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What’s your least favorite airline fee? Pillows and blankets, says new poll

September 2, 2008

Quick, name your least favorite of the new airline fees? If you said “pillows and blankets” give yourself a pat on the back.

A new poll by online travel agency Lessno concludes JetBlue’s decision to charge for pillow and blankets is the worst. More than one-third of of those polled chose it as the most unpopular of the new fees.

What else irks air travelers?

¶ Charging for drinks, including bottled water (28 percent).
¶ Making passengers pay for food on longer overseas flights (21 percent).
¶ Charging for preferred seating in coach (17 percent).

Lessno didn’t ask about charging for checked luggage, but a fair number of the participants suggested it would have made their list.

Assen Vassilev, the company’s co-founder, said travelers want airlines to be upfront with them on the cost of air travel. “So many people we talk to say they’d just rather see it in the total price of their ticket.”

Lessno is lobbying the government to change the way airline ticket prices are shown, as I reported last week.

Unfortunately, I think there are more fees in our future. We’ll see.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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12 comments

  • http://www.downtownwomensclub.com Diane K. Danielson

    Why don’t they just add up all they get from those extra fees and then take that sum and divide it among the number of passengers who fly and just stick that extra couple of bucks as part of the fare.

    I find having to have correct change or worry if I have to bring lunch or not, much more stressful than paying a few more bucks up front for something I may or may not use.

    Also, has anyone noticed the trend of asking passengers to clean up their areas? I don’t really have a problem with this, as we all should do it anyhow. But, of course I always get the seats where the folks before left chewed gum and other fun stuff. However, on a few flights I really felt they were going to have us start vaccuming and folding blankets too.

  • http://www.nerdseyeview.com pam

    The whole nickel and dime fee thing is ridiculous. It has been from the day they charged you to use your own headsets for the entertainment in coach, which runs whether you watch it or not. Booking fees? Is there a way to get a ticket beside booking one? Water? Can I bring my own water on the plane yet or not?

    I would be much more sympathetic to a flat increase. Nickel and diming passengers while offering craptastic service is no way to do business.

  • Ani

    I just tried to rebook my ‘free’ ticket. Of course, there is always some problem with the system and it won’t allow me to rebook it. I had to call NWA to do it, then they charge you for the $50 rebooking fee, plus a $25 fee for them doing the rebooking, because their computer system won’t allow me to do it. (Even tried their technical help line and they couldn’t do it). Of course, World Perks had no problem rebooking. I think they purposely do it, so they can nickel and dime you at every step of the way.
    I

  • Sam

    My new least-favorite is US Air … I just found out that because I haven’t flown with them in 18 months, my 58,000+ miles will expire unless I pay them $300. Great … pay $300 so that I can recover miles that are nearly impossible to use …

  • http://nookastyle.blogspot.com matthew

    all the in-air charges and fees are ridiculous – build it into the ticket price just like they used to and like non-us carriers still do. it seems like a PR nightmare that they think cutting fares by 10 bucks to charge it back for a drink and a lousy sandwich is good deal. moreover, the logic of “there’s no need for full meals on flights under 5 hours” is flawed. most people have been up and traveling many hours before the plane takes off just to get to the airport AND you can’t bring your own food and bevs through security.

  • http://www.bonjourparis.com Karen Fawcett

    I despise the nickel and diming. But I also hate using airlines’ blankets and bring my own. I don’t have any faith that they are ever correctly laundered and assume the pillows have seen better days. Beat the airlines at their own game and travel with your personal pillow and blanket.

  • Dale Daniels

    I love the “convenience fee” for booking online. The only way my daughter would have been able to avoid it would be to drive to the airport 20 miles away in heavy traffic. Such a “convenience”!

  • Kathy Letourneau

    I agree that the airlines should just increase the ticket prices instead of nickle and diming the consumer.

    My pet peeve is having to pay for the first checked bag. Unless you travel a lot and can pack what you need in a carryon case, this adds at least another $25.00 in each direction for the ticket. I would rather be charged when I book and pay and have it done with.

    Don’t be surprised next time you fly you need change to use the bath room.

  • John Hellewell

    As in the Brothers Grimm tales of the farmer who had a daughter who could spin straw into gold we have indeed invented the machine that can do just that. It operates every day at every airport across this great nation.
    We drink free water all across this land and for those who want a little more insurance they can buy bottled water by the case at about 20 cents per bottle. On one side of the security we must throw away that bottle of clean filtered water and watch the store attendant behind us place a case of that very same water on that very same belt, send it through and out the other side comes $3.00 per bottle water ($24.00 per Gal).
    Straw in to gold indeed.
    As far as beating the air lines at their game of charging to use blankets and pillows by bring on our own. Well don’t get to happy here, they will just charge a carry on fee or declare “only one carry on”, pillow or blanket or purse or computer case.
    If they want to charge for extra checked luggage then have the computer figure that at the time of booking, then those who do pay, those who don’t don’t but no problems and no surprises at check in.

  • Ed

    I find that the “purchase items on board” to be especially bothersome on international flights…Not necessarily the international flight it’s self, but on the connecting flights…I recently flew round trip to Hong Kong several times last month and on my first trip, we flew back from Hong Kong and took a connecting flight to my home airport…Unfortunatly, when it came time to purchase my onboard “snack” I found that I had no american money in my posesssion! I had converted all my cash to Hong Kong Dollars and they certainly wouldn’t take that for my sandwich purchase! So what was I to do? Well…Nothing…that’s what! Luckily the flight was only 2 hours so when we landed, I treated myself to a great lunch at Red Robins! Yay!
    Ed
    web/gadget guru

  • http://intelligenttravel.typepad.com Marilyn Terrell

    I was on a USA3000 flight from Bermuda to Baltimore on Tuesday and the flight attendant announced the names and contents of three “picnic boxes” for sale that evening: the Purple Box, the Safari Box, and some other silly name. They all contained a cookie, a cracker, some applesauce, and not much else, and the prices started at $7. I’m glad I ate before I boarded. But I do like flying to Bermuda for the low low price of $300 (I booked months ahead).

  • Matthew B

    I used to think that the airport concessions were expensive until the airlines started charging $7 for a dry sandwich and some plastic cheese. If I have to fly at my normal meal time, it is much cheaper to eat at the airport McDonalds than pay for the crap on the plane. At 5.30 a.m. at Newark Airport, for $7 you can get scrambled eggs, hotcakes, sausage, biscuit and a large OJ. Even if you’re flying an airline that offers meals (like Continental) unless you’re flight is over 3 hours, you’re probably getting pretzels or nuts. McDonalds isn’t the most waistline friendly or nutrititious food, but it’s an improvement on most airline food. Depending on the airport, there can be plenty of options.

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