$15 fee for Seat Assignment on Northwest, is this normal?

Earl Evleth wrote:
On 17/05/08 16:37, in article ,
"SMS" wrote:

My sister has a flight on NW today. She called the airline last night
because at the time of her reservation there were only middle seats
available, and she wanted to change her seat assignment. The phone agent
told her that there were now plenty of window and aisle seats available,
and that she could change the seat assignment for a $15 fee.

I've never heard of such a thing.


It is generally coming, nickel and dimming the passengers.

Päy toilets are next. After which they will charge you by
your weight.

I think that passengers over a certain width should be charged a
surcharge, i.e. 100%, and be given a second seat. This would help other
passengers too. But charging by weight isn't a bad idea either, i.e.
they can determine your optimal weight by your height, and charge a
surcharge for every pound that over. This would also encourage people to
lose weight. Fuel usage goes up with weight, so this would be
reasonable. The airline also loses cargo capacity when they can't add
more weight of cargo due to overweight passengers.

I remember when MIA used to have pay toilets. There'd be one free toilet
at the end that you could wait for, or you could pay a dime. Airlines
probably would have to provide one free toilet, but on a large plane
with four or more toilets, making one free and the rest pay, would be a
way of raising some revenue. On the down side, savvy flyers might decide
to bring their own if the charge is too high, i.e.
"http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___80666" or
"http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___21229".

What American is doing with charging for a first piece of checked
luggage, while at the same time scrapping 75 planes, and laying off
thousands of employees, makes it pretty clear that they realize that
leisure travelers are simply not going to be willing to pay the fares it
takes to be profitable. Airline travel will slowly become more for the
wealthy. However unlike in other countries, there isn't much of a train
network to replace the airlines.

mrtravel wrote:
Rog' wrote:

"SMS" wrote:

Why didn't she contact her travel agent to change it?


Travel agents have worse hours than bankers. This was Friday
night, long after the corporate travel agents have gone home.
There's an "emergency" number, but this wasn't an emergency.


One alternative, for future reference, would be to show up at the
airport early enuff that the ticket or gate agent still had some exit
row seats (they often hold those until they "see" who wants one)
or other seats open, and claim a "intestinal" need for an aisle seat.

Exit row seats are often selected by frequent flyers in advance, and are
often not available at the airport.

On Delta she often gets bumped into first class since she uses them so
often (she lives in Atlanta). After the merger, she'll get the same
treatment on NW presumably.

mrtravel wrote:
SMS wrote:

mrtravel wrote:

SMS wrote:

Rudy wrote:

My sister has a flight on NW today. She called the airline last night
because at the time of her reservation there were only middle
seats available, and she wanted to change her seat assignment. The
phone agent told her that there were now plenty of window and
aisle seats available, and that she could change the seat
assignment for a $15 fee



Booking (or changing a booking) on the phone with an agent costs $
15.00
She should have done it "online" at NWA.com



She tried, it wouldn't let her change it. Maybe you have to book
online in order to be able to make changes online.


Why didn't she contact her travel agent to change it?


Travel agents have worse hours than bankers. This was Friday night,
long after the corporate travel agents have gone home. There's an
"emergency" number, but this wasn't an emergency.

Why didn't she ask about seats when she booked it?

She did. At the time, all the windows and aisles were unavailable, and
all that was left was middle seats. Yet the day before the flight,
suddenly there were plenty of window and aisle seats. Maybe the airline
intentionally makes window and aisle seats unavailable until shortly
before the flight, in order to generate revenue from people trying to
change their seats.

On 22/05/08 16:45, in article , "SMS"
wrote:

I think that passengers over a certain width should be charged a
surcharge, i.e. 100%, and be given a second seat. `

This is for the obese, no problem.

But---

The problem over the years is that normal people have a problem, and there
is the continual problem of sharing an arm rest with a stranger. Also a
normal 170 pound male will have a shoulder problem with another.
My wife really objects at always (she feels) getting a middle
seat in a three seat configuration.

