For customers who will choose whatever the cheapest option is.
Short of flying private, paying more doesn't insulate people from all the pain of commercial air travel but it sure insulates from a lot--but most people aren't able/willing to pay for it.
> What's next an upcharge for oxygen and a flotation device in an emergency.
Well yes, that is what's next. Any terrible thing you would come up as parody, even the most deeply dystopian ideas are regularly proposed by MBAs to their bosses to tweak a bit more growth or profit. The only thing holding them back is not a consideration of good or bad, but whether they can get away with it. Sometimes that means they have think about customers, but for big entrenched, too-big-fail, not technically a monopoly but close enough they can act like one companies, its regulation. The airlines were deeply deregulated, and as we've seen with Boeing, even the safety side of aircraft regulatory power has been captured and and degraded.
They aren't allowed to charge for oxygen in an emergency. Not yet. But as soon as they can, in the name of free markets, you can be sure than some airline will make it an add-on.
The wonder what kind of revenue they are hoping to get from the short amount of attention users will fork over when they are already stressed from traveling. And how does this revenue compared to the overall cost of the ticket. Are airline margins really that thin?
15 comments
[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 48.1 ms ] threadShort of flying private, paying more doesn't insulate people from all the pain of commercial air travel but it sure insulates from a lot--but most people aren't able/willing to pay for it.
They charge for drinks, you have to pay more to get a humane amount of space, they charge for bags.
What's next an upcharge for oxygen and a flotation device in an emergency.
IM sorry sir, our payment system is down we will be unable to let you sign up for air during this emergency.
Well yes, that is what's next. Any terrible thing you would come up as parody, even the most deeply dystopian ideas are regularly proposed by MBAs to their bosses to tweak a bit more growth or profit. The only thing holding them back is not a consideration of good or bad, but whether they can get away with it. Sometimes that means they have think about customers, but for big entrenched, too-big-fail, not technically a monopoly but close enough they can act like one companies, its regulation. The airlines were deeply deregulated, and as we've seen with Boeing, even the safety side of aircraft regulatory power has been captured and and degraded.
They aren't allowed to charge for oxygen in an emergency. Not yet. But as soon as they can, in the name of free markets, you can be sure than some airline will make it an add-on.
One thing they got wrong though. It did not take humanity 500 years to reach this depicted state.