Are Airlines Ripping Us Off?

Castellamonte

Bronze
Mar 3, 2005
1,764
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Cabrera
www.villa-castellamonte.com
Does anyone out there follow what the airlines are doing these days? I am very confused by their rationale, or lack thereof, as it seems they are doing what amounts to a three card monte game on us.

When the price of oil skyrocketed it didn't surprise any of us that airlines had to add a fuel surcharge. Then the started charging for luggage, some charged for all luggage and others charged for more than one piece. Then they started charging for pillows/blankets, snacks, 'special seats' (aka exit rows) and other little nickel and dime charges.

Okay, says I, they are adding various charges to help pay for fuel. Certainly they aren't trying to mess with us...are they?

Then the price of oil plummets back to the level it was before the run up. But none of the charges seem to disappear.

The airlines (JetBlue, American, Continental, Delta) all claim that "people want" to have these 'al a carte' charges. After I am done rolling my eyes I think, "ok, maybe they are right."

So then I check to see if they dropped the price of the airline ticket for those who travel with no luggage, couldn't care less where they sit, don't eat and never need a pillow. Nope! Nada.

Are we being ripped off?
 

SKing

Silver
Nov 22, 2007
3,750
183
63
Definitely,
also with "award flights"...I have flown enough since September to have the pleasure of getting a "free" flight from American AND JetBlue but guess what??? Every flight for JetBlue that I need for the next 3 months miraculously have no more award seats left (which I find HARD to believe because I need 6 flights round trip in the next 3 months). The only flights that seem to have award seats available are the cheapest flights....months and months out!
Same with American....and I didn't know "free flight" meant you are still responsible for taxes and fees!
SHALENA
 

korejdk

Bronze
Dec 29, 2006
647
37
0
Definitely,
also with "award flights"...I have flown enough since September to have the pleasure of getting a "free" flight from American AND JetBlue but guess what??? Every flight for JetBlue that I need for the next 3 months miraculously have no more award seats left (which I find HARD to believe because I need 6 flights round trip in the next 3 months). The only flights that seem to have award seats available are the cheapest flights....months and months out!
Same with American....and I didn't know "free flight" meant you are still responsible for taxes and fees!
SHALENA

If it would be easy all mexicans would be millionares,,,you can get PLAT with AA if you travel 10K miles within 3 months PM if interested
 
Sep 19, 2005
4,632
91
48
Definitely,
also with "award flights"...I have flown enough since September to have the pleasure of getting a "free" flight from American AND JetBlue but guess what??? Every flight for JetBlue that I need for the next 3 months miraculously have no more award seats left (which I find HARD to believe because I need 6 flights round trip in the next 3 months). The only flights that seem to have award seats available are the cheapest flights....months and months out!
Same with American....and I didn't know "free flight" meant you are still responsible for taxes and fees!
SHALENA


they reserve seats for award flights..but guess what I bet it is maybe one or two seats a plane.....after they are taken they tell you the plane was no more advantage award seats available...but you look at the seating booking, and you see the plane is over half empty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dirt bag AA....dont know about jetblue.

you can never get a holiday flight withine 6 months of the date of booking trying to use your awards travel miles...wont happen....you have to fly tues or wed in between holidays..... and come home on a thursday.....it totally sucks trying to use award miles from AA

bad bad bob
 

edm7583

New member
May 29, 2007
388
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0
Unless you are constantly on the road and have elite status, it will take you years to get a free ticket from AA. The dirty secret of most of the airlines is that they are drastically reducing the number of non-revenue award seats available on each flight, sometimes as little as one or even none on certain flights. AA's solution to this is simple. For 25,000 miles you can get an award ticket from the extremely limited non-revenue seats they have available, or if you pay double, 50,000 miles, if there is any seat open on a particular flight, you can have it. (there are still blackout dates even with this though) So to answer your question, yes.

If you are interested in frequent flyer program for trips to the DR, by far your best bet is Jet Blue
No miles, just points. For example They give you 12 points each way for JFK-SDQ so that's 24 points in a round trip. Once you reach 100 points, you automatically get the award, and you have a year to use it. And it's much much easier to use an award ticket with them than with a legacy airline.
 

SKing

Silver
Nov 22, 2007
3,750
183
63
Unless you are constantly on the road and have elite status, it will take you years to get a free ticket from AA. The dirty secret of most of the airlines is that they are drastically reducing the number of non-revenue award seats available on each flight, sometimes as little as one or even none on certain flights. AA's solution to this is simple. For 25,000 miles you can get an award ticket from the extremely limited non-revenue seats they have available, or if you pay double, 50,000 miles, if there is any seat open on a particular flight, you can have it. (there are still blackout dates even with this though) So to answer your question, yes.

If you are interested in frequent flyer program for trips to the DR, by far your best bet is Jet Blue
No miles, just points. For example They give you 12 points each way for JFK-SDQ so that's 24 points in a round trip. Once you reach 100 points, you automatically get the award, and you have a year to use it. And it's much much easier to use an award ticket with them than with a legacy airline.

Yeah...for me earning the award ticket with JetBlue is no problem (I fly round trip STI-JFK every 8 days)...it's trying to USE it is the problem. I thought that I could get one of my flights in February or even March with my points but no luck...you try to book it and you get "No available award seats":ermm::ermm: And American is worse...most of the times I am flying require 70,000 award miles and I have the basic 35,000. I do not fly AA anymore anyway because JetBlue has a better schedule for me...I can leave Santiago on Wednesday night at 8:45p and arrive in NYC at 11:30p, go to work Thursday morning...work until Tuesday (I get off at 8p) and catch the Tuesday night 11:55p flight and BOOM, I'm in my bed by 4:30am
SHALENA
I figure I have to book for September y adelante with the award points that I accumulate but on the brighter side....I might be flying all of next winter free (except for paying taxes)
 
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