USAirways has jumped the shark

[BoilerUP]

Don't like it? Write you Congressman and Senators and tell them that you want re-regulation. Otherwise, stop yer b!tchin' about paying $2 for a drink on a $99 ticket that takes you 1500 miles across the country.

Are you willing to pay $2 for a beverage as flight crew?

 

[pilot772]

what about the safety issue for the pax? Since no airlines run their APU for air on the ground it gets mighty hot in the cabin. Now someone with the on set of heatstroke who is very thirsty has to scrounge $2 up so they can live let alone be comfortable. Soda I can maybe, I stress Maybe, but water is ridiculous. As others have said if airlines just had the balls to raise ticket prices $5-10 and keep the fares up we wouldn't have to deal with this crap.

 

[USC328]

Just a crazy idea for those pax that don't want to drink potable water and don't want to pay the price of overpriced water in the terminal. Take an "empty" bottle thru security and fill it at a drinking fountain inside security. Take it on the airplane and now you have free water for you flight. Just an idea. We'll see if it catches on.

Oh, and as far as being "trapped" in a metal tube with nothing free to drink. What about Amtrak? I haven't ridden them in a while. Don't they charge for everything while you are trapped on there for days? That might be a better comparison to the hotel listed above. Sure, you can take water onboard, but with my idea above, you can do the same on a flight.

 

[Bringupthebird]

As others have said if airlines just had the balls to raise ticket prices $5-10 and keep the fares up we wouldn't have to deal with this crap.

Go look up a trip on travelocity and tell us whether or not you want to be the airline that comes up 5th on the list by price?

 

[PSUPilot]

You're not seeing the forest for the trees here...

You are 100% right...nobody forces them to buy a ticket on their airline, but things like charging them for a farking beverage reverberate in people's minds when it comes time to do so again in the future.

Those people will take their money elsewhere if there are other options, lowering your company's revenue and endangering that job you have and that money you earn. What is the potential cost of the potential upside?

Americans hate feeling nickel-and-dimed. Quietly raise ticket prices across the board $2 and VIOLA no problem whatsoever...but put out a press release saying beverages are no longer complimentary and that a $0.25 can of soda now costs $2 and you get mocked on live national TV.

The only possible upside I can possibly see to this is maybe, just maybe, US Airways will get rid of that gawdawful coffee they offer and brew a real brand like Dunkin, Starbucks, or even Folgers...

Totally agree with you about the nickel-and-diming. I think the 2nd bag charge and the soda charges are ridiculous. I absolutely feel these idiots creating the prices should just raise the fares; my thinking is just that if the morons running the show refuse to adjust ticket prices commensurate with costs, then absolutely charge for 'other' things. But I do agree that it will turn people off and will make the airlines lose passengers regarding the nickel-and-diming. Adding it to the fares sounds much more 'friendly,' so to speak. But we're not the 'brains' of the operation, unfortunately.

On another note, have you tried Continental's coffee? Absolutely awful. Drinking piss would probably be more enjoyable.

 

[airlinepilot]

Breaking News

USAIR to install pay toilets....bring your quarters.

 

[RLAblows]

Movie theaters, hotel rooms, and theme parks don't keep you in a small, pressurized metal tube in 5-10% humidity...

I live in Phoenix where it's always 5-10% humidity, and I pay taxes to live there. I think either the State, Local, or Federal government should supply me with FREE drinking water and all the sodas I can drink.

 

[SplitBar]

Just get rid of the soda all together on flights under 3 hours. It will save weight and people can live without a soda on a short flight. Go up and down the aisle once or twice with water service and that will keep people hydrated. For Gods sake, it's not gonna kill someone to go without a coke for a few hours.

 

[Soverytired]

None of you guys have had free hotel breakfasts and water?

