Valley PR Blog

American Airlines’ bag fee sends strong message

By Angelo Fernando on May 22nd, 2008 In Hype!

Here’s the subtext to the latest announcement by American Airlines that we would have to pay extra for checking in a first bag: Travel light –very, very light. Or is it “keep your crap behind at home?”

To be fair, the fee does not apply to all tickets –international flights, and full fare tickets are exempt. But the logic of charging for everything but the seat could be the slippery slope for an airline that also announced it has won an ‘customer excellence and innovation’ award this month. OK, so it was for logistic and tracking, but…

Based on the rationale (“The airline industry as it is constituted today was not built to withstand oil prices at $125 a barrel…”) what if other oil & gas depenent service providers came up with creative ways to relieve us of our money?

Taxis: you pay for the trip. Window seat and luggage in trunk extra.

Ambulances: For blood transfusions and resuscitations, per-minute charges apply.

FeDex and UPS: Packages will be left by mailbox or curb. If signature is required, driver will charge you $5 extra.

The message is clear. Value added is on life support. If there is a change in cabin pressure, oxygen masks will not come down unless you insert a dollar bill…

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