elitetraveler

Yup, and perhaps it will be that elites are exempted except for the lowest fare buckets - sort of the reverse of what DL and UA have done with upgrades.

Lots of scenarios - again - the only point is as the legacies figure more and more ways to fee up their coffers they will eventually turn their sites to low yield elites or elites traveling on low fare tickets.

Dieuwer

Not every elite considers a difference of $150 acceptable.

In fact, paying more could be considered "The World Upside Down" if you see elite status as some sort of a rewards program.

Exiled in Express

+1. I had my first WN experience last week as well as a leg on Delta. I was shocked at how much faster the boarding and deplaning was on Southwest. Hardly a roller bag to be seen in the cabin. Delta took about double the time to load a slightly larger aircraft (737 vs MD90) and probably 3 times as long to deplane.

I have also recently flown Spirit, the majority of the customers have adapted to avoid the fees and turn times do not seem to reflect the decrease in hand luggage. Long term I can not see this being a positive change for American. First checked bag free for all on the other hand would differentiate them positively.

84fiero

Notwithstanding all the debate over whether it's good/bad/whatever, has anyone else seen something along the lines of what the OP is asking? Doing a dummy booking I don't see anything popping up in the payment section.

Science Goy

Of course not, but the point still stands. On average, elites will be willing to pay more to fly their preferred airline.

EkekoBWI

I see it a bit differently.

If carry-on fees are the direction (most) major carriers choose to go, they may turn it on its head and brand it as providing a "Go Lite" option: giving people a rebate (free drink coupons doled out by GA?) for no carry-on(s) vice a surcharge if they had a carry-on. The former is easy to manage; the latter is a nightmare. This scheme would only be for Y and Y+, of course, but that's where the 'problem' is, right?

Under this coupon approach, the airline makes out nicely in most scenarios:

--Business travelers:
Check all bags--Yes, bags expensed so s/he's not paying for it out-of-pocket
Receives carry-on coupon--Yes
Winner: Airlines and biz travelers
Loser: Company paying slightly higher fees, but not enough to make them think twice

--Non-Elite Leisure Traveler
Check all bags--No, because more expensive than carry-on benefit
Receives carry-on coupon--No
Winner: Airlines
Loser: Traveler

--Families:
Check all bags--No, bankruptcy
Receives carry-on coupon--No, not interested; still cheaper than checking all
Winner: Airlines
Loser: Family

--Elite Leisure Traveler (flying Y / Y+)
Check all bags--Yes, s/he's not paying a fee anyway due to status
Receives carry-on coupon--Yes
Winner: Airlines & Traveler (taking care of the best customers...)
Loser: None

...oh, and drink prices 'should' go up $1 so it seems like you are getting a better deal...


Keep in mind, US Gov will likely be none too pleased that customers will get stuck with another tex-less fee, but the idea above is both revenue and tax-generating.

Dieuwer

Yes, as long as elites are rewarded for paying more. Mind you, the lower tier elites would not get much value for paying $150 extra.

Science Goy

Of course. The higher your elite level, the higher value of AA relative to other carriers and the more likely you are to spend even more on AA. Diabolical, it is.

Even so, GLD members will still on average find value in sticking with AA (even if that average isn't anywhere close to $150/ticket).

reft

Squeeze Play:

There are items that can't be put in the hold, either because the TSA won't allow it, or the Airline won't take responsibility, or common sense otherwise dictates. A Laptop with a spare battery containing sensitive personal or corporate information might meet all these conditions.

Is this: "Pay if you ever want to see your valuables again?"

Dieuwer

Example: for a recent itinerary, the DL fare was $700 while the WN fare was $350. Same dates, similar times. I went with WN.

ESpen36

You mean rollaboard, right?

Upgraded!

I think that one would backfire in terms of money saved/costs incurred. Given that aa.com won't let you choose from every available fare there would be so many people calling either reservations or web services to have a held ticket up-fared to allow for free carry-on baggage (particularly if an employer won't care what inventory you book but won't reimburse for extra charges). If, for example, G, Q, N, S and O didn't allow for free carry-ons but aa.com still only shows lowest price, discount but refundable and full-fare it will require a call in order to get the M or W fare (or whatever) in order to get the right fare in there.

ESpen36

Not gonna happen. Business travelers use rollaboards for a reason--their time is valuable. Ask George Clooney if you need help with the math regarding how much time is lost waiting for checked bags in the course of a year if you travel frequently...

I, for one, refuse to wait at a carousel for 30-45 minutes after a flight while disgruntled contract baggage handlers take a break just to spite the airline. It has happened to me too many times in the past. No more checking bags for me! (I even have lost patience with gate-checking....thank goodness I no longer fly Eagle routes!)

austin_modern

save them for stuffing unruly children into.... :P

unfrequentflyer

I travel to SF for both business and leasure (domestic). In 1995, a discounted Y JFK-SFO cost $300 RT. Now I am still able to score such a ticket on Thanksgiving for under $400. How much did fuel and wages go up during these times?

I think $30 carryon fee is very fair. I never have checked bag on domestic trips. My carryon hold enough clothes to last 8 days.