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American Airlines new lower-class fare (no pre-assigned seat, no carry-on luggage)

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milanbaros

Member?
I'd be happy with this. Don't want to pay for other people's baggage and if people are willing to pay for assigned seating then good for them.
 

Jarmel

Banned
I'd be happy with this. Don't want to pay for other people's baggage and if people are willing to pay for assigned seating then good for them.

This is how corporations get away witth this.

You seriously think these 'cheaper' tickets are going to stay at whatever introductory price level they start at? What's going to happen is that the prices will gradually increase to where they are for regular coach seats and current coach prices will go up.

It's a price hike for everybody.
 
The fact that there's an extra "gate fee" if you bring the carryon to the gate without purchasing it first......that's gonna piss a lot of people off. Wouldn't want to be a gate agent.
That would be the point of this fare, though. It would be to avoid people booking this lowest fare, then expecting to be able to use the overhead bin. This way, they don't "get over" on booking that lowest fare. But yes, people will be pissed regardless lol.

Isn't that typical for checking bags at the gate?

Not really. It's free if done as a courtesy. Agents will ask people to check if the flight is full and they know they will run out of space. But I guess if they measure it and the bag is too big, they can charge.
 

Chris R

Member
Alaska is in my opinion the best normal airline by a mile.

Delta is similar, but less consistent. You can have really bad Delta experiences occasionally.

But Alaska is competent, pleasant, comfortable and not nickel and dimey. And their mileage plan is easily the best in the industry. Wonder how the Virgin merge will change things.

Alaska is great, but man they have some old jets that need to be updated ASAP.

I flew the Disneyland plane SEA-ANC, no in seat power, minimal amount of leg room compared to all their other jets, and the air crew seemed pissed off for some reason. Wasn't a great flight :(

Virgin should just open more routes, especially to the east coast.
 

Tigress

Member
I gotta wonder how much cheaper are the seats? Cause when you have to spend 100 dollars extra (unless you are a very light packer or just going on a few days trip you're going to want at least one bag that doesn't fit underneath the seat) to take your bag I'd expect that gets back to "normal" ticket price.

Seems this is really a way of tricking people into thinking they are cheaper or for the savy person who really can pack that light or is just going on a short trip.

Anyways, kinda sleezy imho as I bet with the extra fee they put on top for checking in your bag (that you have to pay if you have this cheap fare), it's not that much cheaper if at all than their next tier up. And I bet not cheaper than the airlines they claim this fare is to compete with.
 

emag

Member
Fewer people bringing giant carry-ons onto planes is a good thing. But I'm not a fan of the lack of seat selection, as it'll probably make traveling as a family even more difficult (the old Southwest unassigned seats method was the best).

Considering the environmental costs of air travel, it shouldn't be too cheap or convenient.

Flying is significantly better for the environment than driving.
 

riotous

Banned
I wouldn't mind this becoming a trend; I hope it has "levels" though. I'd like to pay for an assigned seat but also get a small discount since I don't ever use overhead bins.

The nice thing about this option is that for those of us willing to pay for assigned seats it will increase the amount of seats available.
 

KodaRuss

Member
I got the email about this earlier. Whatever you save in the fare you will likely have to pay back in the bag fee.

Also, the picture of the rows have almost zero leg room. I am 6'5 260, I am not fitting in those damn seats. It says it is the same seats as the main cabin but it doesnt look like it.

American and other airlines are just getting worse and worse. You already have to pay extra to get an aisle or window seat in coach. Just trying to get every dollar out of the customer.
 

Biske

Member
Will be interesting to see this play out.

Every flight I've been on lately, people really rely on the carry on bag, you fuck with that... flying going to be an even more hellish experience of angry frustrated people.
 
Flying is significantly better for the environment than driving.

Seems like this is only true if the flight is pretty much full. It's close, though.