Well, it's not free, but included in the price (this is why the nice hotels have "free" breakfasts but cost more)

But then that's kinda the point here, isn't it? There's NO WAY airlines are paying more than a few pennies for each cup of coke being doled out to the pax . . . better to just raise the fare by .10 cents than try to every airline into a SWA wannabe.

 

[weasel_lips]

It was nice knowing you USAirways. Guess I should start using up all my FF miles since your existence as an airline is over. You have officially "Jumped the shark". http://www.jumptheshark.com/index.jspa

You are now charging me $2.00 for a drink. Will I actually get an entire can now? Or will you still give me a cup of ice with 3 ounces of drink.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.drinks13jun13,0,2294921.story


There is no hope left for you. You are desperate at this point. I have no doubt all the other airlines will follow your lead. But you were the first. You will once again seek bankruptcy protection, only this time no one will finance you, so you will be left with liquidation.

God help you if Southwest moves into CLT.

It's called survival mode. It is industry wide. No airline will survive these fuel prices. Even SWA is at risk.

 

[PCL_128]

Are you willing to pay $2 for a beverage as flight crew?

Of course not. That's not what this is about. This is about the paying customers having to pay, not the employees working the flight. If you want to get the bare bones cheapest flight on cheapskateairtravel.com, then you'll get what you pay for. Welcome to deregulated aviation. Ready for regulation again?

 

[Redmeat]

Oh, and as far as being "trapped" in a metal tube with nothing free to drink. What about Amtrak? I haven't ridden them in a while. Don't they charge for everything while you are trapped on there for days? That might be a better comparison to the hotel listed above. Sure, you can take water onboard, but with my idea above, you can do the same on a flight.

If you get the 'Roomette' on Amtrak, you can bring on your own booze and food.

The wife and I did a trip cross country to Cali 2 years ago because I won't go near an airport on my days off if I don't absolutely have to (I don't eat, sleep, and breath aviation like alotta guys do).

The Roomette pax get free brekky and free dinner in the dining car on the two day trip. It wasn't bad and the service puts the airlines to shame (read: no attitude).

 

[BoilerUP]

Of course not. That's not what this is about. This is about the paying customers having to pay, not the employees working the flight.

Does that soda not have the same COST to the company regardless of who consumes it?

How would you justify to a passenger why you get a free drink but they have to open their wallet?

If you want to get the bare bones cheapest flight on cheapskateairtravel.com, then you'll get what you pay for. Welcome to deregulated aviation. Ready for regulation again?

So...by that logic, does a walk-up full Y fare passenger spending $800 for a one-way ticket deserve a complementary beverage?

I agree with you 100% that airlines should raise their fares to cover their costs...but the nickel-and-dime bullsh!t needs to disappear ASAP and get replaced with a fairly priced ticket and a fuel surcharge, just like UPS and FedEx and any taxi company charge.

 

[FR8mastr]

but the nickel-and-dime bullsh!t needs to disappear ASAP and get replaced with a fairly priced ticket and a fuel surcharge, just like UPS and FedEx and any taxi company charge.

I agree as well, if these supposed "leaders" had any clue at all they would follow the lead of successful companies like you listed.

 

[PCL_128]

Does that soda not have the same COST to the company regardless of who consumes it?

How would you justify to a passenger why you get a free drink but they have to open their wallet?

I don't need to justify anything. I'm getting their cheap ass halfway across the country for $99. It's their penny pinching ways that have created this situation. I don't want to hear a single complaint from any of them.

So...by that logic, does a walk-up full Y fare passenger spending $800 for a one-way ticket deserve a complementary beverage?

I'm sure the business and first class passenger will continue to receive free drinks. Want a free drink? Pay a reasonable price for your ticket to get into first class.

I agree with you 100% that airlines should raise their fares to cover their costs

Sorry, but can't happen. Welcome to reality. The fare increases aren't sticking. American tried just last weekend, but other carriers didn't follow suit. You can't be listed as $20 more than the other carriers on Orbitz and still get customers. This is why regulation needs to return.