Air Travel Gets Worse – The Top 9 Stingiest Airlines

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It has probably happened to all of us. We dutifully get to the airport 2 hours early, take off our shoes to pass through security, and watch as the TSA guy throws out our forgotten full-size tube of toothpaste. Watch out, that thing could blow up any minute!

Regulation Size Bottles for Air Travel (Paul Johnson)The individual airline companies have little – or nothing – to do with the TSA and other ridiculous homeland security policies that don’t actually make us safer (although these policies have spawned a whole cottage industry of 3 ounce toiletry products). A consumer wouldn’t be out of line to think, however, that airlines would acknowledge the indignities of air travel, and do their very best to assuage this for their customers. Think again. With US Airways now charging for water, and Jet Blue charging for in-flight blankets and pillows, the nickel-and-diming of air travel passengers has hit a new low. In no way does the airline industry indicate that it believes the customer is king, always right, or even worthy of respect.

Time Magazine compiled a list of the stingiest airlines. It’s an interesting read; Southwest and Virgin America are the most passenger-friendly, while United and US Airways the least. Yes, we all know that fuel prices have gone through the roof, and that airlines have to do their best to turn a profit. The ill will generated by added fees is not the way to go, though.

Jet Blue, ranked in the middle of Time’s list of stingiest airlines, still manages to remain relativelyAnyone wanna buy a Jet Blue pillow and blanket? (Time, Inc.) unblemished and garner customer loyalty. I have a hard time reconciling my own warm feelings toward the airline with its claims that making passengers buy on-board pillows and blankets is somehow “good for the environment.” You know what’s better for the environment? Not flying at all. And that’s exactly what more and more travelers are going to do, if these stingy, infantilizing policies continue on their downward path.

Now, no one honestly believes that we can bring back the days of air travel as a luxury event. Those days are gone. However, there must be some middle ground between having airline tickets costing so much that only the upper crust of society can afford to fly, and the cattle car experience that it is today. Any ideas? I’d like to think that managers in the airline industry would be open to them.

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August 28, 2008 | Filed Under Budget Travel, Family Travel, Flying High, Luxury Travel, The Cookie Jar, Travel News 

Comments

6 Responses to “Air Travel Gets Worse – The Top 9 Stingiest Airlines”

  1. Keith says:
    August 28, 2008 at

    There was one airline …. Monarch, I think … who made you pay for headphones. You could keep them afterwards, though … and a lot of us found that the phones from our Walkmans and personal CDs would work in the entertainments system.

  2. Jilly says:
    August 28, 2008 at

    I unfortunately have to fly next month. We officially now hate flying, so we tried hard to come up with an alternate plan. Driving from CA to FL was out – too much time, too much hassle, too much gas. We figured we’d try a sleeper car on the train. Well, there we had to go from FL to CHICAGO to CA, inexplicably. Plus the sleeper closets cost about the same as a cruise ship trip.

    Then we saw the first class flight tickets also cost more than a cruise.

    We even considered renting an RV to drive back so we would only have to fly one way…then got wrapped back up in the gas situation.

    So, yeah, we gave up and bought plane tickets. We have to change planes in Atlanta and can’t even sit together on the last leg to FL. I am afraid to check and see which airlines we are stuck with.

    Am NOT looking forward to this. I always get sick when i fly. I’m going to try really hard not to this time, even if it means wearing gloves and a mask. Sheesh. Flying.

  3. We Have to Fly, But We Now Hates It at HippyGeek says:
    August 28, 2008 at

    [...] sit together on the last leg to FL. I am afraid to check and see which airlines we are stuck with. Some are stingier than others: I wonder if we will be charged now for water and coffee. If so, all the more reason to just get [...]

  4. The Artful RV Adventurers says:
    August 28, 2008 at

    When they start charging for the rest room, I’m outta there for good. You laugh, but just you wait. mark

  5. jamie says:
    August 28, 2008 at

    I remember the days (long ago) of paying for headset cords to watch the movie. Remember headset cords?

    I felt the same way then that I do now: charge me once for everything. Include it in the ticket price.

  6. Pixelpat says:
    August 30, 2008 at

    We just flew back to Seattle from Panama City via Atlanta on Delta Airlines. On the International flight breakfast, pillows, blankets and headphones were free.
    From Atlanta to Seattle there was a charge for lunch, certain snacks, games and movies and $2.00 for a headset.
    Credit cards were readily accepted. Mark, I think you are right….you’ll soon need a credit card to open the restroom door!

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