United Airlines

Airlines AND airports want more of your money

Bathrooms, , , ,

Airlines have been piling on fees for everything from in-flight meals and pillows to checked baggage service and a tiny bit of extra legroom. And just yesterday, in a story I reported on for MSNBC.com, United Airlines announced new charges for ‘seatmates of size.’

wallet-with-moneyAfter toying with putting pay-boxes on airplane lavatories, travelers gave Ryanair 12,000 other ideas for “discretionary revenue charges.”  Voting ends tomorrow (Friday, April 17) for a winner from the top five. Choices include:  fees for toilet paper, a “corkage” fee for bringing your own food onboard, a subscription fee for the airline’s Web site, an access fee for an on-board smoking room and a surcharge for overweight passengers.

moneyNow airports are starting to explore charging extra fees. The UK’s Luton airport recently began charging drivers a passenger drop-off fee. And in my Well-Mannered Traveler column on MSNBC.com – Will Airports Fleece the Fliers? – I consider a few more: how about a gate limo, a bathroom attendant, or a security checkpoint concierge?

What would/should you pay for in-flight Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi, , ,

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Air travel used to be so easy:  Pick a destination, call a travel agent, buy your ticket, pack, get dressed up, go to the airport, fly.

Now? It’s much more complicated:  Choose a destination. Scour the Internet for tickets. Decide: pack a carry-on or pay to check a bag?  Dress for success at the security checkpoint. Stock up on food and water.  Then, settle in and elbow your seatmate for a piece of the armrest.

Soon: All of the above; plus deciding if you’ll pay for in-flight Wi-Fi and, if so, which plan to buy.

Find out what airlines are charging for sky-high Wi-Fi and if those prices are likely to stick in my Flying the Wi-Fi Skies story posted on MSNBC.com today.

And let me know: what WOULD you be willing to pay for in-flight Wi-Fi?

Tidbits for travelers: PHL gets a new spa; United goes cashless; Alaska gets Wi-Fi

Spas, Wi-Fi, , ,

XpresSpa has opened a new location at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) – in the International Terminal, Terminal A West – offering massages, aromatherapy products, and other personal care items.  There’s another branch of XpresSpa on Concourse C that offers massages as well as manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing and reflexology.

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This week United Airlines announced that starting March 23rd, passengers will be asked to pay for on-board purchases (cocktails, sandwiches, snacks, etc.) with credit or debit cards instead of cash.  There are some exceptions. According to a United press release:

“United will continue to accept cash in addition to credit and debit cards on flights to and from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America.  On United Express flights cash will continue to be the accepted form of payment.”money

And, starting this week, Alaska Airlines is testing its new in-flight Wi-Fi service on one Boeing 737-700 airplane.

The in-flight Wi-Fi is provided by Row 44 and will be  offered free for the next 60 days or so while the airline tests the service.  Then the plan is to install Wi-Fi on the airline’s entire fleet of aircraft – and start charging.

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How to complain to airlines and hotels

Complaints,

United Airlines is putting the kibosh on calling in with complaints.

Last week the airline confirmed that, come April, it will disconnect the phone line to a foreign call center contracted to field customer compliments and complaints.

Customers with issues to discuss will still be able to call the airline’s general 800-number but, as anyone who’s tried navigating United’s (or any airline’s) automated phone tree knows, the focus there is on selling tickets and tweaking reservations From here on out, even if you get through to a live United Airlines agent, you’ll likely be told to send post-flight comments, good or bad, in old-fashioned letter form or via e-mail.

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But why quit answering the phone?

United Airlines spokesperson Robin Urbanski says the company did research on the success of the feedback line and concluded that “people who e-mail or write us are more satisfied with our responses.”

In a tough economy, when keeping every customer you’ve got is more important than ever, United’s move puzzles folks like Zeke Adkins of Luggage Forward, a door-to-door luggage shipping company. “What is unclear to me is how this [research] led United to conclude that eliminating, rather than improving, their call centers would be the best strategic decision.”

Others suspect that as the economy worsens and budgets tighten, live customer-service centers will disappear elsewhere as well. But that’s doesn’t mean well-mannered travelers should stop giving feedback on service. We may just need to learn some new skills – and sharpen some old ones.

For some tips on how to do that, see my column – Don’t bother calling with your travel complaints – on MSNBC.com.

Glimmers of hope?

Delays,

Two items caught my eye today that seem like encouraging steps in the right direction.

From the Airline Biz blog, – a note about Continental Airlines saying they’d make it a policy to let passengers deplane if they’d been stuck on an airplane for more than three hours.

And from the Chicago Tribune: an article about how United and other airlines are (finally? once again?) paying attention to cleaning their airplanes more often.

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United Airlines: Yes, for now, on meals for Europe-bound passengers

Food

Hold the mayo! Yesterday, United Airlines sent out a “never mind” notice about its plan to begin charging for economy-class meals on flights to Europe from Dulles International Airport.

That’s good news for folks trying to figure out how they were going to pack a meal (or two) into their already-full carry-on bags.

Meanwhile, over the Labor Day Weekend, United Airlines promoted its partnership with Westin Hotels by giving out free travel blankets to United’s customers at JFK.

If you got one of those blankets, hold onto it. You won’t get another one unless you’re a first or business class passenger on United’s p.s. flights between New York and California. As part of the new partnership, those travelers will receive Westin-designed Heavenly pillows and blankets, White Tea-scented towelettes and mints, beverages and other “renewing” amenities.

Not flying between New York and California? Three Red Carpet Club lounges (in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco) now have Renewal Lounges outfitted with new furniture, a new selection of snacks and beverages, and a new smell: Westin’s White Tea scent will be diffused in the lounge areas.

Crackdown on carry-on bags

Carry-ons, Fees, ,

United Airlines and US Airways recently announced they will join American Airlines and start charging passengers to check a first bag. That means a lot more people will start packing a lot more stuff into their carry-on bags.

“Not so fast” say the airlines. They’re cracking down on over-sized carry-on bags by posting staff at the security checkpoint lines in an effort to ‘head ’em off at the pass.’

Find out more in my Well-Mannered Traveler column on MSNBC.com. suitcase.jpg