What will the airlines start charging us for next? After you read this, you’ll be sorry you asked.
Nigel Appleby’s daughter recently got a survey from WestJet which offers some clues about the Canadian carrier’s next move. It’s troubling, to say the least.
WestJet has denied that it sent the survey to its customers.
According to Appleby, the airline wanted to know if passengers would consider a $10 service fee for one of the following:
Priority boarding (getting on the plane first)
Priority disembarking (getting off the plane first)
Expedited baggage delivery
Priority rebooking in case of flight cancellation
Complimentary meals/hotel accommodations when a flight is either cancelled or substantially delayed
In-flight Internet access
Guaranteed space in the overhead bin
In-seat power
Premium snack/meal offering
A freshly laundered pillow/blanket set that you may keep after the flight
An amenity kit with earplugs, eyeshades and toiletries to keep you refreshed on the plane
A wait of 10 minutes or less to clear security checkpoints
Sitting away from parents traveling with babies/small children
If you could pay $10 less to not use particular services for a flight of two to four hours, how likely would you be to do so for each of the following services?
Savings for not checking bags
Savings for not earning frequent flier miles
Savings for only bringing aboard one small piece of carry-on baggage (e.g., only a purse or computer bag)
Savings for being the last to board
Savings for using online check-in instead of a kiosk
Savings for using either a kiosk or online check-in instead of a human agent
Savings for having my checked luggage to be among the last to be delivered
Savings for sitting in a middle seat
Savings for making no changes to your ticket prior to departure
Savings for not getting free water, coffee/tea, juices or soft drinks in flight
Savings for having a seat that does not recline
Savings to sit close to parents traveling with babies/small children
This is disappointing, but not surprising. Airlines are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to generating “ancillary” revenues from their customers.
The funny thing is that there’s no “discount” for services you don’t use. When airlines went “a la carte” they didn’t discount their fares – instead, they were busy trying to raise them.
So let’s call this what it really is – a hidden fare increase.
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Absolutely! I would pay extra to sit far away from kids kicking the back of my seat..babies crying while parents either ignore, or try their best to quiet the child down. It would be better to have a “baby/child” zone in the plane, but that will never happen. $10 is a small price to pay for peace.
Yes to $10 to clear security check points. Would be nice to pass by the line especially when you are running late to catch a flight.
Yes to $10 Internet and Power connectivity. Would make the flight go by much quicker and not have to worry about carrying extra batteries for the notebook.
All in all the majority of these upgrades look like the perks in first/business class without the huge difference in price. Granted you don’t get the big comfy chair, but for the price, it does add value.
Of course, marketing notwithstanding, there is no econominc difference between a fee for a service you use or a discount for not using a service. That being said, it would depend on the purpose of a given trip.
On an overnight business trip,I would be happy to save money by not checking bags. On a one week trip to Europe, I’d rather check the bags.
The real problem is to make sure that the airlines do not devalue their frequent flyer programs by duplicating the benefits for a $10 fee.
I can’t imagine the airlines being able to manage who paid for what services. That said, I would be happy to trade inflight internet access for checking in at a kiosk.
I would definitely pay $10 for a baby free flight. Worse than the crying is the kid who sits behind me and kicks my seat the whole time while the parents pretend to not notice!
I, too, would pay $10 extra to be guaranteed a seat away from screaming children. It’s something I’ve suggested to airlines in the past when taking surveys.
I’d be willing to pay $10 for several of these things ~ the crying children, of course…but especially the (hopefully) 10 minute security line or priority disembarking if you had a tight connection.
My issue would be that by charging $5 for this and $15 for that and $10 for something else….pretty soon we’ll just have to automatically calculate an additional $50 in our head when searching for good (cheap) prices…
The vitriol expressed about “screaming children” always surprises and saddens me.
I wish the airlines would come to some industry agreement and all raise prices by 5% – and stop this nickle-and-dime-ing everyone.
But then again, I’ve flown Ryanair enough times to know where this is going and it isn’t pretty.
This is an internet hoax. From any other airline I would believe them but this is WestJet, one of the best run airlines in the world.
I’d pay $200 extra for an annoyance-free flight. That means: no babies, no kids, no people that stink, and no drunkards wanting to tell me their life story. :P