American to charge for FIRST checked bag.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

I just don't get it. They're losing money. They need to charge more.

I get that - I do. That's quite why I didn't have a problem with it initially. Except that they HAVE raised prices. A lot. Typically it costs us about $400/person to fly right around Christmas (the most expensive time of the year, in my six years of experience with this particular round-trip.) This summer it's costing twice that. So they're already charging more - a lot more, 100% more. The luggage charges on top of it is frustrating. The whole affair is frustrating.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by LSPoorEeyorick

I get that - I do. That's quite why I didn't have a problem with it initially. Except that they HAVE raised prices. A lot. Typically it costs us about $400/person to fly right around Christmas (the most expensive time of the year, in my six years of experience with this particular round-trip.) This summer it's costing twice that. So they're already charging more - a lot more, 100% more.

This is just simply the classic supply and demand playing itself out. There is a higher demand for flights around Christmas time, so they can charge more for it. The exact same flight in say September is probably cheaper.

As a big fan of free markets, I support this. I may not always like it, and it certainly isn't a perfect system, but it is (IMO) the best one available.

[katiesue]

But what LSPE is saying was that the flights she's taking this summer are double what she paid for flights last Christmas - which was peak time.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Kevy Baby

This is just simply the classic supply and demand playing itself out. There is a higher demand for flights around Christmas time, so they can charge more for it. The exact same flight in say September is probably cheaper.

What Katie said.

But either way, the fact still remains that people are choosing their flights based on one thing and one thing alone - which flight pops up at the top of a "sort by lowest price" search. Every dollar they can remove from that ticket price will increase their sales. They have no choice, any other option means losing money.

[Gemini Cricket]

"The major airlines are truly a la carte now — you don't get anything free any more," said Parsons, chief executive of the travel Web site Bestfares.com. "You get a tin can in the air, and anything else you pay as you go."

He expects the legacy carriers to follow the lead of discount carrier Spirit Airlines, which now charges extra for seat reservations — $5 for middle seats, $10 for window and aisle seats and $15 for exit-row seats. Other airlines also have begun charging for window or aisle seats.

Source
There's a possibility the big airlines could be charging for reserving seats, too? I missed that bit of news.

[innerSpaceman]

Wow, I'm almost glad I can't afford to fly at all.

[Kevy Baby]

I figured someone else would post it, but apparently not.

US Air announced today that they too would start charging for the first bag. They have also announced that they would start charging for non-alcoholic drinks as well ($2.00 each).

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Oyyy vey. If you don't pay for those reserved seats, it'll make it so hard on couples or families, who like to try to sit together... on plus-sized people (or, I'll speak specifically, me. I like a window seat so I can lean out of the way of my seat mates without getting smacked by the beverage cart.) And like I've been whining, it's just another expense added to the already exorbitant (and for us, outside of emergency or required trip, basically prohibitive) prices.

Kevin, like they've pointed out, our summer trips are each 2x the cost that our Christmas tickets run, so it's not supply/demand. But it IS airlines losing money, I get that.

[Ghoulish Delight]

"The major airlines are truly a la carte now — you don't get anything free any more,"

Where exactly was he getting fee airline tickets before?

Things may not be included in the price of the ticket anymore, but nothing was ever free.

Personally, I'm still all for a-la-cart. I don't use the crappy pillows or the itchy blankets. I don't read the dumb magazines. If I can get away with a carry on, I do. I don't need curbside check-in, etc. etc. So if this means they don't raise the price of the tickets as much to cover all of that stuff that I'm not using for other people, then I'm all for it.

[BarTopDancer]

I can bring my own snacks, and buy my own drinks once I get through security. I don't use their blankets, pillows or read their magazines. I wonder if those air-store magazines actually bring in a profit, or break even.

I have to check my bag though because of the 3-3-3 rule. My make up and hair stuff is to big.

Airlines have to do what they have to do to stay afloat. I'm tempted to buy tickets for my December trip now, before the prices go up. But it's not a 110% sure thing and I'd be losing money if I had to cancel.