How about they sell them for a nickel? Then they would make 2 cents per package of profit! Might help to eliminate some fees! /sarcasm

Meh. I usually bring my own snacks from home anyway.

I would have been upset if this news came out in 1990, but today it pretty much means you go from 4 tiny cardboard pretzels to 0. Eh.

I hope that the next time the government decides to bailout the airlines, they just flush that money down the Amtrak toilet.

Okay, how difficult is it for airlines to offer (free) 'tidbits' with an advertising message on the packet?

Enjoy these Oreo cookies, compliments of US Airways, Nabisco & Hertz Car Rental.

Gee turn expense into revenue stream.

How hard is this? US Airways, please send me a check, since your marketing department isn't bright enough to think of this.

I remember back in the day (10 years maybe?) when I was usually given a whole Nutri-Grain bar on shuttle flights for a snack - now, not even 3cent pretzels!

I kinda like pretzels, but i only fly Midwest (when i can afford it) or Southwest so i don't really care how much more crappy USAirways gets.

Shit. Now what am I going to snack on when I'm sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours while my USAir flight is delayed AGAIN?
Seriously.
I have NEVER flown US Air and had my flight leave or arrive on time.
I hate them. But they are often cheap. Which means, next time they save me a nickel, I will be right back on their airline. Ugh.

Awesome! So the US Airways 3 oz bag of peanuts I found in my spring jacket is a collector's item now!

Guys, you can't blame the airlines. Gas is ridiculous and airlines are losing money. We're lucky the ticket prices haven't been jacked up yet.

Will we still be getting free soft drinks? This is a serious question - I need my Diet Coke.

I still remember hearing about the airlane that saved hundreds of thousands by taking olives out of their in-flight salads a few years ago.

What a coincidence, I've officially ended flying on Us Air. And the way things are going US Airways will soon be officially ending operations.

This is crazy, I would want my $.03 back, I'm sure it is included in the ticket price. If I'm paying for it, I expect it. No matter how dry and distasteful it is. What is the world coming to?

@Rando: But the prices have - in the form of extra fees for checking in baggage, fuel surchages, extra leg room , etc - That way they can charge all those items at check-in time and still advertise "lower" prices.

I remember when you used to get MEALS with ACTUAL SILVERWARE that they let you keep. My parents still have a few United forks and knives.

Then they switched to plastic silverware.

Now they give you a "snack box" for an extra $5.

@weakdome: "I have NEVER flown US Air and had my flight leave or arrive on time."

Just last Friday I flew from JAX to PHL and the flight was 10 mins early. Return flight (Southwest, on Monday night) was 15 minutes early.

I've actually gone from JAX to PHL and have been almost an hour early due to a nice tail wind (this was on Thanksgiving day last year). The problems with late flights getting in and out of PHL is because of PHL, not because of US Air. I've had family fly out of PHL and sit on the tarmac for an hour before takeoff due to traffic. On Southwest.

Now the airlines say the flight from PHL to JAX is 2.5 hours when it's only 2 (but more often about 1.75 hours). The flight from JAX to PHL is always scheduled for 2 hours and takes about the same time.

I wonder if they'll ever stop giving out complimentary drinks on a flight? With the air being so dry inside a plane it would be a lucrative way for the airlines to make money. On trips from Asia, I have seen that before boarding a plane to the USA, you must get rid of all your bottles and crap before boarding. It's quite annoying and it would force you to buy their drinks on the 12+ hour flight back to America.

The pricing is so equalized now that I'll probably be flying JAL or Cathay Pacific exclusively just so I know I won't be nickeled and dimed in fees. They also have superior service.... and superior stewardesses :)

Lets do a bit of math:

$0.03 x 3800 flights x (150 passengers per flight guess) equals $17100 in additional profit per day or wait for it .... $6.2415 Million dollars per year. It's crazy how a $0.03 snack can add up. I agree with Skokieguy above however in that I'm sure some company would pay $0.06 cents per pack to advertise on and take that $6.2415 Million Dollar loss and turn it into profit.

@Rando: Fine, fuel goes up, raise ticket prices, don't nickel and dime us and then pare down the service to the point where an activity which is already (often) stressful and frustrating becomes that much more aggravating.