This would help other
passengers too. But charging by weight isn't a bad idea either,

The problem is making the check procedure in procedure lengthy.
They have introduced electonic tickets to cut costs on check
in. The charging for a bag will be done how?

In a recent trip from Paris the US and back from Miami, I
found check in with American easy in Paris but incredibly
slow in Miami when actually few people were checking in
in Miami. It was slow slow slow. Charging for this and that
and billing it will be a problem in the US.

I remember when MIA used to have pay toilets.

I have never encountered it. Who is MIA?

What American is doing with charging for a first piece of checked
luggage, while at the same time scrapping 75 planes, and laying off
thousands of employees, makes it pretty clear that they realize that
leisure travelers are simply not going to be willing to pay the fares it
takes to be profitable. Airline travel will slowly become more for the
wealthy. However unlike in other countries, there isn't much of a train
network to replace the airlines.

Basically, I rarely travel in the US anymore. for years we met our
daughter in the Caribbean with her flying form the US and we from
France. We always fly schedules and Air France provided good service
to the French Caribbean islands, and local airlines can hook you up
to other places. My view is that currently only flights in the
US are really unpleasant. And now they will get no better.

On Thu, 22 May 2008 16:01:54 +0200, Earl Evleth
wrote:

On 22/05/08 13:48, in article , "John
Kulp" wrote:

Päy toilets are next. After which they will charge you by
your weight.

Right you cretin. All the airlines should go bankrupt and out of
business so cheap idiots like you that are unwilling to pay for what
your transportation costs can be satisfied.

I prefer traveling Air France exactly because they don't get cheap.
They still feed you on European flights if they are long enough
(Paris-Athens). And they make a profit.

That's what happens when you overcharge people cretin.



The crisis right now is in fuel costs and that even got to
Air France their last quarter.

Gee, big surprise. No different that anyone else.


We just returned from a trip, Paris-NY-Miami-Paris. Since
AF does not provide service it was less expensive ($1000 total)
to take American, which functions OK on the international flights
(they feed you, although want money for the wine). Since we only
had one bag each there was not problem with them.

Get the point now genius?


What is simply true is that the quality of flights within the US
is generally poor. The historical push by the "great unwashed"
like yourself, was for the ever cheaper flight, in which the
old law of capitalism, "bad pushes out good" has prevailed
and led to a progressively lower level of service. I admit
I prefer the train (in France) and preferred the passenger
boats when the operated (we made 15 crossings on the SS France
in the 1960s and 1970s) until they went out of service. It
was a time and a way of traveling in which "getting there"
was more the half the fun.


Bull****. You simply get what you pay for cretin. Pay more you get
more. Ever try business class genius?

On Thu, 22 May 2008 16:59:56 +0200, Earl Evleth
wrote:

On 22/05/08 16:45, in article , "SMS"
wrote:

I think that passengers over a certain width should be charged a
surcharge, i.e. 100%, and be given a second seat. `

This is for the obese, no problem.

No, it's for fatheads like you too.


But---

The problem over the years is that normal people have a problem, and there
is the continual problem of sharing an arm rest with a stranger. Also a
normal 170 pound male will have a shoulder problem with another.
My wife really objects at always (she feels) getting a middle
seat in a three seat configuration.

Poor her. Tell her to grow up and face life like an adult like
everyone else.


This would help other
passengers too. But charging by weight isn't a bad idea either,

Of course not. You're such a genius that as well as you general
incompetence, you know how to run an airline too.


The problem is making the check procedure in procedure lengthy.
They have introduced electonic tickets to cut costs on check
in. The charging for a bag will be done how?

By charging for the bag idiot.


In a recent trip from Paris the US and back from Miami, I
found check in with American easy in Paris but incredibly
slow in Miami when actually few people were checking in
in Miami. It was slow slow slow. Charging for this and that
and billing it will be a problem in the US.

Sure, they'll all probably fold as a result.



I remember when MIA used to have pay toilets.

I have never encountered it. Who is MIA?

An ABBA song.


What American is doing with charging for a first piece of checked
luggage, while at the same time scrapping 75 planes, and laying off
thousands of employees, makes it pretty clear that they realize that
leisure travelers are simply not going to be willing to pay the fares it
takes to be profitable. Airline travel will slowly become more for the
wealthy. However unlike in other countries, there isn't much of a train
network to replace the airlines.

Basically, I rarely travel in the US anymore. for years we met our
daughter in the Caribbean with her flying form the US and we from
France. We always fly schedules and Air France provided good service
to the French Caribbean islands, and local airlines can hook you up
to other places. My view is that currently only flights in the
US are really unpleasant. And now they will get no better.


Your complete ignorance, as usual, is overwhelming. You have no clue
what you're talking about.

Earl Evleth wrote:

On 22/05/08 13:48, in article , "John
Kulp" wrote:


Päy toilets are next. After which they will charge you by
your weight.


Right you cretin. All the airlines should go bankrupt and out of
business so cheap idiots like you that are unwilling to pay for what
your transportation costs can be satisfied.


I prefer traveling Air France exactly because they don't get cheap.
They still feed you on European flights if they are long enough
(Paris-Athens). And they make a profit.

The crisis right now is in fuel costs and that even got to
Air France their last quarter.

Air France won't fly you the distance of SFO-MIA-SJU and back for $264,
which is what I paid for a trip earlier this week. So, yes, if food
means that much to you, complain about US airlines not serving it.
I prefer the low prices.

On 23/05/08 9:22, in article ,
"mrtravel" wrote:

Air France won't fly you the distance of SFO-MIA-SJU and back for $264,
which is what I paid for a trip earlier this week.

Obviously, they don't fly in the USA.

But as I will underline again, "bad drives out good" in the air travel
industry. The goal of obtaining the ever cheaper ticket corrodes the
quality of life. So what you have seen progressively seeing is the
market dictatorship of the great unwashed.

So, yes, if food means that much to you, complain about US
airlines not serving it.

Food is not the only issue. Certainly on overnight flights
one needs more leg and turning room that provided now.

I have read somewhere that the food costs for the airline
are relatively small, the order of $5-10. The costs per
meal was $4.91 in 2000. Big deal, you ticket would have
been another $15 higher if food was included. When I
took the NY-Miami flight two weeks ago, my deli sandwich
I had to buy in the JFK cost over $6.

I prefer the low prices.

I prefer a civilized society in which the exchanges between
the seller and buyer satisfies both parties. We know that
the degree of unsatisfaction of passengers is constantly
rising. The airlines are also not happy, they are losing
money. If this combined system was a human a doctor
would conclude that the situation is pathological. It is
sick and getting sicker.

In a recent trip from Paris the US and back from Miami, I
found check in with American easy in Paris but incredibly
slow in Miami when actually few people were checking in
in Miami. It was slow slow slow. Charging for this and that
and billing it will be a problem in the US.


Friends don't let friends fly through Miami...

On 23/05/08 13:57, in article
, "Kurt
Ullman" wrote:

Friends don't let friends fly through Miami...

What choice does one have? If you are flying from South Florida
internationally it is mostly from Miami. Nationally one can
use Fort Lauderdale but the flight access is more limited
even nationally.

Anyway, I find the airport chaotic. On arriving we had a
hell of a time getting a rental car van pickup just outside.
The signs were not evident as to where to go.

I was wondering when the expression "getting there is
half the fun" was introduced. I suspect it had to
do with passenger boat travel prior to mass
air transportation. We liked the SS France so much
we took it 15 times to and from Europe in the 1960s-1970s.
It was a pleasure. Our first trip (flew) to Europe
(we flew into Lisbon) in the early 1960s was exciting,
not for the trip but the arrival--it was a whole new
world. But quickly flying became a bore and now and ordeal.