This morning I hear on the news that US Airways has joined United in their efforts to make train travel more desireable and starting with any trips booked in May will also charge $25 for the second bag. I hope there are cameras at the airport the day these changes go into effect because I can't wait for all the angry passenger reactions.
Needless to say, aircraft loading and unloading will become even more cumbersome thanks to the struggles that people will have finding overhead space for the bags they used to check. The airlines will be forced to gate check more bags that don't fit (how are they going to charge for those?) and people will end up jamming stuff under their feet. Trying to board and exit airplanes will become an even more trying experience.
This new policy will not only make air travel more expensive and loading and unloading longer and more frustrating, but I also predict that it will make flying more dangerous. Why? People will carry more and more stuff into the cabin of aircraft until the overhead bins are not only overflowing, but the underseat areas will be jammed as well. In an emergency evacuation of the airplane it will be more difficult to get out of the airplane as you struggle to get through all the junk that people have brought on board.
Other airlines now have a choice. If American Airlines wants to take advantage of this the right way they should start advertising right now that they won't charge you for the second bag. Why waste the extra money on United or USAir if you can get where you want to go on another carrier that doesn't make the charge. That probably won't happen as airlines tend to follow one another on pricing if they think they can get away with it, but if there's anybody at American with any sense of market dynamics, this could be a real opportunity to set themselves apart from the crowd.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment