pie-eater 207 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Great word for it, options. Quote: American Airlines Adds Fee for Special Coach Seats that Aren't So Special It used to be that the money you were charged for a seat in basic coach was called a fare. But in our age of nickle-and-dime airline fees, even the most trivial parts of the flight experience are up for grabs. For instance: seats closer the front of the plane. Airline fee trendsetter American Airlines has announced a new charge for "Express Seats," which are just the rows toward the beginning of coach. For a mere $19-$39, passengers will get to board first and sit down in their cramped coach seats before other coach passengers. Then they will get to leave the plane just before other coach passengers. The seats aren't actually any bigger or better. They don't have more leg room. They're just closer to the front. You have to admire American for this. First, they get to make more money. Second, they've finally found a way to charge people who are saving money by not checking in luggage. The thinking, we believe, went something like this: "we're already charging people to check baggage, and they don't care when they get off the plane since they'll be waiting around indefinitely anyway; how do we get everyone else?" Our favorite part of this delightful innovation? Just like with every other additional fee or downgrade—in-flight meals, checked luggage, carry-on bags, reward tiers, etc—American is marketing the change as an empowering new "choice" or "option" that you now have. You can choose to pay for something you used to get for free, or you can choose to go without. The airline is actually including the new feature under their obnoxiously titled "Your Choices" umbrella, a name which we already found aggravating when they rolled it out to charge for early boarding. Obviously this doesn't do much to enhance our appreciation of the program. Yes, I'll take some fuel with that ticket please. But seriously, the recent trend of people paying "extra" to choose their seat up front - ie. before the 24 hour online check in thing - is increasingly annoying. My lady waited to do the online check in until that 24 hours before flight time. It was free, but she had a choice of..... 1 seat. And that was almost instantly after it was available, so I can only think that a ton of people paid 3000 yen or whatever it was to book their seat. Do you / would you pay to fix up your seat before the free online check in starts 24 hours before? Or risk it? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 no, I'd risk it. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Same as TB - risk it. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 This sounds like the prisoners' dilemma. Except that if no-one pays the extra, they'll just make the basic price more expensive. All these cuts are presumably to make the headline price of fares as cheap as possible. The budget airline model. It's hard to call it profiteering because normal (i.e., not no-frills) airlines don't tend to make profits. I guess they don't split up groups or families, so maybe a lot of people are getting seats up front without paying. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 risk it... If you have a few minutes watch this youtube clip of Sully Sullenberger (famous for landing a plane on the Hudson river in NY) as he addresses the US congress about the state of air travel. Very interesting and a little scary... Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 dunno about this, always been able to choose the seat at booking. If they wanted to save some dosh, just stop servng the meals. The tray on your fold down table for the duration of the flight is a major annoyance. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Loverly....another 'option'. We experienced the new check in experience Domestic Qantas from Perth to Canberra last week...it was changed from just a few weeks before during the school holidays. I went and swiped my FF card in the machine and it asked me if I wanted to check in others which I did - well one of the two other couples because the other couple had already done it online stuffing us all right up and splitting the group of 6. But it spat out baggage tags as well - I sh!t you not - we had to stick our own baggage tags on before taking them to the desk, where they did everything as per previously - weighed, checked and removed the snowboard bags to carry off down to the oversized area to be swabbed for explosives blarhdy blah... On the way back the stupid system would not allow us to check in this way and pick our seats together... the stupid default settings on the early checkers from the way over with preferences for up the front seats screwed us all up. Checked by the person at the desk we ended up spread across 3 rows of 3....3 people in the first row, 2 people in the 2nd (with an extra single) and one lone wolf in the 3rd row. I happened to be the one with the single...initially irritated that my husband was not sitting with me I resigned myself to sleeping the flight and prayed the other 2 passengers did not have the wide load spread issue often debated here... I lucked in!! I was seated on the aisle, a quiet business woman was seated next to the window and the seat in the middle was vacant! Woo hoo. However I still am befuddled as to why the Qantas check in staff could not have re arranged that seating to put the 2 partners in each of those 3 rows with a single - would have worked without any shuffling... DUMB! Link to post Share on other sites
