Airline Seats

[Ben]

Just got this email at work this morning regarding booking official travel. The part about "premium" seats kinda cracked me up. Well, until the next time I fly and find out I have to pay extra out of my own pocket for a window or aisle seat. Otherwise I need to come up with something that makes me a "special needs" employee.

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Some airlines are now charging for seats they designate as choice or premium, such as aisle, front of the cabin, larger seats, and window seats.  Three airlines that are currently charging for premium seats are Northwest, United, and US Airways.  The cost varies from airline to airline. Other factors that may determine the cost include: distance of the flight, domestic, or international.  This fee may be waived by certain airlines depending upon the travelers status in a frequent flyer program.  The choice to pay extra for choice or premium seats is borne by the employee and Government is not required to repay the employee. The exception to this rule is noted in Federal Travel Regulation section 301-13, Travel of an Employee with Special Needs.  The regulation notes that additional travel expenses will be paid by the Government when it is necessary to accommodate a special physical need that is either clearly visible and discernible or substantiated in writing by a competent medical authority.

[wmenorr67]

Glad that I am not having to pay for a ticket anytime soon.

[Manedwolf]

Is United going to charge for not losing your luggage, and US Airways for not being late?

I only fly Southwest or JetBlue now.

[Lennyjoe]

Any way to make an extra buck I guess. Then again, I'd pay an extra $10 to keep from having to sit in the middle seat.

[Ben]

Ten bucks I would pay too. I have a sneaking suspicion it's gonna be a might more than that though... 

[Manedwolf]

I would pay $10 for a nice hot meal on a civilized tray with dinnerware instead of having to grab something in the terminal and carry it on board.

Also, WHY DO THEY NOT EVER put lids on coffeecups? Is that too expensive? The surest way to cause turbulence is to order coffee.

[matis]

I just bought return tickets to Minneapolis for SWMBO -- on AirTran.

$99 each way (plus around $38 for various taxes. landing fees, etc.) is a great bargain in todays airfare market.

But in choosing seats (bought tickets on the net) we found that all the window and aisle seats had already been reserved and we had to pay $6 each way (so it's actually $3 per flight) to reserve the premium window seats.

I guess $12 return is not too bad, especially considering the bargain fares.

We could have simply accepted whatever seats they assigned her when she boarded but didn't want to risk her getting a middle seat.

The airlines have got to pay for that fuel somehow.


matis

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

flying northwest thursday to sioux falls  we'll see how it is

[BridgeRunner]

I love my car. 

[Manedwolf]

I love my car. 

It's the only way you can travel with pets, really, unless you charter a private jet.

[Jamisjockey]

Bastards.....
FYI I spent about 8k on airline tickets last year.  Probably a touch less this year.  Nothing like being paid to be treated like a hostage.  Fawkers.

[Werewolf]

Couldn't care less...

I stopped flying after 911. I refuse to be treated like a criminal by a government that I risked my life for and served honorably for 13 years.

That said: Hooray for the airlines. They're gonna need every penny they can scrape up from paying passengers in the coming days just to stay in business. Ya want an aisle seat and so do others - sounds like a little supply and demand pricing is in order.

Capitalism - gotta love it - and I do! - the source of much creativity in the marketplace. Charge what the market will bear. Don't like it? Move to Russia - oh wait they went capitalist. Ahh well - there's got to be some idiot run socialist paradise the complainers can move to.

[charby]

flying northwest thursday to sioux falls  we'll see how it is

Make sure to check out the falls. The quartzite formations are pretty cool if you are into geology.

[K Frame]

I haven't flown since 1992, and if I have my way, I'll never fly again.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

thanks for reminding me about falls  kids old enough to like that

[Regolith]

Never flown before.  And at this rate, I never will. 

[Tallpine]

I guess it's lucky for me that the Dash-8 only has 2 seats on each side of what is supposed to be an aisle 

[Antibubba]

How much do I have to pay to be at the end farthest away from the crying baby and the tired, bored 3 year old?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i sympathise about the kids. when we fly you see folks look at the critters with an oh no look sometimes.  so far through nothing i've done my kids have never gone off on a plane. we had a real bad time on a flight once and when they finally took everyone off and we were leaving for the hotels to wait out blizzard a guy and his wife thanked my kid for how well she behaved. i was tickled pink for something i had nothin to do with.

[The Annoyed Man]

Who even cares?   Why would anyone 'fly' in the first place?  Are you so locked in to your 9-5 corporate gig that you can't take a month, or two months, or three months, to drive to your destination?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

if i still worked for the corporations i could take the time  self employed i got a week to round trip minnesota from va. its about as long a flight as i care to take  end up going to south dakota and driving back 70 miles

[Hawkmoon]

I only fly Southwest or JetBlue now.

And is JetBlue going to charge extra for giving you a real seat, rather than space in the head?

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Who even cares?   Why would anyone 'fly' in the first place?  Are you so locked in to your 9-5 corporate gig that you can't take a month, or two months, or three months, to drive to your destination?

Yes.  Some of us are locked in our corporate jobs.  Some of us aren't retired yet.

[freakazoid]

Who even cares?   Why would anyone 'fly' in the first place?  Are you so locked in to your 9-5 corporate gig that you can't take a month, or two months, or three months, to drive to your destination?

Dang, where do you plan on driving? 

I've actually never even been on a plane, always drove to where I was going. I've driven from Wichita, KS to and from the Knob Creek machine gun shoot twice, and I've driven from Wichita to Rapid City, SD when I moved there and when I moved back, and my 2 trips to visit home.

[BridgeRunner]

I stopped flying after 911.

Ditto.  The in-laws talked us into a trip to the gulf coast when Ian's grandfather died a couple years ago.  I was five months pregnant, was as tail end of months of morning sickness and living on edge of dehydration at all times.  I was not delighted at the prospect of the herding process that is commercial air travel.

I was even less delighted when I discovered that TSA finds it amusing to demand that people somehow carry luggage while moving with the line while removing coats and shoes.  There's just something wrong with a guy who barks at an obviously  pregnant chick who looks like death warmed over (yes, pregnancy can be a joyful, healthy experience.  It isn't always) to keep moving while she removes and then replaces her shoes.  And that was even before the flight...

Delightful.

I love my car. 

And yeah, it sure is nice to toss the dog in the backseat with the kiddo.  Keeps her happier that way, too.