riteshraja

Yes but since elites get to board first they get first dibs on the overhead space. Now as for spending more time in the AC and arriving at the gate 10 minutes before departure - that may have to change.

GTITAN

As usual brp, a most balanced and insightful analysis and agree completely!!! This is the world we live in. Accept it and move on, and at the end of the day, IMHO a pay for service proposition, in and of itself, is actually quite fair. If one wants "X", they should pay for it. Almost hear Mr. Walter Cronkite saying. "That's the way it is." Safe travels.

chicagorich

That because WN isn't parking planes in the desert in a desperate attempt to stop from hemorrhaging red ink.

Also, WN doesn't fly into some of the largest airports in the country...like ATL....yet. Once WN starts invading those fortress hubs, you'll see even more people abandoning the "full service" carriers and their nickel and dime fees.

.

c1mth0g

I was on a DL flight Sunday and the gate agent announced that there is a $25 fee for a gate-checked bag (if that is the second bag) and the fee was only payable by credit card.

rjque

I'm not opposed to this fee in theory but I think it is going to make it very difficult to fly AA for the initial period of implementation. The non-elite line for checking luggage at SFO isn't exactly a pleasant experience as it is. The new policy will add quite a bit of time to process additional payment for everyone in the line. I'd like to be optimistic and say that the added revenue will go to hire more agents to speed the process but we all know that isn't true.

Also, everyone is going to try to carry as much as possible on board, which is going to slow both the security checkpoints and boarding. Assuming people do bring on luggage that doesn't fit, how will AA process payment?

Sounds like flying AA will be pretty chaotic over the next few months.

brp

Clearly it's possible to take an argument to an absurd extreme. Sigh...

Cheers.

VT_hawkeye

Southwest isn't cheap all the time. Matter of fact, not even most of the time.

What they don't do, though, is insult their customers; they usually try to treat their customers like human beings rather than self-propelled cargo. Their fare model is open, and the rules are easy to (a) find and (b) understand. When you fly WN, you know you're not buying a "full-service" experience, but neither are they going to try to screw you.

And charging for the first checked bag is an insulting screwjob.

ndhapple

Not to mention having people bring their too big carry ones onboard slows down the boarding process, delaying planes and aggravating passengers. If I had my way, they would be non-frequent fliers for bringing suitcases and large bags on board. It would clear out the overhead bins for those of us who need them and would speed the boarding process.

I don't like the extra fees and wish that AA would just incorporate them into the next fare increases. If anything all of these extra fees are just going to annoy customers to no end who will bug their congress-critters to do something about it. I would surprised if by the end of the year there wasn't a substantial effort underway to partially re-regulate the industry. If it brought a saner pricing system, restoration of lost inflight service and profitability back to the industry.

alliance

I attribute that to their frequency on short hops and not a lack of demand for their product.

TN_Again

Oil prices are not coming down - ever.

Airlines are basically eliminating the vacation/leisure traveler with fare and fee increases. It's over.

alliance

They will charge them at the gate if it is outside of the size allowed. But even if everyone carries on an allowed carry-on there will still be chaos because there will always be gate checking (which should still be free) because there isn't enough space.

This will put even more stress on the FAs - something that isn't going to help the labor problems.

seanp7

Very surprised at this, although brp's post (as usual) makes a lot of sense. I do agree, though, that it will cause boarding chaos initially.

Redhead

I think you may be right, an effort to re-regulate in some format may be in the near future. However, what would that do to FF programs? Nothing good IMHO

alliance

I guess you think that there should be a charge to carry-on a bag too?

There must be a line where the fees stop right? I mean, at some point the fares have to get raised to a level that can keep the airlines in business.

jayzee9

Funny, the line between what was once full-service and discount is not only blurred, it has reversed (if that makes sense).

I am *A Gold, Oneworld Sapphire, and Skyteam Elite. However, I do most of my personal travel on WN, especially as I have a companion pass. When I dont' have to connect, WN is as pleasant as any other carrier. I rarely check bags, but I do see this will become a logistical nightmare.

A better way to implement this is to charge everyone the extra $15 and put it in your flightcredits account (or give you extra miles if you don't check bags). That way, they don't have to go through the hassle of collecting all of the $$, and those who don't check bags will eventually get enough credit to buy a ticket or subsidize another one.

Travelling overseas a lot, American carriers have a lot to learn. The service is sub-par, but the standby rules are much better. I think the standby rules will be the next victim in this costcutting.

I think one of the major problems is these legacies have very high cost structures and have problems supporting them. They need to really consider servicing all of the small markets. Why does every city need an airport? Why not do it European style and have major airports and good high speed trains/ or even trains that will get you to those airports.