What is Digg?130 Comments
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -8/+97How to fix the airlines...
Dump the male flight attendants. No one wanted them in the first place.
Replace all the female flight attendants with good-looking strippers! What the hell -- They don't even serve food anymore, so what's the loss?
The strippers would at least triple the alcohol sales and get a 'party atmosphere' going in the cabin. And, of course, every businessman in this country would start flying again, hoping to see naked women.
Because of the tips, female flight attendants wouldn't need a salary, thus saving even more money. I suspect tips would be so good that we could charge the women for working the plane and have them kick back 20% of the tips, including lap dances and 'special services.'
Muslims would be afraid to get on the planes for fear of seeing naked women. Hijackings would come to a screeching halt, and the airline industry would see record revenues.
This is definitely a win-win situation if we handle it right -- a golden opportunity to turn a liability into an asset.
Why didn't Bush think of this? Why do I still have to do everything myself?
Sincerely,
Bill Clinton - shogan191, on 08/13/2008, -1/+42Unless the ticket sales drop, nothing will change.
- ironeus, on 08/13/2008, -3/+39What is the justification of charging premium fees for booking by phone? This act would never be tolerated in other service sectors such as the hotel industry.
- StigNordas, on 08/13/2008, -3/+25Processing fees for frequent flier miles? I thought FF miles were supposed to be an 'incentive'.
- BXRWXR, on 08/13/2008, -0/+21I think I'll pass. I've grown rather attached to my head.
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -1/+22Dear Mr. Clinton,
Thank you for making me LOL. I strongly believe that you should take care of that business, you know what you're talking about! - inactive, on 08/13/2008, -2/+23so this chart basically explains how and why they stick it in your bums...
- Sonan, on 08/13/2008, -2/+22Booking by phone requires call centers to handle the calls, which costs significantly more than running servers to handle online requests. Think of phone booking as "normal cost" and online booking as "discounted." They have to word it the other way in order to claim lower fares though.
- MoneyTutor, on 08/13/2008, -1/+19It amazes me that all the additional charges came as a result of higher jet fuel. The companies worked hard and probably added specialist to find the perks to charge for - $7 for a new pillow and blanket lol. Fuel prices obviously fluctuate. Are the additional charges going to decrease?
- CosmicJustice, on 08/13/2008, -0/+17Dear Airlines,
Make the base ticket price high enough that you can provide decent service and accommodation to all passengers. I'd rather stay home because the fare is too high than get misled into buying a cheap ticket and then get nickel and dime'd for basic services. - Cancerkitty, on 08/13/2008, -0/+16I just tried to pay on a car loan over the phone and was informed that there is a premium fee required to do so. After they refused to waive it, I told them exactly where they could shove it.
- drlha, on 08/13/2008, -1/+15Fair enough, I'll cancel my flight from Washington Dulles to Rome and take the train instead, thanks for the tip!
- leprechaun268, on 08/13/2008, -7/+21Why can't the airlines treat all passengers as if they were members of their board of directors?
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -1/+15Anyone with a basic understanding of economics knows a price decrease must be made to acommodate the decrease in demand. Increasing price by nickel and diming people with fees will piss them off and will only give them incentive to seek alternative carriers which do not charge the fees.
Southwest has the right idea - short flights, lower fares and better service. Their entire philosophy is different yet more effective than other airline companies - employees first, customers second. - bshep, on 08/13/2008, -0/+13Well they lost a sale to me this summer, I was going to go on vacation to the east coast but due to all the things you have to go through ( security, no liquids, expensive tickets, etc ) I decided to go on a cruise and sidestep all the madness.
I'm sure I'm not the only one. - inactive, on 08/13/2008, -1/+13Anger sword...as Ill Mitch would say.
- tonicboy, on 08/13/2008, -1/+13Justification? They don't need justification because they know we're all going to bend over and just take it. And I disagree that other industries wouldn't do the same thing. Car rental companies do it, restaurants are increasingly doing it, everyone's doing it.
- S5S5S5, on 08/13/2008, -0/+12I'm still waiting for the airlines to charge by body weight.
