Skift points out that all the US airlines have redesigned their sites to maximize upselling, and 'unbundle' everything, in order to inflate fees or upgrades. They do this by hate-sell, implying: "Here's what you don't get, cheapskate!" Yes, it's passive-aggressive, used-car selling at its best, or worst.
Proof That It Pays to Be America's Most-Hated Companies
As passengers' animosity is intensified by more fees, the airlines are enjoying lower fuel costs and surging profits. Last month, American Airlines
reported their most profitable quarter in its history, earning $1.7 billion.
Analysts say that fees for checked baggage and ticket changes are the two biggest contributors to the sector's total profit. Now it can cost you up to $200 dollars to alter your itinerary. The airlines like to defend these change fees by pointing out that they also sell "fully refundable" tickets without such fees, effectively blaming consumers for failing to read the fine print.
This argument comes close to a sham, as it ignores the fact that the fares without fees are much more expensive than their non-refundable counterparts.
In reality, this pricing actually serves to protect the change-fee scam, because no rational person would buy a ticket at three times the normal price instead of one at the regular lower price, plus a potential change fee. It just creates a false appearance of choice that the airlines exploit.
Also, beware that a "refundable" ticket does not necessarily mean "fully refundable". United bills its Flexible Fare as refundable, but a recent $1,200 flex fare to Shanghai carried a $300 fee for 'CANCEL/NO-SHOW/REFUND'. The only way to know what the fees may be is to read the opaque Rules & Restrictions page.
Last month the
New Yorker
asked if high change fees were a problem that competition could solve. In an ideal world, yes. But the airlines find it more profitable to collude instead of compete when it comes to fees, despite this being a country where price-fixing is allegedly a felony.
The DOT is supposed to prohibit "unfair" and "unreasonable" practices in air transportation. For that reason FlyersRights.org has
filed a petition requesting the DOT and Congress rethink what's fair and reasonable and impose a change fee cap of $100.
The airlines' lobbying group, Airlines For America, is
fighting hard against this, but it is worth remembering that they, like the banks, have been subsidized by taxpayers against financial failure.
In exchange for this a safety net, the public deserves more in return.
