I just booked an free award ticket on United today.

4 segments x $2.50 for the maximum of $10 is being charged to me.

Thanks, Steve M. I'll remember to charge the award-ticket fee/tax to Diner's from now on. Although I got the Diner's card for the bonus points offer, I have been very impressed with its benefits.

US employees do not pay the fee, but are paying the charge for passes on other airlines. Also the fee is not charged for RTFC's ( bump tickets). Also if you are making a change to your flight and have connection , try to change to another time or date but same city connection, this is a revalidation of an ETKT only when either no fee or just a change fee. You may see a lot of airline agents strongly hinting on same city connections http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

AS Flyer,

I just needed to say that you are obnoxious and have a real attitude! Are you sure that you don't really work for Northwest?

I agree with you Leiterk..... what is worse is the fact that he is talking about the "customer service agents".... Hmmmm makes me wonder what kind of service the customer gets from this person... perhaps the $8-9 is even too much....

I only wish that somehow they could assess a higher tax on those of us that can fly, and give the money to those that can't. Flying, afterall, should be a right, something we're all entitled to. Why should I get to go on vacation or send my employees on a business trip if others can't...oh, the guilt. Now, if only I could think of some group of people that would champion such a concept. I'd like to help make life fair for all.

Think what you wish Leiterk and Nobody (by the way your name most likely says it all) - I just don't see where anyone gets off questioning the benefits that an employee gets. If the airline wants to charge us they will, it's none of your business or anyone elses here. To say that they should is wrong - How would you like it if I said your company shouldn't provide you with health insurance, or vacation time - it's not my business to say so, just as it isn't YOUR business to question my benefits.

I provide excellent customer service - many people can attest to that. If you ever notice that you are getting poor customer service please take a look at your attitude before assuming it's only the other person.

AS FLYER: The real question is if the airlines will be paying the security fee for you or if they will be exempt from having to pay it.

The airline industry has been trying to get out of the security business for years and now they are getting their wish. As long as the airlines pay this fee for you then I have no problem--I would consider it a perk of the job. If the airlines do not have to pay the fee then there is a problem. Security will be provided by the Federal Government and if you use their services it has to be paid for. When you fly on international trips does your airline pay for the INS/Custom fee/tax? or is that considered another perk?

$9.00 substandard? I smell union! While it is not what I'd strive to earn, I would not classify it as substandard. I hope you get the security fee paid, and I hope you get free travel and I hope that you can't be terminated for poor service without a trememdous amount of union grievance paperwork...perhaps that is part of what leads to substandard wages.

I COMPLETELY agree with you, and if my airline is not paying the fee, as I suspect they are, then I would be happy to pay it myself. I agree that the airlines have finally managed to find a way out of the costs of security for the most part - for them ask taxpayers to foot the bill for my travel would not be fair. It does pose an interesting question, one that I will ask. I'll let you know what they have to say. I know that the airlines pay the PFC charge for each passenger on the plane that is occupying a passenger seat - they choose not to pass that on to the employees. I would have assumed the security surcharges would be the same.

As for International taxes - airline employees are responsible to pay those.

I admit that unions are responsible for driving the wages up unreasonably for some positions. It would be a better system if there were more equality in terms of wages. That's a perfect world though, and we don't live in a perfect world. For now we have to deal with Captains making $200-$300 per hour, while the ramp people make $8.00 per hour. There jobs are different, so it's not a fair comparison perhaps, but they are both integral parts of the operation. I think that $9.00 per hour, in 2002, is sub standard for what they ask of their Customer Service Agents. I'm not a CSA myself. I see the job that these people do and, while I know there are some bad apples in the bunch, most deserve far more than they are being paid. It's a hard job, most do it with incredible grace, managing to hold their tongues under incredibly trying circumstances. The airlines don't give these guys/gals much to work with these days.

I believe unions are a double edged sword. They provide protections to some undeserving of them. I prefer a system where people are rewarded based on merit. I see, though, that big companies, like AA or UA or even AS, would walk all over the employees if there were nothing to protect them. Unions help to keep the companies in check. On the other side of that I also think that unions try to control the company. It seems like certain employee groups run the airlines. I suppose if the CSA's had a stronger union they might make a more equitable wage. It is what it is though, our thoughts don't matter a whole lot to those that count.

Many people here complain about the poor Customer Service they get. I've experienced it myself. I can only think of the old saying, you get what you pay for. In this case, the airlines are hiring people to start at next to minumum wage and they sometimes have to accept what they can get. That being said, I have seen some incredible people on the front lines. I wonder, sometimes, what some of these people are doing working for $8 or $9 per hour.

Sorry to stray from the topic - My original point was, if indeed the airlines are paying the security fee for the employees than I think that's great. I agree that if the employees are being subsidized by the tax payers then that is not fair.

[This message has been edited by AS Flyer (edited 02-10-2002).]

Talking with a friend at UA, he said they used to make non-revs pay the extra fees, but they were spending more money (administratively) collecting all the fees that it would have cost just to pay them... so apparently, non-revs at UA don't pay anymore, AFAIK.

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"What do you mean you didn't get miles for that?!"