink.  As I am walking toward the back of the plane, perhaps 4-5 rows from my seat.  I drop to one knee, then the next knee.  I must say this was very embarrassing, but I don’t even think I was thinking about that at the time.  Next thing I remember, I was stretched out on my back and a flight attendant was taking care of me.  Believe, laying on an airplane floor is the last place I would want to be … think of all the germs.

I tried to tell her that I just felt dehydrated and I remember trying to get up … not very successfully.  So, the flight attendant brings me some water and I tried to drink.  Most of which spilled on my pants like I had had an accident (Not reaching the toilet in time.)  Next, she brought me oxygen, so, I get to use the little oxygen mask that they always demonstrate.  Again, more germs.

So, I am still laying on the floor.  The flight attendant didn’t want me to move.  They call for any medical personnel on the plane.  Next, I feel someone’s hand around my wrist.  Of all people to pass out around.  I passed out by a French physician, who was on holiday in the United States.  Finally, I am able to sit up and the flight attendant walks with me to the back of the plane and the French physician accompanies us.  He takes my pulse and checks my blood pressure, which was around 90/65.  That’s even low for my low.  He takes my blood pressure several time.  It remained low, but has climbed a little to around 100/65 … I think.  They make me drink juice and eat.  I ate the banana … that was my compromise.

They ask if I wanted a medical team to meet me.  I refused.  I was really embarrassed by this time, but the flight attendant and the French physician were quite graceful and attentive to my needs. 

Thank you both.

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.

Travel mysteries

One of the travel mysteries that I have been grappling with pertain to hand-clapping.  Every trans-Atlantic flight I have ever been on, all the Europeans always clap when the flight lands in Europe.  This isn’t just a one or many occurrence, but every single time.  Why?  My guess is that they are thinking “Thank goodness, we didn’t crash!” or maybe “Wow! We didn’t get shot down.”  If I recall correctly, the hand-clapping didn’t take place flying to South America or Africa.

Maybe I should ask my next trip to Europe.

Why don’t airlines make sense?

Recently, as in yesterday, I had to make airline reservations to Atlanta.  My reservations where under the 21 day rule for lower fares.  This I have no problem with.  Well, I have a little problems, because it cost so much more money!  But I can understand, well not really, but as travelers, we know that the later you wait the more expensive the ticket can be.  Of course, the opposite happens sometimes too where you get a great deal tickets at the last minute.

What I don’t understand is being able to offer an airline ticket and hotel room for less than the ticket alone.  This is what happened yesterday with Travelocity.  By the way, I could find so such deal on Expedia.  Using the same reservation dates, the airline ticket plus hotel room was half the cost of airline ticket alone.  There was also a car rental plus airline ticket option, but this was “sold out.”  I understand that travel agencies, which Travelocity and Expedia are, in a sense, make these types of deals with airlines and hotels and car rental agencies to help ensure the air plane is full, the hotel is at maximum occupancy, and that all cars are rented. 

So, my question is, if airlines are able to make these deals, what’s the true cost of flying?  Does the airline’s operating expenses increase the later passengers make reservations?  Is the airline industry “putting the squeeze” or taking advantage of passengers who have to make travel arrangement late?  If you are making arrangements two days prior to travel, perhaps you are desperate, do airlines see dollars to be made?  Of course, the opposite is true too, why should the passenger who wait the week before traveling get a better rate than me … just because the airline wants to fill the plane?