Time to Revolt: Don’t Fly American Airlines in the U.S.
May 21st, 2008 Posted in Travel industryDo you feel like a lobster in a pot, with the water getting hotter and hotter every week? If you’re a customer of American Airlines, it’s time to jump out of the pot and scurry to the beach. Just when you think the U.S. airlines can’t possibly get any more evil and customer-unfriendly, along comes American Airlines deciding to charge you $15 for your FIRST checked bag. That’s right, bring anything larger than a carry-on and you get slapped with yet another fee that should be included in the ticket to start with.
Plenty of people who write about how bad this industry has declined have covered this already. Read the reactions at Elliot.org, Gadling, or Jaunted.
If there was ever a time to vote with your wallet, this is it. I put my money where my mouth was with U.S. Air a while back and will never fly them again. American has just joined that list of shame and I’m sure I’m not the only person who will always choose another airline (or no airline at all) over one that has such disdain for their passengers. If you own this stock, you’re insane. It’s the beginning of the end: this airline is going under.
* Revision May 29, 2009 - The spiral towards bankruptcy has already begun. American shocks industry with international cuts.
10 Responses to “Time to Revolt: Don’t Fly American Airlines in the U.S.”
By Mike on May 21, 2008
I just saw the headline and immediately came here, “I hope he’s already written about it… I hope he’s already written about it…”
I’ll join you in the boycott of American Airlines - we just flew them last winter and it was amateur hour. I couldn’t believe how clumsily they were operating their business.
By bryan in san francisco on May 21, 2008
It’s not unusual. Ryanair and Easyjet charge that fee in Europe. Of course the difference is that Ryanair and Easyjet are actually affordable. AA is a premium priced airline.
By Austin on May 21, 2008
I haven’t flown American in a long time and don’t typically even consider them when choosing tickets. But when I’m looking for cheap airfare, I’ll keep this extra fee in mind.
By tim on May 21, 2008
Bryan - you are right, people put up with the nickel and diming from RyanAir and the like because the fares are so drastically lower. Over here they put up with it from Spirit for the same reason. American, on the other hand, keeps trying to act like it’s a real airline and is charging as much or more than competitors on its domestic routes. Recipe for disaster. This is going to be one they’re reading about in business school case studies for a long time: “How to run your multi-billion-dollar business into the ground.”
By Christine Gilbert on May 21, 2008
I’m conflicted on this front. At first I was outraged! But then I also think the airlines must be in pretty bad shape to make this move.
Didn’t American also say that they are cutting service by 11-12 percent? Possible layoffs? And their stocks fell 25% after this announcement!
So what I wonder is, how long can American stop the bleeding by gauging customers? Will we be losing another airline?
By Joe on May 21, 2008
Old joke:
Business school student to millionaire: “Tell me, Sir, how did you become a millionaire?”
Millionaire: “I started as a billionaire and then bought a US airline!”
By beatofhawaii.com on May 21, 2008
I have a completely contrary opinion about the $15 fee. It is nothing to do with AA and everything to do with consumer pricing model expectations.
http://beatofhawaii.com/why-aas-15-checked-bag-fee-is-fair/
Aloha,
Jeff
By tim on May 22, 2008
Jeff - you have a point, but this part of your post is absolutely not true:
“What we as consumers have asked for and gotten is the menu option. It gives us an impression at least, that we are getting a better deal. We see it in virtually all consumer purchases we make. Therefore, it seems inappropriate to say that American Airlines is somehow unfair in assessing today’s fee, no matter how much we dislike it.”
I pay one price at an amusement park for all the rides I want. I pay one price at a hotel for everything except incidentals, including WiFi at the majority of them. (The few that defy this with “resort charges” end up with a lot of irate guests.) I pay one charge at a ski resort, not each time I get on the lift. I pay one price for an all-inclusive vacation and leave my wallet locked up for a week–it’s why they are so popular. I pay one price on Southwest airlines–the most popular one with customers I might add–with no surprises.
They should disclose everything they are charging us in the ticket price, not add it on afterwards and say, “Screw you.” Otherwise it’s like the bread companies charging us for a wrapper because the price of flour went up.
By Ron Mader on May 24, 2008
Excellent points in this blog and the responses.
What would I like to see? An e-conference that connects the dots between the various websites AND that includes airline reps. And in this age of climate change concerns, maybe we might want to address not just the ticket price, not just the way flyers are treated but how transportation affects the environment.
By tim on May 25, 2008
Thanks for chiming in Ron. The high price of gas has (in my opinion) had as many positive outcomes as negative: SUV sales have tumbled, carpooling is returning, more people are taking public transportation, hybrid and small car sales are exploding, and my local bicycle shop is doing a booming business. All this affects public policy, with politicians scrambling to find a way to “get green” all of a sudden. Economic incentives can be wonderful things even when they look painful on the surface. Same thing with the airlines. It wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing for everyone to fly less this summer, especially if they stop taking those “weekend getaway” trips to far-flung airports and instead either take a real vacation or just drive somewhere close by (or take the train) instead.