Re:Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?
by mikeash on Monday December 15, 2014 @07:51PM
(#8755381)
Airline tickets are cheaper than they have ever been. And there's pretty decent variety in what gets included in the ticket price versus what's an extra fee, so if you feel that baggage fees are a ripoff, pick an airline that includes a checked bag with your ticket.
Re:Air Fares 101 – Why do fares change all the time?
by npizzolato on Monday December 15, 2014 @08:23PM
(#8755456)
From a link posted above[1], the Department of Transportation Statistics would seem to disagree with your assertion about ticket prices. Someone simply dismissed it as "misleading," but that wasn't exactly convincing. Especially since as a consumer, I care about the average fare I'm having to pay.
I do think baggage fees are a ripoff, and I don't pay for them. That doesn't mean that I have to like the fact that they've started charging for services that should be a part of normal service (like checking a bag the airplane has to fucking carry anyway). Nor does it mean that I have to believe their claims that it actually benefits me as a consumer to be nickled and dimed for everything I'm worth.
I'm surprised they haven't started charging more for seats that recline. Maybe that will be next.
[1]: http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/airfares/programs/economics_and_...
"Pay less" is how the airlines would like to phrase it, but as a consumer I care more about the comparison to what I paid yesterday. And today, if you're not paying for those services, you're actually paying the same amount that you used to. They're just charging other people more.
It's not like the prices went down when they converted these previously-free services into paid services. They just decided to start charging extra for something they used to give away for free and are busy enjoying the extra profit.
Sure, they're a business and they can charge whatever they want for whatever they want. But don't try and spin it as a win for the consumer so they can choose to pay less.