American Airlines to charge fee for front-row seats

derg

derg

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Good!

Oddly, sometimes airlines assign those seats last and then when you get them, now everyone who previously boarded put their Glad bags full of crap in the overheads above the bulkhead row and you have no space for your own carry-ons.

American Airlines to charge fee for front-row seats

On Wednesday August 18, 2010, 3:23 pm

CHICAGO (Reuters) - AMR Corp's (NYSE:AMR - News) American Airlines on Wednesday said it would charge a fee to customers who want to sit in the first few rows of the coach class cabin, continuing a trend among airlines to bolster revenue with creative fees on perks that used to be included in the ticket price.

The carrier said the program called "Express Seats" lets passengers pay to sit in those seats and enter the plane in the first group, to speed boarding and exiting.

The fee starts at $19 for short flights like St. Louis to Chicago and rises to $39 for longer trips like Chicago to Honolulu. The program applies to travel within the United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Customers may purchase the seats only at airport self-service check-in machines any time from 24 hours to 50 minutes before departure.

Cash-strapped airlines have been tapping into new ancillary revenue streams to offset historically low ticket prices and volatile fuel costs. Some of the more controversial fees, like one to check a single bag, has been broadly accepted by the U.S. airline industry.

Airlines also have experimented with fees to sit in exit rows and in aisle seats.

Shares of AMR were up 0.14 percent at $6.97 on the New York Stock Exchange.
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What the hell fees are next?

I know, how about an exit-row seat fee.....for getting the privilege of being able to have early-exit in an accident!
 
I just paid $39 extra for a round trip ticket to get group 1 boarding and free standby for another flight. For me, it was well worth the cost. No fighting to get my carry-on, on - and with this particular trip, being able to fly stand by will come in handy.

I don't mind these optional perk fees.
 
Murdoughnut said:
I just paid $39 extra for a round trip ticket to get group 1 boarding and free standby for another flight. For me, it was well worth the cost. No fighting to get my carry-on, on - and with this particular trip, being able to fly stand by will come in handy.

I don't mind these optional perk fees.
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My carryon is usually small enough to fit under the seat in front, so usually not an issue.

I love the people who try to board with the steamer-sized suitcase as a carryon.
 
MikeD said:
What the hell fees are next?

I know, how about an exit-row seat fee.....for getting the privilege of being able to have early-exit in an accident!
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Let me show you how America looks for airline tickets! Say from PHX to MCO.

1. Major Low Cost Carrier's website:
Screen shot 2010-08-18 at 1.53.37 PM.png

2. "Holy cow, I thank they're rippin' me off, I gotta go to Orbitz!

Screen shot 2010-08-18 at 1.57.22 PM.png

3. "Hay, they're cheaper!"

So, with the cheaper fare that will attract the "click", now the airline mentioned sure in hell isn't happy with losing the potential revenue that #1 was going to charge in order to fly you there for less. That low fee put #2 at the top of the Orbitz search list, before the passenger even had a chance to realize that USAirways has non-stop flights.

Bag fees + GoGo Wireless fees + Food for Sale + Upgraded seat fees + ?????? is going to probably meet or exceed the revenue from selecting the "low cost carrier".

A lot price is nothing more than a rouse to get you to slap down the credit card and now the game is on to make up the difference in revenue from offering a lower than market cost to cut the LCC's price and the opportunity cost by having a lower fare than USAirways with the non-stop flight from it's hub.
 
According to the seat reservation web pages of both SWA and JetBlue, they too are charging an extra fee for front rows and seats at emergency exits.
 
Airlines will keep charging us for everything if we let them and if they think they can get us to hand over the plastic for it.
On the SWA thing, they are not always the cheapest (any longer) but people do not factor in those hidden fees, if they do not know how to get around them.
 
Haha, I just thought of something: these days the cheapest seats on the airlines is in the cockpit. Maybe I should write for Leno.
 
It annoys the hell out of me that now since you are paying to check a bag, everyone and their brother is dragging all the crap on board and the FA's are yelling "please take your seats, we'd like to go now". Really? Maybe if you didn't force people to drag all their belongings onto the airplane then it wouldn't be a problem. I vote that prices go back the way they were and include all the "extras" that are tacked on now. It's called "cost of doing business".

Something else that kills me is since I fly for the government often, and have to use a "contract carrier", I won't have the option to select a seat up front because we are only reimbursed for the "base rate".
 
FlybyLaw said:
Airlines will keep charging us for everything if we let them and if they think they can get us to hand over the plastic for it.
On the SWA thing, they are not always the cheapest (any longer) but people do not factor in those hidden fees, if they do not know how to get around them.
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That rubs me raw. Specifically the us Vs them mentality. If you are suggesting that consumers vote with their feet, I can agree they are entitled to spend their $$ where ever they choose. Yet the airlines should be able to make a profit too.

I don't pretend to know the intricacies of the airline biz yet I suspect it would take gazillions of electrons to even summarize the industry.
 
HeyEng said:
It annoys the hell out of me that now since you are paying to check a bag, everyone and their brother is dragging all the crap on board and the FA's are yelling "please take your seats, we'd like to go now". Really? Maybe if you didn't force people to drag all their belongings onto the airplane then it wouldn't be a problem. I vote that prices go back the way they were and include all the "extras" that are tacked on now. It's called "cost of doing business".

Something else that kills me is since I fly for the government often, and have to use a "contract carrier", I won't have the option to select a seat up front because we are only reimbursed for the "base rate".
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To fly as form of transportation is not a right. No one is forcing the consumer to drag their bags. Yes, the savvy flyer avoids checked bags as often as possible but they should also understand the overhead storage won't accommodate a matching 5 piece. So, the situation is consumers are trying to board all their most precious cargo yet avoid what they perceive as onerous fees. The poor cabin crew is caught in the cross hairs.

In public works construction there was a game where a contractor would offer a low ball bid in order to procure the project. His competitors would shake their heads knowing no way in hell can he perform at that price. His ace up the sleeve was to add extras during the course of the project.

That was a game I choose not to play, I stood by my first and best price. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I think the airlines are playing that game. I think the consumer would be more comfortable with one upfront structured price even though that would be higher than the current advertised seat prices.

EDIT: Rereading Doug's post # 10 it looks like his last paragraph is in support of what I just said about the "game".
 
If I were flying on their example long-haul ORD-HNL flight and buying a ticket in coach, I'd gladly add $39 to lock-in a bulkhead seat. Maybe I'd want $20 for the middle or $39 for the aisle or window but really, that's not a bad deal if you're going to be there for hours and want to be comfortable but can't afford business/first class.
 
Doug Taylor said:
Let me show you how America looks for airline tickets! Say from PHX to MCO.
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I fully agree. But instead of fees here and there, why not just come out and raise the ticket cost to what it really would likely be, rather than try to advertise a low ticket price....THEN put the fineprint fees onto it?
 
I hate when there's someone sitting in the exit row who I wouldn't trust to be able to make a piece of toast, much less operate an emergency exit and assume all the responsibilities therein.
 
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