This is why i am thankful i have little need to fly

And, from the article, they will be charging $2 per NON alcoholic drink. What a joke.

They have to pay for those executive bonuses somehow!
Because they've done such a good job at making money after they came out of three years of bankruptcy.

U.S. Air couldn't let the other airline keep a monopoly on bad service.

Its largely an unprofitable industry... :/

Would you start a business in an industry where your highest cost has quadrupled in prices in the past 10 years and is only expected to keep rising?

U.S. Scareways strikes again.

@ffmariners: nickel and diming customers to death won't help them get back to profitability.

@dragonfire81: Is it really nickel and diming? Letting you fly below cost also won't get them back to profitability.

Examples like Southwest are few and far between... they came into the industry with a strong business model. They only had one type of aircraft to make maintenance more efficient and cheaper, they used smaller airport terminals to lower costs and reduce turnaround times... giving their planes more time in the air, they hedged against the gas increases, Etc. Etc.....

Most companies geared themselves around customer convenience... making a few large hubs and flying to some pretty small locations that they otherwise would not have flown too (but had to in order to remain competitive).

They aren't nickel and diming you... the business plan that so many people loved to death is finally catching up to them.

Oh, and just to show how bad the industry is... Southwest, for the first time in 17 years, just had a negative quarter...

@Franklin Comes Alive!: Hell to the naw.

US Scareways = Greyhound with wings. Good thing JetBlue services the only routes I regularly need to fly.

Looks like it's $2 for a soft drink as well.

[www.azcentral.com]

Funny how these old carriers are now cutting luxuries way more than the cheap carriers.

Soon flying JetBlue and Southwest will be ballin' And flying united will be for the poorer folk.

Me, I just canceled a trip to Vegas. I'll only fly when absolutely necessary.

So Consumerist editors: any chance you guys could dig up a few experts in the area, and crunch the numbers on jet fuel prices, airplane fuel efficiency, weight, etc. to find out just how much on average each extra piece of luggage costs an airline?

It'd be really interesting to find out just how much these fees are actually screwing us.

The thing I'm really not looking forward to is trying to find overhead bin space after this fee really starts to hit. I used to think packing a carryon and not checking baggage was a safe and quick bet. Ehh, not so much...

Airline industry: "Yes, I know the knife is at my neck. Now, can you just show me the carotid artery? I need to be accurate."

Passengers who will fly less the harder and more uncomfortable airlines make it: "Just another inch to your right. Go for it, we're taking the train."

Oh. So now I have to pay them extra to lose my luggage. It's one thing to have my luggage lost for free. Having to pay for the privilege is just tacky.

@ffmariners: Actually, Southwest's 4th quarter of 2001 earnings were also negative, after the terrorist attacks, like all the other airlines.

Anyway, I'm surprised it took USAirways this long to come up with this scheme. You'd think they would have been the first ones to do it. Airlines suck in general, but when it comes to being unprofessional and poorly run, US Airways has that down to a science - they work hard at it and are proud of it! In the interest of a balanced discussion, also note that most of the employees there haven't had a raise in ten years or longer. Not that it justifies what USAirways does, but you can see why they wouldn't be too motivated to do a good job.

@aquaregia: Are you with Bob Crandell? Do we need the gubbamint to re-regulate the airlines? How about mandatory binding arbitration when you buy a ticket?

If you have no solutions or suggestions to offer, "Quit bitching" is not a satisfactory post. Please go back to FauxNews.

What needs to happen is that Airlines (along with gas stations) and their lobbyists need to stand up to Big Oil and tell them to lower the price on gasoline instead of passing it on to the consumers.

So what happens when you try to bring your bag on the plane, but they run out of space bc you have a shitty seat # and everyone else is bringing their giant bags on the plane to avoid the charge? Before they would gate check them - no ideal but the only solution. Now, will it be "There's no more room in the overhead compartments. $15 please, or we're throwing your bag out the door".
I mean WTF? Why not just increase ticket prices across the board by $20 and still have free drinks and bag checks? It's the same price increase, but without your customers thinking you're cheap bastards who are nickel and diming them to death. These kind of policies are death-knell policies.