@Rando: Actually I can blame the airlines. Look at how the rising fuel costs are effecting the airlines differently, it's caused by the inefficient business models some of the airlines have adapted.

@satoru: Above posters are correct about the snack not being missed. However, you will probably find some huge complaints about stop giving out free drinks on your flights. Especially water, on a long flight. I think customers would not allow it, and also begin to bring empty bottles to fill at the bathroom.

Why not bring your own snacks? Even when I fly on airlines that I know to have passable food, I bring something. How hard is it to pack a granola bar or somesuch? The weight of one in your carry-on bag or pocket is negligible.

With or without an in-flight meal, I always bring along an extra sandwich or sub-sandwich (cheese and/or vegetables so it won't spoil). Even if the meal is good, I'll end up eating it anyway, and if isn't edible, the sandwich saves the day.

I once had a five hour flight that had abominable food, grease dripping off it, and the diabetic meal I ordered NOT delivered to me. I was very glad I planned ahead.

@lincolnparadox:

That sounds like a better plan than giving to the airlines, with some more funding amtrak could actually be a competent and useful service.

Look at Europe

@jusooho: I was just thinking why it wasn't done earlier. From a cost perspective those canned drinks they take on are much higher than 3 cents a pop. I suppose they can't do the syrup based dispensers because of the compressed CO2 which would act like a potential explosive. You'd get complaints, but in this environment with the way the airlines are behaving, and with flyer apathy at an all time high, they might be able to get away with it.

I just wonder if there is some kind of actual regulation that would prevent this? I agree that most people would probably start making runs to the bathroom to steal water from the tap, but is that water even remotely drinkable?

@darkrose: Getting to PHL early is nothing to be happy about.

@B:

Not really business models. In fact, it has much to do with which airlines hedged their fuel purchases and which did not.

@darkrose: So... moral of your story is, we should start going on vacations together? Maybe the average of your early flights plus my late ones will mean we always arrive on time!

@backbroken: Getting to PHL early is nothing to be happy about.

This is true, but the point remains that is it a problem with the airport, not the airlines.

When I left on Friday I noticed we took off from 27L which was new, we usually got out of there on 27R. Looks like 27R was being used for arrivals only, so maybe things are changing (still was like #12 for takeoff)

my trip from us air got bumped up 1 hour early, good thing we got there 1 hour 30 minutes early.

the trip got delayed 1 hour because
"our first officer is not here and not responding to phone calls"
aka he was leg deep on girls in vegas while the rest of us wanted to leave vegas :(

this whole problem started with not being able to pay pilots overtime IMO. they have no need to jack prices cause planes that used to carry 100 people and have a limit of 150 now carry the limit. all planes are fully booked when previously you could build a fort in an airplane as a kid =/

Will first class passengers still get pretzels??

How much does the CEO make again? How about all of the upper management combined?

A smarter airline might be able to take advantage of the current situation. Airlines like JAL and Cathay Pacific cost more but are actually nice experiences on the plane with actual edible food and good customer service. Perhaps and airline can try to rebrand themselves as going to the 'golden age' of air travel. They can say "look we cost a bit more but let's compare: them cheap ticket + 100 for bags + 10 lunch + 10 dinner. us : ticket + good service + good food + no hidden fees"

The problem with the airlines is everyone is playing the "Me Too" game instead of trying to actually differentiate themselves from the crappy industry they are perceived to be.

I love US Air. They were awful when United was good. They were awful when United was bad and American was good. Now, as United gets better and American swirls the drain, they're still awful.

They just manage to scrape together enough cash from time to time to threaten to buy another airline...kind of like the sarlacc reaching a tentacle out of the abyss to pull in another hapless soul.

And the fact they have their hub in Philadelphia is very fitting. It's like the antithesis of those old Reeses peanut butter cup commercials - two great tastes in one.

Except US Air and PHL are two horrible things in one.

@satoru: Yes, water from the airplane tap is very drinkable. Some times flying on a 16 hour flight it is preferable for me to fill a bottle from there, than to ask for several bottles of water from the attendent.

