First US Airways did away with snacks, then they added a $15 fee to check a bag, and now they’ll be charging $2 each for sodas, juices, bottled water and coffee in coach. Are you going to stand for this? Take our poll, inside.
New fee at US Airways: $2 soda [Philadelphia Inquirer]
(Photo: John Kit )
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I actually can’t wait for the manditory $100 per incident screaming baby fee!
I heard that soon they were going to charge $2 to use the bathroom!
Seriously though, I have had to do a lot of flying lately on several different carriers, and my observation has consistently been that it’s getting more and more like taking a Greyhound bus.
@vastrightwing: Oddly enough I’d be in favor of that. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve had long flights where desensitized parents have napped or otherwise ignored their screaming kids.
For any flight less than 3 hours in length, there’s no reason to include beverages or food of any kind except water (and that should be free). The idea that short flights have to be flying snack bars is one that has always puzzled me. Unless you have serious blood sugar or other health problems, most people can go without food or drink comfortably for three hours (often more). They’d save a lot of money if they just gave everyone free water and just ditched the whole sky waitressing gig. They wouldn’t have to carry the load of excess supplies, pay people to load them, or pay them to serve them. Load several water coolers in the plane, one cup per passenger, should be quite enough for shorter flights.
Pretty soon flying is going to be like going to the ballpark — $7.75 for a beer and $9 for a hot dog.
Okay, let me understand something here…$15 for a checked bag (i.e. no free baggage allowance) and $2 for a drink… didn’t they try this at the now-defunct Skybus Airlines? Clearly not a sustainable business model.
Also…Southwest and JetBlue are referred to as “discount” carriers, yet they are now providing more than most of the “full service”/legacy carriers – no charge for checked bags (the first one at least), complementary beverages and televisions at your seats for no extra charge (on JetBlue). I don’t get it.
Hey, if you’re going to bring an empty bottle with you and fill it from the airport tap, it should be one of these inexpensive filter bottles, or a similar filter bottle from another seller: [www.homelandpreparedness.com]
Then if you are flying out of an area where the water is questionable, you can still carry your empty bottle through and fill it at the tap. Come to think of it, if you’re going to an area where the water is questionable, one of these will definitely need to be in your kit.
@ShariC: So, only people who fit your definition of “most” people should fly? That’s hell of convenient. No diabetics, small children, people with medical conditions, or the like are to be allowed on board, right? Suffering builds character, right?
To be honest, I can’t say I blame them. Oil prices are way up, and 24 airlines around the world have already gone bust. So I think we will be seeing a lot of this in the near future.
@SuryakantiInsana: As one flight attendant said in a funny preflight set of instructions, “Insert one quarter for every 10 minutes of air.”
This is another in a long list of reasons to avoid United/US Air (yes, I’m lumping ‘em together since they’re basically joined at the hip by contract). I’ll fly everyone else, thank you.
@Maulleigh: I do exactly the same thing as your mom, just bring an empty water bottle through and fill it up at water fountains. Unfortunately, European airports don’t seem to have water fountains, and as I’ll be flying back to the US in 2 weeks this will be a small annoyance, but there’s always bathroom sinks or cafes to fill it up.
On another note, Lufthansa provides free beer. How cool is that?
Amtrak charges for drinks unless you’re in business class.
Business class Amtrak FTW.
I’ve never understood the need to serve a beverage on short hops. People really can’t go 1 or 2 hours without a drink? They don’t even make it through the cabin until 5 minutes before landing sometimes.
Get rid of the drink cart altogether on flights less then 2 hours. Have small bottles of water available for special circumstances.
Where’s the voting option for “F**k NO!”??
Lets see.
I can but a 12 pack of Coke 12 ounce cans for around $2.50 in Connecticut.
That works out to just over 20 cents per can.
The airlines DO NOT need to make 1000 percent profit off of their customers on a soft drink.
In addition, they probably pay a lot less than 20 cents per can.
@Franklin Comes Alive!:
Yes, I have flown SWA, and yes, I still prefer selecting my seat ahead of time and not having to (a) check in exactly at the 24 hour mark, and (b) making sure I’m there at the gate before the boarding process starts.
This is also likely a weight issue. Fewer drinks sold, fewer beverages carried. Less weight carried, less fuel burned.
@goodcow:
Yeah, great, for NYC-DC, and sometimes for NYC-Boston.
For any other run, terrible, unless you have a LOT of time on your hands.
Boston-DC (one of the best-served Amtrak corridors):
Acela (fastest Amtrak): 6 hours, 32 minutes
Delta or US Airways Shuttle: 1 hour, 33 minutes
Even if it takes you an extra 45 minutes on public transport to Logan and from National, you’re looking at 3.5 hours faster than taking the train.
