Well, it looks like US Airways is making people pay for water, unless there is an emergency where a person may need water. Cost: $2. I bet it is really high quality. 
Looks like there may be many “emergencies” on board:
“No Free Coffee on US Airways (Unless, of Course, You Insist)” from the New York Times.
The US Airways Group will become the first major American airline to charge for coffee and sodas on Friday, though many passengers may still get free beverages.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA is objecting to collecting the $1 and $2 fees for nonalcoholic drinks, which US Airways is imposing to counter record fuel costs. Should travelers balk, they probably will not have to pay, the union said.
“We?re trained to keep order on an airplane and defuse confrontation,” Mike Flores, president of US Airways’ A.F.A. chapter, said in an interview Thursday. “If it takes giving a free beverage to somebody to do that, so be it. I expect there will be flight attendants who just give everything away.”
The union’s complaints mean the airline will set a new industry standard while relying on employees upset at having to enforce it. The soft-drink policy is among a package of new fees that US Airways says will produce $500 million in new annual revenue.
US Airways has told its 6,700 attendants to “err on the side of the customer” in deciding whether they need to end a confrontation by providing a free beverage, an airline spokesman, Morgan Durrant, said.
“This is one tactic we?ve just had to put in place to cope with fuel prices,” Mr. Durrant said. The carrier posted a second-quarter net loss of $567 million.
US Airways announced plans for the fee on June 12. It is also cutting 2,000 jobs to reduce expenses.
So what’s next? Charging for air conditioning?
Top secret memo I just received through undisclosed source(s) at US Airways indicates the following are the next charges (in no particular order):
Seat Belt: $4 for the buckle, $6 for the seat belt itself.
Looking Out: $10 per flight segment to look out the window. This is in addition to all fees for choosing your seat.
Flight Attendant Call: $1 per ring. (Flight Attendants, as usual, will be told to ignore the call at least 4 times.
No Snack and No Liquids: $1 each for not buying our snacks and/or liquids.
Not listening to Flight Attendant’s safety briefing: $3 (This is projected to bring in $143,999,294 a year)
People say that we should just charge more for tickets, but if we do that tickets “cost too much”. It’s an uneasy compromise with this put in place to try and mitigate rising ticket costs. Do you really need to eat/drink on the flight? Do they have to provide it? It’s aimed at keeping the business travellers happy, because food will always be free in first, and tickets won’t cost as much because teh airlines charge for everything.
So which is it? Tack another $50 onto tickets, or charge you $2 for water if you don’t bring your own? Sure you can’t take water through security, doesn’t mean you can’t take an empty bottle and fill it up at the drinking fountain.
People have gotten use to the golden days of flying where there was a meal and a movie, but now with everyone bringing their own entertainment, costs going up, and little reason to provide food to the three people on board who would actually eat it, there’s little reason not to implement some charges.
I’ve seen lots of talk about how its a horrible thing, but has anyone come up with a different business plan? Would it be better if the airlines went out of business(the gov can only bail them out so much)?
When I travel, I’ll pack a backpack with my change of clothes, take a snack with me, and an empty bottle. I’ll board whenever, because the flights will be delayed, I’ll enjoy the scenery in whatever airport I’m stuck at for an extra 2 hours, and then fly on to where-ever I was going. Knowing full well I just saved $1000, in time-travel-expense in flying instead of driving.
If US was smart, they would keep the planes really hot so that the people will become dehydrated and have no choice but to buy water.
just kidding, that would be evil
Silentnite makes some good points. The one thing I would change is that the increased ticket price wouldn’t be a set dollar amount but rather a percentage.
Except for very long flights (more than 5 or 6 hours), I don’ think a full meal should be served. Snacks (free) and sodas/water (also free) should be served.
$2 sodas beats the $80 fuel surcharge NORTHWEST just announced.
CC
I understand that the airlines are looking for ways to make money but I feel that water should be free. As far as soda goes, at $2 a for a can of coke the airline will be making quite a profit. I used to work for a tourist railroad and we would buy cases of Coke at BJ’s or Sam’s Club. Our cost, about 15 years ago, was about 35 cents a can and we sold them for $1. I can not imagine the price has gone up that much per can.
