New checked bag fees...

[scubafanatic]

Also all us frogs are so damn stupid that we can't figure out that a ticket for $200 plus $200 in fees is the same as a ticket for $400 with everything included. If we could just figure this out, an airline would finally see a marketing advantage to selling customers on service and experience instead of the lowest price. Offering a $400 ticket that includes your baggage, your carry on, your drink, and even toilet paper in the bathroom. But until then us frogs will keep ignoring the $400 ticket in the expedia listing for the $200 ticket that ends up costing $400 in the end.

The sad thing is that airline tickets are and have gone up, but thanks to the new ala carte mentality, customers and now paying more and getting much, much less in their overall experience in flying. Had all this not gone on, prices would have still gone up as they have, but there would have been increases in flying experience along with it.

the airfines have steadfastly opposed 'truth in advertising', witness their fanatical opposition to the recently implimented government/regulatory measures to impose some minimal consumer protections with respect to things like holding passengers prisoner on airplanes for excessive lengths of time and more disclosures required up front with respect to 'true' ticket pricing.

Delta just bought it's own oil refinery to 'capture' those profits, keeping monies 'in house' that otherwise went to fuel refiners, not saying it's a bad thing, but another symbol if 'leaving no stone unturned' when it comes to getting creative with costs/revenues.

 

[Mike]

That should be really interesting to see how that plays out. If Delta can effect their fuel costs by refining their own fuel others will be considering following them. Reminds me of Andrew Carnegie, he wanted to not only own his steel plants, but the rail road to get the raw materials to them, the mines the raw materials came out of etc...