How to Run an Airline

 

by Pa Rock

Victimized Flier

The Biden administration has been yammering on in recent months about eliminating "hidden costs" and "hidden fees," charges which are added by the seller at the end of a transaction and which result in the cost of the purchase being higher than the buyer had anticipated.   The President says that eliminating hidden charges and fees will empower the middle class and allow them to keep more of the money they earn.  (People seldom talk about empowering the poor because many politicians loudly equate poverty with laziness - and the key to ending poverty doesn't rest with the government, it ends when the lazy take second and third jobs and rise to a level where they can house and feed themselves and their families.)

But poverty is a whole different blog posting.  Today we are talking about hidden charges and fees.

Although I have not heard Joe Biden speak on America's airlines in the context of hidden charges and fees, they are prime abusers of the bait-and-switch swindle.   In the internet age experienced travel agents seem to have gone by the wayside and most travelers now shop for and purchase their own airline tickets on-line.  Sometimes there is so much fine print that having a law degree should almost be a prerequisite for shopping for airline tickets.  One thing is certain, the actual price is never the advertised price because with airlines almost every amenity comes with an additional cost.

My sister and I took a trip to the West Coast this past summer.  We traveled on bargain tickets and it wasn't until we were at the airport checking in that we learned there was fine print on that purchase which prevented us from bringing carry-on bags.  We each had packed one small suitcase that would fit in an overhead bin, but we had to check them for a pricey $35 dollars each below deck.  If we had known about the hidden fee, we could have at least packed in regular-sized suitcases.

Luggage fees are just one airline add-on to the basic cost of a ticket.   There are also fees if a traveler has to change or cancel a flight, if a bag is overweight, for entertainment such as in-flight movies - or even just throw-away earphone fees, charges for extras like pillows and blankets, food-and-drink fees, pet fees, and lately even fees for seat selection.  Oh, you would like a seat on the aisle?  We can do that - for a fee!

As soon as airlines identify something that passengers prefer or that makes them more comfortable, a fee seems to pop-up - as with aisle seating.

Here is my modest proposal:  The government should, through federal law, establish a standard for an airline basic ticket and all US carriers should have to adhere to that standard.  As an example:  Any flight that crosses a state line should have a set, advertised price that includes:  one checked bag, one carry-on bag, and a first-come, first-served choice of seats in the economy section of the plane.  Each individual airline could set its own price for that basic ticket.

Then, if I wanted to fly from Chicago to San Francisco, I could peruse the internet and see which airline offered the best deal on a basic ticket - and know that whichever one I chose would give me one checked bag, one carry-on bag, and my choice of available seats at the time of purchase.  That should cut down on customer and staff hostility, and the airlines could make a profit without feeling the need to nickel-and-dime everyone who wishes to board their flight.  (If airlines wanted to undercut each other on the price of their basic tickets, well, that's just capitalism in action.  The far more likely result would be that they would "fix" their prices to an industry standard - and hopefully at a level which would guarantee them a profit without all of the price subterfuge.)

That's just me talking, though.  The poor struggling airlines all share their wealth with national politicians in order to protect their rackets and keep picking the pockets of the poor, so national legislation to try and impose economic decency on their business practices will remain a pipe dream for now - and until such time as Americans have other travel options.

@Secretary Pete, wake up and smell the future!