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Flyers Are FEE-ling It:
Frontier now charges penalties
for booking through third-party sites |
Nowadays it's becoming, buy one airline ticket, get a dozen fees.
Last week's big news was airline fees hitting a record $6 billion in 2012, and has airline service become any better? No.
For months FlyersRights as been denouncing these baggage fees.
Paul Hudson, president of FlyersRights proposes
a new truth in air travel
metric and the banning of ecessive baggage and change fees that amount to price gouging.
"The fee-for-everything technique allows airfares to be advertised as much lower than the overall cost," says Hudson. "Fees are also generally exempt from ticket taxes that fund air safety, air traffic control, aviation security, and airport improvements."
Airlines may have reached the point of "deceptive and unfair" pricing, and this could require the DOT to weigh in with new regulations. Banks are required to disclose the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) in all loan advertising to prevent the use of deceptive gimmicks from concealing overall loan costs.
Question: Should airlines should be required to disclose the Average Cost per Seat (ACS) in economy class in addition to the base air fare? What do you think? Post in the forum.
Sharp Questions Continue Re: Knives On Planes
They have also written to TSA Administrator Pistole asking for a special advisory committee with stakeholder representation to evaluate in closed sessions the internal and secret "risk-based study" that TSA claims justifies allowing knives back on airliners.
Boeing 787: If Its Broke, Fix It!
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| A Quick Fix For Boeing's Battery Woes |
As skepticism over the Boeing 787 battery fix grows, FlyersRights is pressuring Congress to investigate.
FlyersRights believes significant doubts remain about the use of lithium-ion batteries in the Dreamliner configuration, even after the many modifications Boeing is making. The fact that there were two "battery events", in Boeing's terminology, in a little more than a week suggest their prior testing and certification process of the batteries was faulty.
The safety and reputation of US made commercial airliners could be at stake. Congress needs to address this problem urgently before another 787 battery crisis erupts.
U.S. post WWII domination of commercial airliner manufacturing cannot be taken for granted. It could easily be lost if the 787 Dreamliner is viewed as unsafe or if its battery problems persist and result in an air disaster.
The public has little tolerance for mass disaster. Just ask Germany what happened to its commercial aviation industry after the Hindenburg dirigible disaster. Or ask the British what happened to theirs after the Comet jetliner crashes in the early1950s.
American Airlines
The airline has expanded a new boarding policy that allows passengers to board early if they carry no luggage for the overhead compartment.
Passengers carrying just a personal item such as a purse, backpack or computer bag that fits under the seat will board right after Group 1 premium passengers and before groups 2, 3 and 4.
Also, the airline said that it will let passengers check a carry-on bag at the gate at no charge. That means savvy travelers will be able to move up in the boarding order and avoid checked-bag fees - $25 for the first bag, $35 for a second - although they'll have to retrieve their bag at baggage claim after they land.
If it works according to plan, fewer people will be stuck behind the inevitable guy who takes too long to hoist his rolling bag into an overhead bin.
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