[IP] "fuel surcharge." $1000.00

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

________________________________________
From: David Ian Hopper [imhopper@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2008 9:16 AM
To: David Farber
Subject: Re: [IP] Re: OR UNITED?? Soon, no free drinks if you fly US Airways

So now that the US has high gas prices as well as expensive and
unpleasant domestic air travel, and it's the first day of summer.  I
wonder, how do IPers plan to travel (on their own dime) over the
summer?  Amtrak?  Greyhound?  Use it as a good excuse to avoid
visiting the relatives?

Here abroad, we still have good airlines that value service.  I'm
taking flights on Kingfisher Airlines and Singapore Airlines on two
trips in the next few weeks, and neither of them will nickel-and-dime
me for a half a can of soda.  However, I was jarred by checking prices
on Jet Airways, a premier private airline in India.  They advertised
roundtrip tickets from Chennai to Singapore for $120 per ticket, and I
started the booking process for six for this very reasonable price.
Then, just before payment, it showed me the "fuel surcharge."  How
much extra for all?  One thousand dollars.

- Ian.

On Sat, Jun 21, 2008 at 5:16 PM, David Farber <dave@farber.net> wrote:
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Richard Forno [rforno@infowarrior.org]
> Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2008 7:43 AM
> To: David Farber
> Cc: ip
> Subject: Re: [IP] Re:  OR UNITED??  Soon, no free drinks if you fly US Airways
>
> Speaking of the airlines, now this:
>
> United Airlines to require minimum stays from Oct.
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080620/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_airlines_fares
>
> Stupid TSA security requirements, horrible airport experiences, aging
> fleets, rising fuel prices, airlines on the verge of bankrupcy, nickle-
> and-dime fees for everything, more onerous travel schedule
> requirements, and now even WORSE customer service (is that possible?)
> all converging together is creating the Perfect Storm that likely will
> lead to the demise and/or serious consolidation of the US passenger
> aviation system.
>
> I wonder what these new airline changes at airlines, airplanes, and
> airports has meant for videoconferencing companies and other remote
> colalboration ventures -- have they seen increased business as a
> result of folks not willing to pay for higher fuel costs or the
> privilege of being treated as cattle, sheep, suspected terrorists, or
> nothing more than sources of endless revenue for a rapidly-
> deteriorating mode of transportation?
>
> -rick
>
> On Jun 16, 2008, at 11:48 , David Farber wrote:
>
>>
>> ________________________________________
>> From: Matthew Tarpy [tarpy@tarpify.com]
>> Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 10:53 AM
>> To: David Farber; ip
>> Subject: RE: [IP] OR UNITED??  Soon, no free drinks if you fly US
>> Airways
>>
>> Hi Dave (and IP)--
>>
>> I think we need to come to terms with the fact that flying within
>> the US
>> (on the mainline carriers) has fundamentally started to change. These
>> dinosaurs are trying anything and everything to get just a little more
>> revenue in to stave off the eventual collapse of their business model.
>> What's the airline to consistently post profits? Southwest, and
>> eventually we're all going to move to that model.
>>
>> I am on an assignment right now that has me flying weekly from
>> O'Hare to
>> Cincinnati...I'm on a small RJ, that seats around 40 people. It
>> kills me
>> that during the approximately 40 minutes we're airborne American Eagle
>> has the flight attendant hustle through a drinks service. If that were
>> to magically go away one day, not only wouldn't I miss it, I'd frankly
>> be surprised that it took so long. The cost to cater the plane and
>> serve
>> you 1/3 of a can of soda probably runs them $100 for the flight (ice,
>> soda, service charge from Skychefs/Swissport/whoever). Multiply that
>> by
>> the 14 ORD/CVG/ORD flights a day, you're saving $1400, multiply that
>> out
>> by 365 days, and you've just cut out $511K on just one regional jet
>> route. It's not hard to see the appeal of that type of cost savings
>> being bubbled out throughout a mainline's network, especially with oil
>> prices giving airline executives a major case of the "holy craps."
>>
>> I say this not as one who hates the mainlines; far from it, I've had
>> AAdvantage Platinum status for almost a decade, and am already well
>> into
>> getting my 2nd million miles on AA, but I think that the current
>> marketplace is neither rational nor long tenable. I think within the
>> next 5 years we'll be down to three mainline carriers
>> (American/Continental and United/UsAir, and if they survive Delta/
>> NWA),
>> and a bunch of hungry cut-rate carriers (Southwest, JetBlue, and
>> Virgin
>> America). God help the mainlines if Michael O'Leary gets puckish, and
>> decides to open up Ryanair America...he'll clean their clocks.
>>
>> --Matthew
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: David Farber [mailto:dave@farber.net]
>> Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 4:34 AM
>> To: ip
>> Subject: [IP] OR UNITED?? Soon, no free drinks if you fly US Airways
>>
>>
>> ________________________________________
>> From: redblk@dslextreme.com [redblk@dslextreme.com]
>> Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 2:15 AM
>> To: frisbee2@yahoogroups.com
>> Cc: David Farber
>> Subject: Re: [frisbee2] Soon, no free drinks if you fly US Airways
>>
>> I was on an "experimental" flight today where United flight attendants
>> were selling food and drinks and taking credit cards.  Not a bad idea
>> considering nobody carries cash anymore.
>>
>> Calvin
>>
>>
>> Eric Glover
>>>
>> http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.drinks13jun13,0,2294921.stor
>> y
>>> ------------------------
>>> Water, coffee, juice, sodas due on pay list
>>>
>>> By Laura McCandlish | Sun reporter
>>>     June 13, 2008
>>>
>>> Talk about taking the fizz out of air travel.
>>>
>>> US Airways will become the first major U.S. airline in August to
>> charge
>>> domestic coach passengers for soft drinks, juices, coffee and bottled
>>> water as part of a shift to what it calls a "pay-for-what-you-use"
>>> business model.
>>>
>>> The $2-a-pop beverage charge is the latest in a raft of new charges
>>> airlines have been imposing to help pay for record fuel costs.
>>>
>>> Free nonalcoholic beverages have been one of the last freebies handed
>>> out by domestic airlines, which already charge for alcoholic
>>> beverages
>>> and - except for Continental - for meals and even snacks on domestic
>>> flights.
>>>
>>> ...
>>> ------------------------
>>>
>>
>>
>>
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