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It's the route they will all eventually take, it seems. If the ramifications of raising prices are so high, like flightattendant says, then I can see why no one is doing it. And for consumers to have no loyalty to a carrier that they would go to another over $15 is pretty sad.
Some people don't mind the airlines that charge per bag, because they know that the cost could have been factored into the ticket, and they can save money by bringing only one bag, not two.
I don't know if any of the airlines charge per bag, not only for the first bag, but the airline my parents used to go to NC last year did charge PER Bag. The flight was ridiculously cheap (you couldn't have taken the bus to CT for the price they paid), so that airline did charge PER bag. They each took 1 bag and therefore paid less than if they were taking 2 each, and they were happy. This airline has gone out of business btw.
The thing that is more annoying to me is that airplane ticket you buy doesn't have a fixed price. We have all checked a flight, gone back the next day to purchase, adn the price was up $100. I hate that and cannot help but wonder if I've been screwed every time I buy a ticket. It reminds me of car sales, two people can buy exactly the same car but pay a difference in price of $2,000. It's irritating. When you buy bread in the morning, you pay the same price if you buy bread in the afternoon (not counting sales). And I know when you get closer to the travel date it can be more expensive, but then again it might be cheaper. Its just extremely annoying to me that i might have paid $754 and the passenger next to me might have paid $457.
Here is the problem, RFB. It sure does make sense to raise the prices. However, if one brave airline tries to raise prices ..even by as little as $5 or $10...the other airlines do not. Then, as I said in an earlier post, passengers go on Orbitz or Travelocity or you name it and the passenger invariably chooses the one that is cheapest. its sort of a game of chicken with the airlines...but the end game is pretty darned serious. Unfortunately, its a no win situation without these added charges. We truly hate it too as employees.
So, in reality, the airlines are trying to hide their prices in order to convince passengers they are actually cheaper than they really are, and hope passengers don't notice all of these extra charges. Sounds like a dishonest business model if you ask me, is creating additional animosity toward the airlines (if that is even possible), and simply isn't working.
How can passengers not notice extra charges? I paid $3 for a can of chips, $3 for a cookie and one time I booked online and wanted an assigned seat so I paid $10 to secure my seat unaware I was going to be charged. It was on Airtran and I guess it's something they do now too. So I knew all my charges upfront, none were hidden. I could have bypassed securing the seat I wanted and saved my $10 each way.
I think everyone should see this Documentary that was on a while ago on MSNBC or CNN. It was something about American Airlines on the inside. American let the cameras in and broke down every aspect of operating an airline. Very informative! And yes it did show how one person may have paid $109 for a ticket and the guy next to him/her paid $420. But the most interesting is they broke down the entire ticket sales for a full flight and a not so full flight. Then they showed where the money went for that flight (salaries, fuel, airport fees, and stuff I can't recall). Then it showed the actual profit the airline made on that one flight. Now on the other hand it showed a flight where it didn't make any profit and lost money due to empty seats.
I admit to being one to take full advantage of last minute booking on Priceline if my time is flexible. I was able to book a flight recently from LAX to DFW less than 14 days out for $302. Priceline got me on American nonstop! I checked the airlines site and that same flight would have been over $600.
Location: Living near our Nation's Capitol since 2010
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RFB, if you think its a "dishonest business model" I think you just don't understand the cost structures of airlines. If people let $5 on a several hundred dollar ticket stop them, then perhaps flying is just too stressful or expensive for them. Airlines are NOT non profit operations. We are loosing millions of dollars each and every quarter. Its not just imaginary loss. How would YOU solve this problem?
When you can fly from LAX to DFW for $300, try and figure it if you had had to drive it. I seriously doubt you could drive it for the same amount when you calculate fuel, food, wear and tear to the vehicle and your time. Sadly, air fares must go up and then there will be REAL screaming.
The price for traveling by plane should be based on weight. Airline travel is like shipping. In this case, humans. If UPS charges by weight (and distance), why can't passenger airlines do the same? The heavier something is, the more energy, i.e. jet fuel, it takes to move it. It is logical that the more weight you bring on the plane, the more you should pay.
RFB, if you think its a "dishonest business model" I think you just don't understand the cost structures of airlines. If people let $5 on a several hundred dollar ticket stop them, then perhaps flying is just too stressful or expensive for them.
Its a little more than $5. Lets see, two checked bags: that is $30 for the first round trip, and $50 for the second. $80 is slightly more than $5. Even if you only check one bag, $30 is more than 10% of a $250 ticket.
When you can fly from LAX to DFW for $300, try and figure it if you had had to drive it. I seriously doubt you could drive it for the same amount when you calculate fuel, food, wear and tear to the vehicle and your time. Sadly, air fares must go up and then there will be REAL screaming.
You are right - air flights are cheaper than driving. But, then again, you can always book on an airline such as Southwest, which is (usually) cheaper than the legacy airlines, and doesn't have all these hidden fees. A much better choice overall.
Location: Living near our Nation's Capitol since 2010
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If you like Southwest, go for it. There is nothing wrong with them. Just remember, they hedged their fuel at around $50/barrel a few years back so they have the advantage. Good for them. Sad for them, tho, is that their contract is coming to an end and then they, too, will have to pay the outrageous fuel costs the rest of us do.
sometimes an even playing field hurts the general public.
Southwest's biggest downfall is the lack of being a part of either the Star Alliance, One World, or Sky Team and being more leisure than business friendly. My husband travels for business, and while Southwest is the third largest airline at LAX and offers flights to several big cities on the West Coast, my husband cannot get airline miles with them to fly to many cities that are important business centers. Washington DC, New York City, Seattle, Atlanta, etc... are just a few cities my husband cannot fly to nonstop on SWA from LAX, but are served by LAX's two dominant carriers United and American.
It also hurts that SWA has no alliance to international airlines. How is my husband supposed to get miles for flights to Tokyo or Paris if he is a SWA frequent flier? Basically we are stuck flying United and American because my husband acquires all his airline miles with them and are much more friendly to the business traveler. We also don't have to pay baggage fees because he is an elite at both airlines.
Basically:
Southwest= Leisure airline for general public who doesn't fly much
Legacy Airline= Cater to business and frequent flyers, leisure flyer just there to fill up the rest of the plane.
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