bush wants to increase bumping fees

[skypine69]

I love how bush wants to increase the fee for bumping a pax because it has not kept up with inflation. Does that mean airlines get to jack up the ticket price to match inflation?

 

[SSDD]

That's an easy one to fix. The reason airlines overbook is because of the no show factor. So if the bumping fee goes up, tickets become nonrefundable. Flat tire on the way to the airport? Too bad! Grandma died this morning? So sorry! Meeting ran long? You just got yourself a bigger deduction.

 

[joevollers]

Though I usually find myself in disagreement with this administration; I strongly agree with this move. Because it applies to everyone, no one will be at a competitive disadvantage.

Furthermore, if they would not allow airlines to overbook and none of them could, it would not put any airline at disadvantage for not over booking

 

[skypine69]

I got no problem with doing it...but if the reason is because of inflation, then you have to take a look at ticket prices too....he only wants to regulate what the airline pays out, but to be fair you got regulate what they take in also! I would be fine with everything nonrefundable or no overbooking...would make easier to get a damn flight!

 

[Draginass]

This proves once again that the President is a political hack that is more interested in sound bites to the moronic citizenry than substance (just like the dems, as a matter of fact). The problems of the airline industry have reached a critical mass because of Bush1's, Clinton's, and Bush2's do-nothing FAA and the fact that they all horded the aviation trust fund for other purposes.

 

[Capt. X]

Nov. 2008 can't come soon enough

 

[Murphy]

Nov. 2008 can't come soon enough

And you think someone better is going to take his place. I have serious reservations particulary if it is Billary, Part Deux. I can't think of a more self-serving individual. She just wants to be the first female president, push her personal agenda of what she thinks is right for this country (not that Bush hasn't pushed his personal convictions), and make up for her husband whoring around and making her look like a fool in front of the world. I have nothing against a female president, I just don't want it to be Hillary and I will vote accordingly.

 

[Ex737Driver]

This proves once again that the President is a political hack that is more interested in sound bites to the moronic citizenry than substance (just like the dems, as a matter of fact). The problems of the airline industry have reached a critical mass because of Bush1's, Clinton's, and Bush2's do-nothing FAA and the fact that they all horded the aviation trust fund for other purposes.

Damn straight!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ex737Driver]

Nov. 2008 can't come soon enough

Right.............'cause whomever you vote for will do so much of a better job...............

 

[GFunk20]

Well we certainly can't go any worse than GW no matter who takes over.

 

[LearLove]

Nov. 2008 can't come soon enough

Ditto

I like how lil Bush got on the TV the other day and spoke about easing airline delays. Anyone see it?

However its just fine for him to shut down DCA and every other airport in the area when he has a "presidental movement". Whatever dickweed.

Did anyone catch this wonderful sentance that came out of his mouth?

"we have to force the system to work"

Again, whatever dickweed, yeah lets force and old outdated/overloaded system to work. Because fixing it and imputting a new one would be the correct thing to do. O yeah thats right - fixing the system wouldn't do anyting for your big oil cronnies. i get it now.

 

[CA1900]

...Billary, Part Deux. I can't think of a more self-serving individual.

I can: Dick Cheney.

She just wants to be the first female president, push her personal agenda of what she thinks is right for this country (not that Bush hasn't pushed his personal convictions)...

Ah, I see. Clinton has a "personal agenda," while Bush has "convictions." Riiiiiiiight.

 

[LearLove]

Right.............'cause whomever you vote for will do so much of a better job...............

I'm not fond of anyone running this time either, rep or demo - but I'm voting for that guy from OHIO with the hotty wife. I figure they'll all perform the same in office no matter what so if I gotta look at them on TV every night atleast we can look at his hot wife.

lets start a drive/campagine -

FlightInfo endourses "the Ohio guy with the hot wife" for President.

 

[Coffee Pot]

I thought bush was for less/smaller government? He's got nothing better to do than worry about the very small fraction of the American population that are involuntarily bumped from their flights.

 

[jmreii]

When the airlines start providing better service then the masses will get off their case.

 

[FR8mastr]

More regulations for the supposedly "deragulated airlines"

What a crock!!

 

[pipe]

I love how bush wants to increase the fee for bumping a pax because it has not kept up with inflation. Does that mean airlines get to jack up the ticket price to match inflation?

He forgot that employee pay hasn't kept up with inflation. Just an oversight I'm sure.

 

[joevollers]

The Bankruptcy process is the real culprit to profits. If uncompetitive companies were allowed to die early on, then companies that had strong balance sheets wouldn't have had to also eventually declare bankruptcy(like DAL). The net result is that management still makes money and labor gets dragged down. If one or two of the big guys and a couple of small ones were allowed to go TU then the rest of the industry would not have had to be dragged down.

Pre 911 it was conceivable to make well over 100K second year at a pax carrier. Now it's not possible(except maybe swa). Now we have thousands of 10+ year FO's making well south of 100K. If their companies went out of business most of these pilots would have new jobs making more than that at the CAL's AA or DAL who would still have extremely handsome payscales B/c they were not dragged down by the fact that UAL AAA NWA were allowed to stay in business even though they were not competitive.

