And we thought it was bad enough to hear that the airlines would start charging for checked luggage. Now U.S. Airways has come up with a new scheme to make even more money off of wary travelers.
In small print, under News, listed on their website, U.S. Air describes their new policy. As of July 9th, 2009, they will start charging $5 more for travelers who check their bags at the airport, as opposed to claiming they have a bag to check when they check in online. In other words, those who do not have access to computers beforehand, or are returning home from a vacation and do not have time to go online before arriving at the airport, will be charged extra for not paying for those luggage fees during online check-in! Now instead of paying $15 for your first checked bag and $25 for your second, you will be penalized an extra $5 at the airport by not checking and paying for them online beforehand.
It is a shame the airlines have resorted to this sort of revenue-generating tactics. Cutting costs is essential to the airline industry today, as is the case in many industries. Eliminating paper menus in first class, and reducing the number of flights available, to name a few examples, makes economic sense, but charging customers for luggage in general, and penalizing them for lack of computer access is going too far. The airlines have stooped to new lows. Some statistics indicate that less people are flying, and are making other choices when it comes to where and how people get to their destinations. Could the distasteful practices the airlines are incorporating on their 'valued' customers be a result of this?
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