American's $15 first checked bag

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by JDMcFly

People would accept a $15 fare hike over costing $15 to check a first bag.

No they wouldn't. They will go on expedia, and if the big bold price for one airline is $99 with the $15 checked bag fee in the fine print that they don't read, and the other airline had a $102 big bold price with no fine print, they will take the $99 airline, end up spending more in the long run because they didn't read the fine print, and then complain that ticket prices are too high and they have a God given right to check luggage for free.

[TheShortOne]

well if I'm supposed to get what I pay for, I'd better be sitting in a leather (heated) chair and getting a massage, along with meals on fine china next time I go across the pond. I'm looking at tickets for the honeymoon and they're about $1250 each! - that's about $850 base price and $400 worth in taxes and fees. Yikes!


ETA: I'm also looking at buying a ticket to get home (SLC-DTW) for various wedding showers and whatnot, I can't find a ticket below $461 (on Southwest) but the other air carriers are within about $20 of them as well. So these days that you guys are talking about of the $200 fare to fly across the country, and too bad you don't get your peanuts, those are gone. I'd be really ticked if I paid over $400 and then had to pay to check a bag and get a little snack pack thing and then to get headphones and then to pay for the movie etc etc.

I understand what you guys are saying, you get what you pay for, but when you're shelling out over $400 I expect quite a bit

[Minuteman]

Before fuel prices went crazy-go-nuts (this most-recent time), it cost an airline between 12¢ and 14¢ per nm to carry a butt somewhere.

SLC-DTW is 1481 miles, so at 15¢ per mile that works out to $444.30 per round-trip. Plus, hell, 20% taxes makes it $533.16 per person.

SLC-FRA (for example) is 5217 miles. 15¢ per mile is $1565.10 per round-trip. 20% taxes makes it $1878.12 per person.

It only looks like fares are approaching reality. Fuel is about 40% of the cost of moving a butt. There's been almost a 95% jump in fuel prices since a year ago, which works out to about a 38% increase in the cost overall (not counting the markup to the other 60% caused by higher energy costs).

That 12¢ to 14¢ per nm from a year ago is probably more like 16¢ to 19¢ per nm today.

[ryanmickG]

$15 a bag
more carry-on
less checked bags
less baggage handlers needed
more money for AA

[killbilly]

Originally Posted by PGT

I have realized that the common citizen is a complete idiot when it comes to airlines. I just laugh at people when they talk about ticket prices nowdays.

Don't attribute malice to ignorance. I was one of those ignorant to airlines. It didn't make me stupid, it made me uneducated about the way things work.

Once people understand, they generally adopt the pragmatic view.

Until they understand, though, you'll have a lot of people insisting that a $200 RT from LA to NY is written somewhere in the Bill of Rights.

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by TheShortOne

well if I'm supposed to get what I pay for, I'd better be sitting in a leather (heated) chair and getting a massage, along with meals on fine china next time I go across the pond. I'm looking at tickets for the honeymoon and they're about $1250 each! - that's about $850 base price and $400 worth in taxes and fees. Yikes!

That may sound expensive sure, but the fact of the matter is, its not as expensive as it will cost the airline to fly you there. Immagine you own a business and you sell a product. It costs you $5 to make that product and you sell it for $20. People tell you that the product is not worth $20 so you must lower your price to $15. Now you are selling a lot of your product because people are willing to pay $15 and believe it is a good value. But now immagine you have a competator who sells it for $10. Eveyone will buy from your competator unless you also lower the price to $10. Now immagine the cost of manufacturing your product increases to $11. Don't you think it would make sense to increase the price of your product. Perhaps you try, but when you do your customers complain that they think the cost should be $10. They refuse to pay more than $10. What do you do? Well you'll have to increase revenue somehow. If they won't pay more than $10 for the product, you might try to charge for accesories for that product, that used to be included for free. Even then you barely breaking even, if not losing money, and your customers are upset that you won't give away your product for less than what it costs you to manufacture it.

People just don't realize that airlines are offering flights at such low fares that sometimes it would actually save them money if they flew empty. Back in the 50s and 60s only the wealthiest people would travel by air due to the cost. Over the years as inflation and fuel prices have increased, the cost of a ticket has actually gone down. And it baffles me that people think they have a God given right fly wherever they want for less than cost. So when I say you get what you pay for, I literally mean, you're lucky they even give you a seat to sit in for what you actually pay for.