 

[Ex737Driver]

Like congress has nothing to do with this debacle. How many shti-stain start-ups in the last 15 years have been allowed to proliferate in this country because of "de-regulation" and the unlimited number of neutered pilots who would work for these companies just to "get into the business and fly a big jet"?

 

[Gottafly74]

Asking the airlines to provide good service nowadays is like asking a hooker to do a good job with both of her hands tied behind her back with her mouth taped shut. The FAA has been totally inept and the feds have squandered all the faa trust money into useless crap like stupid pork barrel money. i.e. bridge to no where and expensive ass TSA parties. Kick out all incumbents and then we may have a chance to get our country back.

 

[joevollers]

Like congress has nothing to do with this debacle. How many shti-stain start-ups in the last 15 years have been allowed to proliferate in this country because of "de-regulation" and the unlimited number of neutered pilots who would work for these companies just to "get into the business and fly a big jet"?

Well...
You can go to a startup and make over 100k a year in year 2 or go to a "legacy" and take 10+ years to get there... It's not a matter of principle it's a matter of money : 25-30 years ago people decried SWA; and 10-15 CAL were considered union breakers... You can't expect people trying to put food on the table to be more principled than the industry in general

 

[Stifler's Mom]

Sounds like a great "strategery" to me.

 

[seefive]

I'm not fond of anyone running this time either, rep or demo - but I'm voting for that guy from OHIO with the hotty wife. I figure they'll all perform the same in office no matter what so if I gotta look at them on TV every night atleast we can look at his hot wife.

lets start a drive/campagine -

FlightInfo endourses "the Ohio guy with the hot wife" for President.

LMAO...................I'm in!

 

[JPAustin]

Well, Bush can't really enforce an across the board increase in fares to reduce demand to match the supply (which there is VERY little of), so this increase in bumping fees is a fair means of an effective fare hike.

The airlines won't get together and "decide" to raise fares in order to better match the supply with the demand -- they can't anyway because that would be collusion. The airlines won't voluntarily increase fares to increase their individual supply while still overbooking because they know that the competition will enact what is best for it and thus keep prices just low enough to draw people from the airline that raises prices.

We live in an age where the consumer is apparently king and thus the lower price wins the patronage. Price isn't everything though, and consumers need to be taught that (why else does Target exist vis a vis Wal-mart?).

And besides, the airlines already have this covered by offering multiple levels of prices for the same seat. If the pax wants to avoid that chance of a flat-tire on the way to the airport, then get the fully refundable ticket. Otherwise, go cheap and get the discount fare like most people do and take that real life chance like everyone else in life does with every facet of their life.

The airlines are unique critters in transportation, much like trains. The profit margins are razor thin and every carrier seems a snowstorm away from bankruptcy, yet, air transportation is critical to our national economy. I for one am for a little economic regulation of the airlines. Not so much so that they run inefficiently, but enough to keep the economy lubricated and healthy.

 

[Coffee Pot]

Isn’t one of the tenets of the republican party a free and open market? Where competition reigns supreme? Where the weak are eliminated because of our free and open system?

And yet you want to blame a two year old democratically controlled congress for our woes?

I can understand when a conservative decries social policy and entitlements. But when he blames a political affiliation for supporting platforms; platforms for which his party holds as a sacred doctrine, then his argument becomes laughable.

Time to switch parties?

 

[Coffee Pot]

My bad ex737, just re-read your post and you did not specifically point at our new congress. Fair was your assessment of congress, I just assumed another jab at the dems.

All my other points, I stand behind.

 

[Ex737Driver]

and 10-15 CAL were considered union breakers... You can't expect people trying to put food on the table to be more principled than the industry in general

The scabs at CAL still are. You just called the pot and the kettle black at the same time. I believe that was one of the excuses scabs use...........just trying to feed my family, etc.

The point here is that nobody likes scabs and nobody likes pilots that think that working for a scum operation like Skybus or any other start-up makes them a "real" pilot.

Your math is skewed as well. You want to provide for the viewers here that a second year VA pilots makes 100k a year? There are plenty of legacy pilots in their third and fourth year making passing the 100k mark. Well before your 10 year+ guess.

 

[waveflyer]

The point is that we are MARRIED to our current company by seniority. Our seniority system is our worst enemy. WE ARE THE ONES THAT BAILED OUT THE INDUSTRY- to the tune of BILLIONS. Government and management ultimately knew that we would DO ANYTHING to keep our company from going out of business.

WHY?

Because changing companies means starting over at wages that are at or near the poverty level.

We all have to LOOK IN THE MIRROR on this one. WE SET IT UP THIS WAY and then fall for every management and gov't trick in the book.

 

[§kyye Candy]

I love how bush wants to increase the fee for bumping a pax because it has not kept up with inflation. Does that mean airlines get to jack up the ticket price to match inflation?

Er, how about jacking up the paycheck to match inflation?!!

 

[jonjuan]

There are plenty of legacy pilots in their third and fourth year making passing the 100k mark.

Which legacies?