Airtran sucking more money from the flying public

[Steeler Fan]

If you add the fees to the fares, Airtran might not come up on the top line on the search websites like Travelocity. For an airline that isn't as well know as others, I would think it is important that Airtran comes up near the top during searches.

That's one of the smarter posts on here. Well said.

 

[Steeler Fan]

delta announces the fee and hardly a peep is heard. airtran announces the fee and the world is coming to an end on cnn all day long. get real.

Nice. I was in ATL (on reserve), watching the evening local news, and the big story was about this NEW FEE from AirTran!

The media in ATL is obviously in the tank for DL, because nowhere in the story did they mention that Delta did the same thing earlier (and that Deltas 1st checked bag fee is actually more $ than ours).

Personally, there was a huge marketing opportunity here, but AirTran typically doesn't spend $ for extra advertising (time will tell whether that's a good move or not)--If we had the same TV adverstising that SWA does, I'd be all about trying to hype the difference between DL and AAI by NOT putting the fee out there.

Unfortunately, in alot of places, people don't know AirTran (are you guys cargo?)

*Name/Brand recognition is not exactly our strong suit outside of ATL/BWI/MCO/IND/MDW

 

[BrokenWing]

Are non-revers and jumpseaters going to have to pay as well?

 

[milky]

Airtran hauls 25 million pax a year. Take away 5 million pax that are business class and A-Plus Rewards Elite members (who aren't charged the fee). I asked a couple station managers yesterday what percentage of pax they thought checked bags and the average was about 75%. Do the math, and that is about $225 million of extra revenue a year. For a company Airtran's size, that is about a 7-8% revenue increase.

If you add the fees to the fares, Airtran might not come up on the top line on the search websites like Travelocity. For an airline that isn't as well know as others, I would think it is important that Airtran comes up near the top during searches.

In general, I agree with you here except that when you offer a dis-incentive to check a bag, many more passengers will stop checking bags. It will probably only equate to 10-15% I would guess, but if you are going to look at numbers, you should look at more accurate numbers. I think that it is a good place to generate fees, but I also think that the airlines are shooting themselves in the foot with the fees. People look at it negatively when they get fees on top of their tickets. Over time, that will go away, but it doesn't help the black eye that the industry is still wearing. People hate to travel. Blame it on the service, the airports, TSA, delays, etc... Either way, the airlines need to be finding ways to make people change their perception of the industry. I'm not smart enough to know the right answer, but I know that putting fees on passengers is a step in the wrong direction.
All that being said, no airline should be charging less than their operating costs for providing the service. I'm not advocating taking losses. I'm just saying that they need to paint it in the right light.

 

[Britpilot]

Relax Fracis is just a question!...........the grammar police is back!.............ohh boy.

"Relax Francis, it was just a question. The grammar police are back. Oh boy."

There you go Sparky, I fixed it for you.

 

[Max Powers]

Or add $15 to all the airfares instead of nickle and diming to death.

Yea but what about us that don't want to pay the fifteen bucks and can make it with only one carry-on????

You should have to pay for the service that is provided to you. Just like corporate jets should pay a fair share of the services that they receive. But they would rather let the fat cats off while the blue collar joe in the back of my Boeing pays 38 percent tax on his ticket.

It's time for CHANGE. Thats GD right.

 

[Metro752]

According with KEVIN HEALY Sr Vice President of marketing for Airtran Airways, company will now charge additional $15 for first check bag on top of the $25 already charge for second bag!!

Come on guys!! fuel is down to the mid 60's a barrel capacity and pilots are been reduce, so how bad is your financial troubles?

Go Away. Raise the prices more I say.

 

[bcp7]

I've never seen a jump-seater who checked in bags unless it was a gate check on a commuter which just doesn't have the space for the std roll-on bags. When I jump-seat, my bags stay with me except on the small boys who don't have room. I don't want to be stuck somewhere without at least one change of clothes.

If you're on a pass, you will probably have to pay the fee like everybody else.

I do not check bags unless there is absolutely no choice. My roll-on and computer case are all I need, but I usually travel alone.

 

[spitfire1500]

Heck I'll pay it. My company just authorized travel on USAirways to Den from CLT and back for training at the hot deal price of $1200.....I rebooked on Air Tran for $402.00 and get to travel bank half of 800 bucks and don't have to pay for my can of Coke ( I'm still boycotting LCC until they quit charging for water).

 

[Ty Webb]

Come on guys!! fuel is down to the mid 60's a barrel capacity and pilots are been reduce, so how bad is your financial troubles?

What do you care? What are you, about 20? Living in your parent's basement? Christ, get a life, kid.

 

[GSXR600]

What do you care? What are you, about 20? Living in your parent's basement? Christ, get a life, kid.

......lol.....no need to take it soo personal.
ohh!! I am 35 and live in the NYC. No basement there!

 

[Capt.LongThrust]

......lol.....no need to take it soo personal.
ohh!! I am 35 and live in the NYC. No basement there!

That explains the pair of balls hanging underneath the tranny bending over the bike.

 

[Hung Start]

Yea but what about us that don't want to pay the fifteen bucks and can make it with only one carry-on????

You should have to pay for the service that is provided to you. Just like corporate jets should pay a fair share of the services that they receive. But they would rather let the fat cats off while the blue collar joe in the back of my Boeing pays 38 percent tax on his ticket.

It's time for CHANGE. Thats GD right.

Well, figure a good chunk of that is to payoff the pension guarantee that most of the airlines have "imposed" on the rest of the public.

No bailouts for us frac guys, not needed.

Pick another complaint, the taxes on the ticket just help keep you in business.

 

[JT12345]

According with KEVIN Come on guys!! fuel is down to the mid 60's a barrel capacity and pilots are been reduce, so how bad is your financial troubles?

Not for Airtran. We are hedged at $120 a barrel. The fares overall are cheap, and if you are the type that doesn't have checked bags you save even more money.

I think it is pretty easy to pack for a week in one bag that fits in the overhead or under the seat. If you can't pack that well there are websites out there I am sure with plenty of tips. If you have so much crap that you can't fit it in one bag that is your problem.

more Weight = more fuel burn on an airplane

 

[RP170]

You should have to pay for the service that is provided to you. Just like corporate jets should pay a fair share of the services that they receive. But they would rather let the fat cats off while the blue collar joe in the back of my Boeing pays 38 percent tax on his ticket.

Sounds like something Obama would say. Our owners our providing plenty of money to the government as it is in the form of income taxes, etc.

Our owners pay a monthly management fee (thousand of dollars) plus thousands of dollars for fuel per flight on top of the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars they pay to buy a share of an aircraft. They are paying more than their fair share for services received.

That's a bit different than paying taxes on an airline ticket. I do agree that paying 38% in taxes on an airline ticket is rediculous though especially when consistantly receiving poor service.