Schneebored 0 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I always book the emergency seat in advance because I am quiet long. Link to post Share on other sites
kkk 7 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 How are you able to do that? Link to post Share on other sites
Schneebored 0 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Originally Posted By: KevKastle How are you able to do that? Qant'ass' will allow you to do it for $80 per flight, provided you meet their mobility requirements. For some other airlines I have had to resort to getting to check in around 3hrs+ for internation flights, as it is on a 1st come 1st served. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I was randomly issued with the exit row seats once...thought I had won the lottery until they whipped them off us because one of my companions was profoundly deaf. She was a darn site stronger than me (to open the exit door) and in all ways able to meet the criteria - but she couldn't hear the instructions, if there were any amidst the panic. Didn't matter that an interpreter was seated right next to her, and that she is about the most capable person I know. Still never had an exit row on Qantas. I did have one I paid for on a JetStar flight to Hamilton Island....but it is not quite the same is it? Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted August 23, 2010 Author Share Posted August 23, 2010 I did pay this time, to get possibly the best Business Class seat on the flight on the upper deck. Upper deck business class on the BA flight is almost like a diffferent class to lower deck business class. So much more room and not as many people walking around, it feels so much more exclusive. I hate the idea of paying out on top, but with the choice being: - guaranteed seat on a fabulous seat on the upper deck for a bit more; - get to sit on one of the central seats on the noisier lower deck ... I decided to just do it, annoying as it is. I probably wouldn't have done it if the choice was only lower deck. Link to post Share on other sites
Tex 3 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Originally Posted By: pie-eater Great word for it, options. Quote: You can choose to pay for something you used to get for free, NO! They wouldn't!! Link to post Share on other sites
joshnii 2 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Originally Posted By: thursday dunno about this, always been able to choose the seat at booking. You have said that before thursday. But why can you do that? Is it an airline-wide policy, because you always pay full business class price or are just a very frequent flyer that gives you that 'bonus'? Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 well I'm a Marco Polo club member and always use Cathay Pacific. I can book and choose the seats online. And the freebie flights, the booking girl asks what seats I want. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Don't know what Marco Polo club is, but it sounds posh and so no doubt what you are experiencing is not what most people do. I would guess. You have to get something for all the excess cash that is paid for non-peasant. Got any spare cash? Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Ah... hence you miss the "are we there yet" bit. Easy to do. Use only one airline, collect the airmiles to get freebies and status. Boarding priority, seat priority etc. Been flying the same airline for over 15 years. Can see it changing. It's just like Sings are loyal to SIA and Brits loyal to BA, Japanese loyal to JAL etc. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 OK so why don't I get all that after flying BA and being "loyal" to them for 15+ years? Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 have you joined their frequent flyer club? It's important. This will allow you to accumulate the sectors and miles you've travelled with them. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Frequent Flyer ... or better yet Qantas Club ... gives a heap of bonuses. Doesn't always guarantee better service from the grumpy hosties, but it usually does at check in, baggage services, baggage allowances etc. I am sure it would be much nicer again with Cathay or SIA over Qantas or BA, but still better than not having it. BA will have their own version. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Originally Posted By: thursday have you joined their frequent flyer club? It's important. This will allow you to accumulate the sectors and miles you've travelled with them. Yep. Bloody stingy they are though. I think I just about have enough for an Asian flight now or something. But I can't choose my seat like you said. When is a "mile" = "a quarter of a mile"? When BA count it! This is almost all peasant class of course. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 The miles add up MUCH quicker when you add a business class flight or two in there...not that we do that often, but it did tip us into the next category last year, which gives more credit per mile, so it is easier to stay there than it is to get there. Too Funny! Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Originally Posted By: thursday well I'm a Marco Polo club member Marco..... Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Marco Polo didn't even get to China. He's a fake bastard. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 really? Link to post Share on other sites
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