Choose Your Own Airline Price
Airlines are changing how tickets are sold and adding on extras for many of us.
Oct. 8, 2008 — -- Red states ready. Blue states steady. All states vote.
No, I'm not talking about this year's dramatic presidential race. I'm talking about the thrill of voting to elect your final airline ticket price. Voting for a ticket price? Yes, indeed.
Consider what's happening with American Airlines. According to an airline representative, there are plans afoot to have you "vote" every time you fly with American. Yes, starting next year, American execs expect to continue -- in their words, keep going "full-steam ahead" -- with efforts to "unbundle" amenities, otherwise known as pesky airline fees.
Unbundle -- I love that word. But what does it mean?
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It means instead of getting a bundle of services for one flat rate -- say, your airfare, plus a soft drink and a snack, as well as a blanket and maybe some headphones -- you will now pay to play.
Services or amenities will be unbundled, meaning you pay one cost for your base airfare and fuel surcharge and separate costs for everything else (when you buy your ticket online or optionally at the airport/aircraft).
So that would mean your airfare plus $2 for that Diet Coke (as US Airways is doing), maybe $7 for that blanket and pillow combo (as JetBlue is doing) and, of course, another fee for checking a bag (as pioneered by American).
Some of these fees seem acceptable to a lot of us. Many will elect to pay for Internet services, and why not? We already pay for that at many hotels, home and at the office. But to pay extra for a nonmiddle seat, no matter how early you purchase your ticket? That seems a bit much. I mean, a seat is kind of the whole point of your airfare, isn't it? But this is already a reality on a number of airlines.
OK, here's a new one: paying for frequent flier miles. Sound crazy? Don't tell Air Canada, because, in a limited sense, that's what it is doing. Now, before Air Canada jumps all over me, understand that these are not the frequent flier miles you get for the length of your flight; these are just the bonus miles you get for booking the flight. If you don't accept these booking flight miles, you get $3 off the price of your airfare.
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