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by PGT

I have realized that the common citizen is a complete idiot when it comes to airlines. I just laugh at people when they talk about ticket prices nowdays.

If this isn't the truth, than I don't know what is. Take it from someone who works in customer service, for an airline. People really are ignorant, when it comes to the airlines. Some of the stuff I hear, is literally laughable.

BTW, I believe it was United who initiated the $25 fee for a second bag. The other airlines have followed. We will see how this $15 fee for the first bag works, with American, but it wouldn't surprise me to see other airlines follow, and do the same. Or, if it doesn't work, increase the second bag fee to $50. Fees for everything else have gone up, as well.

[surreal1221]

Tough titties. . .if you can't afford to fly, don't fly.

[Milesar]

Originally Posted by surreal1221

Tough titties. . .if you can't afford to fly, don't fly.

Wheel-Wells

[tonyw]

Originally Posted by surreal1221

returning as prices finally reflect what it costs to provide the service, plus an additional surcharge to promise a profit.

Great!

You mean charging more than it costs to provide your product?

Omigawd, what a concept!

[unclenobby]

Originally Posted by Minuteman

Before fuel prices went crazy-go-nuts (this most-recent time), it cost an airline between 12¢ and 14¢ per nm to carry a butt somewhere.

SLC-DTW is 1481 miles, so at 15¢ per mile that works out to $444.30 per round-trip. Plus, hell, 20% taxes makes it $533.16 per person.

SLC-FRA (for example) is 5217 miles. 15¢ per mile is $1565.10 per round-trip. 20% taxes makes it $1878.12 per person.

It only looks like fares are approaching reality. Fuel is about 40% of the cost of moving a butt. There's been almost a 95% jump in fuel prices since a year ago, which works out to about a 38% increase in the cost overall (not counting the markup to the other 60% caused by higher energy costs).

That 12¢ to 14¢ per nm from a year ago is probably more like 16¢ to 19¢ per nm today.

That's assuming everyone pays the same price, which we know they do not. Airlines offer a select number of discounted seats per flight with the hope of getting you on a full or greater ticket on another flight - and also the chance to cross sell products they offer, sign up for our loyalty card etc. Cheap seats are subsidized by the expensive ones.

I'll always look for the best deal (note; best deal does not equal cheapest). If AA are cheaper online and I know they charge $15 and I have one bag to check.......then I know how much the fare will cost.

I'm sitting next to "Joe Sixpack", identical seat and identical basic fare. I have one carry on bag. Joe SixPack has a carry on and 2 bags to check. Why shouldn't my fair be cheaper? - it is cheaper for the airline to carry me.

For all those complaining about not getting or paying for a tiny bag of pretzels....bring your own food on board next time. Larger portions, better tasting and cheaper!!

[kellwolf]

Originally Posted by TheShortOne

ETA: I'm also looking at buying a ticket to get home (SLC-DTW) for various wedding showers and whatnot, I can't find a ticket below $461 (on Southwest) but the other air carriers are within about $20 of them as well. So these days that you guys are talking about of the $200 fare to fly across the country, and too bad you don't get your peanuts, those are gone. I'd be really ticked if I paid over $400 and then had to pay to check a bag and get a little snack pack thing and then to get headphones and then to pay for the movie etc etc.

Well, seeing as how fuel prices have increased exponentially in recent years, it doesn't surprise me that the former $200 fare is now north of $400. Those $200 fares were around when oil was in the sub-$60/barrel range. Now that it's more than twice that, you gotta figure that the $200 fare is toast, and rightfully so. Add to that airlines are probably reducing the number of discount seats per flight, you probably woulda had to book that flight 9 months in advance in order to get said discount ticket.