Also I like my bottle much more ^^

The ideal scenario for the airlines & TSA would be: You go to the airport, check your bags, sit down in a comfortable chair at the gate area. A mask is then placed over your face and you fall asleep. Whilst you're asleep, they wheel the chairs onto the plane and leave. At the other end of the flight, you're woken up, you collect your bags and off you go (unless you have a connecting flight, in which case you're wheeled over to the other plane). No shoe bombers to worry about, no movies, snacks, crying babies, overcrowded restrooms, stressed out flight attendants, the pilot has nothing to do but fly the plane. Why no one in the Bush administration came up with this plan is beyond belief!

@satoru:

I'd sooner drink jet fuel than that water.

@P_Smith:

With or without an in-flight meal, I always bring along an extra sandwich or sub-sandwich [...]

Is a subsandwich a sandwich in a sandwich? Like a subdirectory is a directory in a directory...

I once had a five hour flight that had abominable food, grease dripping off it, and the diabetic meal I ordered NOT delivered to me. I was very glad I planned ahead.

Right on! I usually plan for my own snacks when I travel. Saves a lot of headaches. So I don't really care if they stop serving their pitiful snacks.

Ugh, stop complaining about this. Seriously, its a bag of very low quality pretzels that I *know* at least half of you don't even eat. We should have started complaining sooner if we were bothered by losing our "flying experience" i.e. pillows, blankets, quality attendant service. Its not like you can't bring pretzels from home, or fork over the 3 bucks for a bag in the terminal. I know, to some people 3 dollars is the world, but really, most people fly once or twice a year. Get over it.

the title of this article should be adjusted in 6 months to "Humans Officially End Flying on US Airways"

I just flew AA from Canada to Chicago and they wanted to charge me $5 for a blanket I could keep. Has anyone else experienced this? Is this for short hop flights only?

I'm not too terribly bothered by this. It's like we're going through a process of weeding out the really horrible airlines. I understand that fuel is expensive, I'm paying more for gas for my car so it makes sense that the airline is paying more for their jet fuel - so charge more. I find it interesting that while some of these airlines (like USAir) are citing this as being necessary due to rising fuel cost when Southwest generally has better service, more pleasant employees, AND record profits WHILE being significantly cheaper AND I still get to check two bags for free!

I'd be willing to bet that there is plenty of corporate fat they could trim that would save a lot more than .03 cents/passenger/flight.

Keep in mind that there are also soft costs associated with the serving. So the actual pretzels cost 3 cents/package, but someone has to order pretzels, receive pretzels, store pretzels, and load the plane with pretzels.

The best airline for snacks is EASILY Midwest Express. Hell, it's the best airline in general, IMO, however they serve freshly baked Chocolate Chip Cookies. Good ones too!

@Szin: Amen! Midwest rocks. I swear it's like flying on a Limo. And those cookies... MMMMM! Plus their seats are designed by Recarro!

I love Midwest - my current home airport is MKE, so I getto see a lot of them.

I'm moving to Philly. The only downside (job, personal wise) is going to be 80% travel with PHL as my home airport. I don't count them as bad as Atlanta... but nothing takes off on time out of PHL.

Personally, I think of going to the airport as a survival experiance. I don't check anything, I take one carryon, I pack my own pillow, blanket, food and water bottle. I wrap myself in my own personal bubble and understand that its going to be miserable until I hit the rental car place at my final destination.

Hmm. $0.03 x 3800 flights per day x 150 passengers per flight =$17100/day x 365 days =$6.2415 Million loss per year. I can see why they are cutting it.

I'd highly agree with the above advertising suggestion. Charge an advertiser $.06 per bag and turn that loss into a 6.2415 Million Dollar profit.

As a side note, Southwest hedged there fuel costs long ago and is the main reason they are still so profitable.

@am84:
As long as you can't bring your own beverages, charging for that will be very tempting to the airline industry.

As soon as they start, you can bet that "security" concerns over liquids will remain in place.

@TheLadyK: I'm moving to Philly. The only downside (job, personal wise) is going to be 80% travel with PHL as my home airport. I don't count them as bad as Atlanta... but nothing takes off on time out of PHL.

----
Depending on where you're going try Atlantic City. Generally cheaper (depending on where you're going), even when you factor in gas and tolls on the AC Expressway. My GF sometimes flies down via Spirit to MCO (Orlando) and then we spend a weekend down there vs flying into JAX.