- DeskFlyer, on 08/13/2008, -1/+13Meanwhile, CEOs and other airline executives are raking in millions in bonuses.
- sporg, on 08/13/2008, -2/+13Getting on a plane these days is like going to prison. First they take all your money then they take all your stuff and then they take your dignity.
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -0/+10I hope for the increased fees, they better provide a better service.
- zoom1928, on 08/13/2008, -0/+9Passenger train coverage is pretty awesome if you live in the populated areas of the country. The main lines travel from Boston to Miama plus another DC to Seattle plus a cross-country southern line. That covers most people. The problem is the cost and the slowness. The last time I traveled by Amtrak my round-trip ticket was $2,700, and it took 11 days of travel to travel from Seattle where I live now to SC where I'm from. People from Europe just don't understand how large this country is. They think that trains in a country 3,000+ miles across work just as well as in their tiny country.
The last time I went home I flew. The ticket was less than $450, and I spent less than sixteen total hours of traveling even with getting to the airport early for security. Trains took 16.5 times longer and cost six times as much. No thanks. While the train was interesting to do once, I'll never do that again. - kingjafee, on 08/13/2008, -4/+13Blah blah blah train is the way to travel!!!
- rezonq3, on 08/13/2008, -0/+9That has to be one of the single most brilliant ideas I have ever seen.
- schnikies79, on 08/13/2008, -0/+9There is train service here? Damn, I've never seen it.
There isn't public train service from me within 120mi in any direction. - BXRWXR, on 08/13/2008, -1/+9You've obviously never traveled America's 'buses on rails'.
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -0/+8I wish they would just charge more for the ticket.
It ***** with people like me who have most of my flights booked by bands or record labels, and now I have to pay the damn fee to check my cymbals and then wait 2 months to be reimbursed by the record labels. - stutimandal, on 08/13/2008, -0/+8There is an old saying (in India) "if you sow the seeds of thorny bush, you cannot get juicy fruit out of it."
For five decades, US consumers have heavily entertained and spent money in inefficient airline-travel for short distances and cars (even for cross-country drives), and now suddenly they wish to have an affordable mass-transport mechanism. Things just don't happen in one day. Most efficient systems require perseverance and careful investment/design. - bcarl314, on 08/13/2008, -0/+7HEY AIRLINES!!!!
Look, I know you have no idea how pissed off your customers are with ***** fees and having to pay for a ***** bag of peanuts, but here's an idea. Why not actually raise the price of your ***** tickets!
No one, and I mean NO ONE who flys more than once a year thinks the price they see on expedia is the final price. Everyone is now expecting some ***** fee. I just took a business trip to FL and asked for a pillow and was told "We don't have pillows to save on fuel cost" WTF!!! How much does it really cost to fly 20 - 30 pillows?
Man, I remember 15 years ago, when prices were probably higher, but back then I got:
1) An in-flight movie (which I never see now even though they have the ***** MONITORS on the plan
2) Free pop (still do, but not for long I bet) and free hot meal
3) Flight attendents that actually seemed to like their jobs
Ah so much for nostalgia.
I don't know about you, but I'd rather see an honest price at expedia / travelocity and not be nickled and dimed to death than the other way around. - inactive, on 08/13/2008, -0/+7Did it really need a /sarcasm tag?
- bincoder, on 08/13/2008, -0/+7Why don't these goofballs just say OK, fuel for your trip costs X dollars.
We are raising your ticket price to cover the X dollars, get onboard and enjoy your flight.
Keep the free carry on, soft drinks, water (which should be federally required under threat of being shot down by a fighter jet), honey roasted peanuts, and everything else that used to be free.
The customer is interested in just paying up and getting it over with, not a complete itemized list with each and every penny accounted for and a separate fee for everything except the toilet paper.
So what if a bag of peanuts costs all of 10 cents to the airline (oh the horror) raise the price $5 on each ticket. Someone who is going to pay $500 for a ticket isn't going to start a protest in the parking lot over the $5 that they will never even notice.
Your customers will be happy, you might even make more money. - louiebaur, on 08/13/2008, -1/+8OP....What's up man your in a dreamworld:-)
- bshep, on 08/13/2008, -0/+7First class in american carriers dont get you what it used to.