A lot of that $461 ticket probably has to do with when you're travelling. Just for S&Gs, I look at SWA 30 days out, and they've got SLC-DTW for $217 still available. Still $200 cheaper than what I found on Orbitz. What can I say, I'm bored. On top of that, SWA is advertising specials of $29 each way to several cities. Now, there's no telling how many of those are actually available per flight. Could be 3-5, could be 10-20. Depends on the route I would guess along with the load factor. Then you have to dig into the restrictions: 21 day advance purchase, taxes not included, non-refundable, may not be available during holidays or busy travel periods (ie summer and weekends I'm betting), and any schedule change could cause a fare increase. So, sometimes, the cheapest ticket isn't the best. I've seen a lot of people complain that they didn't get a low fare compared to someone else, but they only difference was the one that got the lower fare left on Sunday morning and the one that paid the higher fare left on Saturday morning. Sometimes just staying over a Saturday night can unlock lower fares.

[Minuteman]

"Whadda ya mean I have to check my carry-on?! You're just trying to get another fifteen bucks out of me"

Repeat twenty times per flight.

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by Minuteman

"Whadda ya mean I have to check my carry-on?! You're just trying to get another fifteen bucks out of me"

Repeat twenty times per flight.

According to AA.com, this fee does not apply to any carry on bags that have to be checked, at the gate, but only bags being checked at the ticket counter.

[wheelsup]

Originally Posted by TheShortOne

I'm looking at tickets for the honeymoon and they're about $1250 each! - that's about $850 base price and $400 worth in taxes and fees. Yikes!

My wife and I decided to stay in the US because of costs. No, it wasn't exciting, and we would've had a blast in the Carribean. What'd we do with our wedding money instead? It went toward a down payment on our first house. We don't regret it one bit.

[PGT]

Originally Posted by unclenobby

I'll always look for the best deal

Yep, the whole price vs. number of stops vs. time of day.

[LostComm]

Here's a whole can of worms: Maybe the fare should be based on total weight of the passenger plus bags.
LC

[gtpilot]

Originally Posted by LostComm

Here's a whole can of worms: Maybe the fare should be based on total weight of the passenger plus bags.
LC

Had that thought too! I think that would be perfect, personally but can you imagine the uproar? Still, our carrying capacity is often weight limited, so why not charge this way?

I can see the lines now though - everyone lined up at the ticket counter to step on the scales and there's a Six Flags vendor hawking to guess their weight! 'Five bucks to guess your weight! Free ticket if I'm wrong!'

[tonyw]

Originally Posted by LostComm

Here's a whole can of worms: Maybe the fare should be based on total weight of the passenger plus bags.
LC

We'd have to get some high capacity scales. We've become a nation of lard butts and then add in the bags full of crap that will never be used....

[Flyin_bryan]

Anyone see the correlation between the movie theater industry and airlines?

[Maurus]

Hmm in ways the checked bag fee is better than hiking the price. Yes it does make AA look better on the online travel websites but overall it isn't a full price increase like increasing the ticket price would be. Not everyone will have a carry on which would make a trip for a weekend still doable with no checked luggage and such. Increased revenue without having to charge everyone extra is the bonus.

[Doug Taylor]

This might sound a little "curt" but if an extra $15 is prohibitive in keeping you from traveling, chances are you need to be at the Greyhound station rather than DFW Terminal B.

[Kristie]

shoot, i was at the hair stylist yesterday and even the girls in there were talking about it. they all were telling me that the airlines should just up their fees... it'd be better in the long run and they do see how the airlines might go back to being a "ride for the rich" in the future.

but none of them liked the idea of being nit picky with fees... gotta up the cost, just charge more for the ticket and give back all the complementary services that go with the idea of being a service industry.

funny how airlines end up being a topic in a salon eh?! HAHA

[PGT]

Originally Posted by Kristie

shoot, i was at the hair stylist yesterday and even the girls in there were talking about it. they all were telling me that the airlines should just up their fees... it'd be better in the long run and they do see how the airlines might go back to being a "ride for the rich" in the future.

but none of them liked the idea of being nit picky with fees... gotta up the cost, just charge more for the ticket and give back all the complementary services that go with the idea of being a service industry.

funny how airlines end up being a topic in a salon eh?! HAHA

then you chimed in with "Just fly Delta, they don't have outrageous fees"

[Kristie]

nope, only my actual hairstylist knows i'm in an airline family... i don't go announcing it otherwise, i tend to get 20 questions that i'm not willing to answer.