For anything outside of the Northeast Corridor, the comparison is even more absurd.
@speedwell: Wow, I picked that site at random, and after hours of searching I can’t find a better deal on a top-quality water filter bottle. I don’t work for them… I just noticed the same exact thing is selling from 29 to 39 dollars elsewhere, with occasional dips to 19 on sale.
@Lewis: I see that someone already made the suggestion to bring your own empty bottle to fill up at a drinking fountain in the terminal. Just want to add that there are drink bottles that collapse flat. Check online or go to your nearest high-tech backpacker store.
There’s also Camelback’s for water.
Why don’t they offer a ticket class called ‘roughing it’
No food, no drinks, basic toilet. No TV, no Phone, no Net, nothing.
You pay for the airline to in essence HAUL you from one place to another.
If it saved me hundreds, I would do it. Hell, I would even sit on the floor strapped down to a harness in case the plane broke open. No seats.
This has been going on for YEARS. Who are they?
Cargo.
Cargo is more cost effective.
The more airlines treat people like cargo, the more everyone will save.
I always hated paying for fluff nonsense while in flight. Just shut up and wait the time it takes to get to where you want to go.
@Vanguarde: Oooh, you’re so macho. Discomfort means nothing to you. You have the stamina of a bull. Just thinking about it makes me horny.
I was on a US Airways flight on Monday.
On the first leg, we were offered pretzels with our water or soda. On the second leg (I didn’t change planes) we were offered soda or water. I asked for a package of pretzels and was told they were eliminated over the weekend, and the last ones were given out on the last leg.
just bring your own beverage. Either buy it at the gate or take a bottle with you and fill it up before your flight.
seriously though thats cuntish and I will refuse to pay for my drinks in August: I bought those tickets BEFORE these rules were emplaced.
In the last few weeks, I’ve flown JetBlue, US Air and Spirit. US Air did not charge for drinks, but Spirit did. Plus, the Spirit flight was delayed boarding for an hour, then we sat on the tarmac for an hour waiting to take off. Fortunately, I had purchased drinks and food in the gate area before boarding.
Also, when payment was required onboard, it was credit or debit card only, no cash.
Fine. But they need to start allowed passengers to carry their own food and liters of water again.
This is why I love SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
@CAK: (and to all the others that are saying the same thing.
FUEL. PRICES. HAVE. GONE. UP. The airlines can’t afford to keep giving you what you’ve been getting for what you’ve been paying. Starting to charge for drinks is saving you from the prices going up. Prices staying the same when they would otherwise go up is still GOOD FOR YOU.
Even the title of this article specifies BOTTLED water costing money. I doubt the stewardess will refuse you TAP water in a cup, but even if they would, nothing stops you from bringing an empty bottle and filling it in the terminal as 100 other people have pointed out.
Everyone who says “ZOMG I ONLY FLY SOUTHWEST,” I’m happy for you. But I personally don’t want to fly with all the Wal-mart shopping, penny pinching riff-raff so I’ll continue to pay $10 more a ticket for an assigned seat on Delta/United/USAir.
@u1itn0w2day: So you’re saying you’d rather your total flying cost go up $5 in a way you have no control over, than to go up $2 and be able to opt out of it by bringing your own damn water. Even if you said $2 instead of $5, I think you’re crazy. Why would you rather be charged assuming you’ll be thirsty rather than paying only for what you consume?
That’s the sort of attitude the theater owners would love. Movie tickets are now $25 instead of $10 but they include COMPLETELY FREE popcorn, candy, and soda! If you don’t want or need those things, it’s okay! You still get the same low $25 price as everyone else.
@JustThatGuy3: Don’t forget things like arriving early for check-in, security, delays, etc. Even though the gap is likely less in the northeast compared to other areas, it’s still not as clear-cut as comparing the ride/flight time.
SOMEBODY. THINKS. THIS. IS. A. GOOD. IDEA?
Because the ticket prices will be lower?
Lower by two friggin’ dollars?!?!?
It just means poorer service in the cabin as the stewardesses have to stop and search for “change for a twenty, anyone?”
It’s stupid. And only stupid people like the idea. You know, airline CEO’s . . . .
I was done with US Airways ever since I took a flight that included about an hour of commercials played over the TV’s with loudspeaker (i.e. not headphone jack) audio. Oh, and the tray tables had giant verizon ad stickers stuck to them, which I ripped off and crumpled up before I deplaned.
Beats the $5/$6 they’ll charge you inside the airport for a bottle of stinkin’ water.
Why did soda/snack become mandatory on planes anyway? So funny watching the attendants on a 1/2 an hour flight scurry at breakneck pace to deliver beverage service. IS ANYBODY REALLY THAT FUCKING THIRSTY?!