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -1/+7Take the Greyhound instead....
- Sardonic2U, on 08/13/2008, -0/+6One could complain, but then you'd be tackled and molested by an Air Marshall.
- jserio, on 08/13/2008, -0/+6Just shows how bad American airlines are. Do they stick you with all of these surcharges in Europe?? Why not just include all of the charges in the ticket and be done with it?
I wonder how long Southwest will continue to go without additional charges. They were one of the few airlines that did not suffer financial loss after 9/11 like the other poorly operated airlines - who, in my opinion, get what they deserve. It's just a shame that problems with poor management affects the customer. - nblsavage, on 08/13/2008, -0/+6Hell. neither does coach for that matter.
- cnot3, on 08/13/2008, -0/+6Not in America, we need a rail system like Europe's or Japan's.
- Tiemmothi, on 08/13/2008, -0/+5Decrease? Your joking right? lol.. hell no we up rates now, we up rates later.. no discounts anymore!! lol
/cry - MattB123, on 08/13/2008, -0/+5I wonder if they will charge by weight, volume, or just a flat fee?
And if you don't have the money can you just use one of the air sickness bags? - ngageguy, on 08/13/2008, -0/+5Flying Alaska last week, a beer cost $5, the same beer on Horizon Air (their partner) cost $0. WTF. Standards people, standards!
- jwolcott, on 08/13/2008, -0/+5Actually, WE the people CAN do something about it. Check out the public complaints over at http://www.AirlineComplaints.org
It's a start... - sdevinen, on 08/13/2008, -1/+6For the mathematically challeneged, thats about 47% increase...
- CallMeMatt, on 08/13/2008, -0/+4Here I sit broken hearted -
Paid a quarter but only farted. - sdevinen, on 08/13/2008, -1/+5I'm surprised they haven't yet thought of charging for taking a dump!
- drex8, on 08/13/2008, -1/+5Or they can run special flights geared towards women, and staffed by male flight attendants wearing Chipndale's. I have a feeling those flights would be pretty full and successful too.
- Br3ach, on 08/13/2008, -1/+5I am curious when there will be a surcharge for air to breathe on the plane, and a fee for each cubic foot of space you occupy.
- inactive, on 08/13/2008, -0/+4The real question is can you DRIVE to your destination cheaper than you can fly to it....that is a pretty good measure of whether or not you are getting good value for your dollar.
As an example, can you drive your car from Austin to Chicago and back for under $312? The answer is no way - not even at $3.75/gallon. At that price your car would have to get a minimum of 28.5 miles per gallon, and that is just the price of gas. It is an 18 hour trip and you will have to eat probably at least 3 times, plus the wear and tear on your car in terms of tires, oil, and maintenance. It is 2360 miles round trip and that is almost one complete oil change if you change your oil every 3000 miles as recommended. You may even have to spend a night somewhere with the costs of a hotel thrown in. Flying is safer by far than driving and you can fly there in about 2 hours.
The basic algorithm for figuring out if it cheaper to drive is this -- Google Map the round trip mileage.... Divide RT miles by Total airfare = miles /dollar then multiply miles/dollar times the realistic price of gasoline and that will give you the miles/ gallon you would need to break even in terms of fuel expenses ONLY. Factor in meals, maintenance per mile, your time, safety, weather, insurance, tires and oil. Good luck finding a faster safer and CHEAPER way to get from point A to point B. - fluidfoundation, on 08/13/2008, -1/+5My ears are popping from the vacuum created by the lack of common sense.
- martynda, on 08/13/2008, -0/+4Miles are somewhat of a joke. You have to book the tickets way in advance to actually be able to get seating and it's almost impossible to get the flights you want. What's worse is that they expire after 18 months so you can't rack up freedom awards (where you can pick any flight) unless you fly A LOT.
IMO, the REAL advantage of racking up miles is to get into higher tiers of service that allow you to reserve exit row seats, board first, get access to lounges, and get free upgrades to business class. These things make business traveling much less stressful. -
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