dhammer53

Did you read this blog today?

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/viewfr...sh-us-senator/

This was my response to the boarding area blog of gleff.

Say what you want about my Senator, but he has a point. How often do we read stories from the ‘average Joe’ that gets sandbagged by airline fees. Maybe he missed his first flight, and the airline canceled his return. Maybe an airline won’t give a person a break when they need to fly asap to a funeral. And now the airlines are raising change fees?? I remember a time when bloggers (Gary?) called out the airlines for this (the first time, let alone the second and third). This happens all to often I’m afraid.

What bothers me more is that Gary and Randy and others depend on the airlines to help their business. A conflict of interest??

Many of the bloggers (once regular people), seem to justify taking the side of the airline and airline industry. I was shocked when I read Gary thinking the jetBlue fees were a good idea. Even Randy (who I love dearly,) has many times over the years come down on what I feel is the wrong side of an issue.

So before anyone makes fun of Senator Chuck, remember this, someone has to take up the fight. The travel blogging world has long ago left the ‘average Joe’.

That's my 2 cents. I'd love to hear your opinion.

dh

azepine00

Most bloggers are there to make money not to be fair. It is beyond me why anyone would care what some blogger thinks - they are dime a dozen these days.. It's not like we vote them in the office...

cbn42

Sometimes, it is not so clear-cut whether fees benefit passengers or not.

Like it or not, airlines are in business to make money. If they lower one fee, they have to make up the revenue somewhere else. Why should I have to pay a higher fare because of all the seats that are going empty on the plane due to elite-level no-shows who are exempt from the change fee? That's just an example, but everything is connected. Be careful what you wish for.

HMPS

Yes, sometimes I am bothered by some items on a blog, but then I have the freedom to gloss over their posts or eject them.

will5404

One wonders what the fee would have to be for him to object. Perhaps only if elites get hit with it

obscure2k

What a perfect fit for FT's newest Forum: External Miles and Points Resources
Moving this thread to the new forum.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

swag

Did you miss the first half f the blog post title? "I Don’t Like Airline Change Fees Either"

It's entirely possible to dislike the fees but to not want Congress to act on them, either because you think it's not their purview, or it's interfering with the free market, or just that they have more important stuff that they should be worrying about.

sbm12

Schumer is a windbag. His rationale for the suggestion is moronic. If the fees were so bad shouldn't he have opposed them at $150, too. Is the difference between $150 and $200 really a tipping point for families?

obscure2k

For some families $50.00 is a big tipping point. It can make a big difference at the gas tank or grocery store. I hope that others are not quite as cavalier about these "fees."

ingy

Some in this game get something out of hob nobbing with airline execs. Like they listen to travel hackers for how to run their businesses?

Others have strong financial sponsorships from the big travel industry exec. Sometimes, those two overlap.

You can clearly see the difference in philosophies between the FTU and Chicago Seminars. One advertises the opportunity to meet and hob nob with airline execs. The other doesn't invite them nor look for their sponsorship dollars.

Please don't lump bloggers all in the same boat. There are very clear distinctions. Some of us still are in it to play the game.

kokonutz

When Schumer says fees suck and should be rolled back he is "a buffoon."

But VFTW criticized the increase in fees itself.

Thing is, the airlines are not going to get nervous about much less respond to what a points and miles blogger thinks and says.

But when a powerful Senator speaks, they might just listen.

So I guess I am confused by the distinction drawn.

oliver2002

Once in a while you have to throw in some controversy to get traffic and reader response . Now its back to regular programming: note the plug for two business cards in todays entry.

kokonutz

lol, I did notice that too.

Stir up the fish then drop a line in the water! ^

toomanybooks

Your side needs to get a better spokesman than that jackass Schumer.

artemis

This. As long as the fees are openly disclosed to the customer BEFORE the purchase of the ticket, what concern is it to Congress? Businesses aren't allowed to engage in fraud or deception, but they are allowed to set the prices of their product. Unless there's evidence of collusion between the various airlines, I don't see how the change fee increases are a Congressional matter.

(I think they're self-defeating, anyway. Once the change fees become to too high, it makes sense to just throw the ticket away and buy a new one, and that's exactly what people will do. The airlines' change fee increases will come at the cost of accurate revenue management. It's hard to sell a ticket for a flight that's about to depart in 15 minutes.)