Hmm… that just got me thinking.
US currently serves all of these on domestic flights:
* Coca-Cola Classic
* Diet Coke
* Sprite
* Diet Sprite Zero
* Minute Maid Apple Juice
* Minute Maid Cranberry Apple Cocktail
* Minute Maid Orange Juice
* Dannon Water
* Seagram's Tonic Water
* Seagram's Seltzer Water
* Seagram's Ginger Ale
* Mott's Tomato Juice
* Mr. & Mrs. 'T' Bloody Mary Mix
For short hops, like LGA-BOS or something, why do they really need anything but water? If they cut all that other stuff out for the short flights, and just buy massive quantities of water, wouldn’t they get a better deal?
Since they probably already buy at the truckload level, they wouldn’t get any bigger discounts by buying more of a particular product. Also, all of it already comes from a single distributor so they wouldn’t reduce the number of trucks.
Must be “Premium Mineral Water” just like AA’s “Premium Snack Mix” is pretzels and salt…
Yes they’ll charge for A/C soon … 5 bucks an hour … “Larry, open up the tubes on 26B, keep her running for 2 hours”
Not listening to Flight Attendant’s safety briefing: $3 (This is projected to bring in $143,999,294 a year)
That it? Lol.
Looking Out: $10 per flight segment to look out the window. This is in addition to all fees for choosing your seat
.
No no no, you got it all wrong, “Looking out” is so crude.
The “Premium World View” package will be available separately or with the “Premium In flight Entertainment Package” Which also includes the Music channels, TV channels and TV. (channels can be rented separately)
Only 100 bucks excluding taxes, sign up, turn on and termination fees, hidden fees, etc.
Too bad people think the word “Premium” still means premium quality… “Premium” now describes price…
Maybe i’m just dumb, how do they thing they will make money by charging fee’s like this when all they are doing is driving the customers away. I guess they wil raise the fees for those still on board.
Definitely. Take my father for example. Back in the glory days of air travel, he was a Preferred Dividend Miles member on US (might have even been gold). This year, however, he has flown 4 segments, 13% needed for Preferred status. After the numerous fees implemented, he no longer has any desire to fly US.
Where do you think these customers are driving away to?
Amtrak?
Driving at $4/gallon?
Greyhound?
People like to complain, but they’ve voted with their dollars and according to the way they spend their money, this is the way they’d like to do it.
This way they get and pay for what they actually want and don’t have to pay for what other people want but they don’t.
Wrong. Whereas they SHOULD be charging higher fares, the airlines are instituting these new costs in order to combat higher fuel prices. So, when you pay extra for luggage, water, soda, food, pillows, blankets, etc., you’re actually subsidizing part of someone else’s trip who choses not to pay extra for the items.
Most of these fees will impact low yield ignorant vacation goers. The guys who know about these fees will be sitting in first class anyway. Trust me, fare is king for most travelers, nothing else.
US practically said it itself. Look through their press releases.
All an airline - airline, any airline - has to do is raise it fares by a small percentage (5% or less). Don’t raise the fare by a set amount because that hurts the person on the shorter route.
Then the ball-less people in charge of most airlines need to sit back and let the fare increase take. Don’t rescind the increase if no other airline does it.
If a person wants to fly between A and B and the flight time is right and if the person is a member of the frequent flier program then the person will take the airline with the increased fare. I cannot imagine someone switching airlines just because one fare is $100 and another fare is $105. I know I wouldn’t, especially if it meant earning miles.
I disagree. These fees are going to affect your once-a-year vacation people. All they look for is the cheapest fare. There is no loyality except their wallet. They may bitch about an airlines service one year but next year will fly them again because the price is right. Because if the person can’t afford a ticket, the trip is no longer justified. The bottom line is that an airline is going to put out the lowest price it can.
As I said, these fees won’t affect elite members, and will be enjoying a meal in first class. They know these fees, the once a year guy doesn’t.
I do wish your logic is true. Raising the fare would be a lot nicer, then instituting fee after fee after fee. However, showing a lower fare will most likely win in the end. Unless fuel (and perhaps labor goes down (which I as a traveler wouldn’t like to see)), these fees will probably be in place.