Which I guess something like this can help with - as long as the prices actually are low long term.
 

spekkeh

Banned
I regularly fly Ryanair here in Europe, what the hell is this article even talking about?
Ryanair is way past the complete loss of dignity lol. Surprisingly they are incredibly accommodating for if you have babies, more so than some premium airlines. Probably because it allows you to irritate the rest of the passengers even more.
 

E92 M3

Member
A dude once stopped at my seat on his way to the back, opened the overhead bin (which was full) took MY bag out and tried to stuff it in the cubby opposite where the safety equipment was and was certainly going to put his bag in my bag's place.

Did you set him straight???
 

fuzzyset

Member
I flew Spirit over Christmas, and it really wasn't that bad. SO and I split a checked bag. 'Random' seating still put us next to each other at check-in. I'm tall. Flying in coach is never comfortable. I'd rather just pay less.
 

shira

Member
Next up: airplanes are now fitted with handrails and straps hanging from the ceiling.

Baka, that's not safe

source.png
this-new-airplane-seating-plan-was-designed-by-satan-himself
 

milanbaros

Member?
This is how corporations get away witth this.

You seriously think these 'cheaper' tickets are going to stay at whatever introductory price level they start at? What's going to happen is that the prices will gradually increase to where they are for regular coach seats and current coach prices will go up.

It's a price hike for everybody.

Then explain why taking away 'free' benefits from flying in Europe has made in ridiculously cheap compared to 20 years ago?
 

Harp

Member
Anybody see what the prices will be? This looks more like a spirit airlines lowest advertised price. But in reality the difference will be 20 bucks less then a normal economy that no one ever actually pays.
 
Depending on the prices, it doesn't seem that bad considering most backpacks fit under the seat just fine.

That said, AA sucks in general, so it really better be significantly cheaper.

One thing I don't understand is why being the "last boarding group" is supposed to be a bad thing and "first boarding group" being a perk. Who the hell wants to spend more time in an airplane?

Its the walk of shame where everyone is sitting down and the cheapskates are being paraded through the isle last so that everyone can look down upon them.

In reality, boarding early does give you the slight benefit of securing an overhead bin, but obviously that's not an option for this pricing tier so its kind of irrelevant.
 

Deku Tree

Member
My main question is are these actually lower fares? Or is this a hidden price increase on the "choose your seat and bring carry on luggage" seats?

My friend paid $250 for a flight a few weeks ago ultra low fare on Delta, and I paid the same price for a regular ticket on American to go to the same place.

So is my regular ticket gonna cost more now? Feels like a hidden price increase.
 

shira

Member
My main question is are these actually lower fares? Or is this a hidden price increase on the "choose your seat and bring carry on luggage" seats?

My friend paid $250 for a flight a few weeks ago ultra low fare on Delta, and I paid the same price for a regular ticket on American to go to the same place.

So is my regular ticket gonna cost more now? Feels like a hidden price increase.

The reasoning/term is "stay competitive" which is an elegant way of saying maybe.
 

taybul

Member
One thing I don't understand is why being the "last boarding group" is supposed to be a bad thing and "first boarding group" being a perk. Who the hell wants to spend more time in an airplane?

Well, for one, the overhead bins fill up faster than the seats below it.
 

AndyD

aka andydumi
It sounds like it would be good for those who are doing very short/light trips.

The space under the seat is actually pretty decently sized.

I fully anticipate people stuffing the space full of crap and putting their legs in the spaces under neighbors' seats.

And I would be OK with this approach if the airline would hang coats for people. Often that's the only thing I put up in the overhead.
 

pdog128

Member
I know Spirit and other "ultra-low" fare airlines get shit on regularly, but I've got a flight coming up in a few days with them. I've never flown with them before, but I just couldn't pass up the savings.

Flying Spirit from Dallas direct to Orlando, with two checked bags and assigned seats was less than $700 (for four people). AA, Delta, etc was going to be $1500-2000 (with layovers on most flights). Even counting a hotel stay (our outgoing flight leaves pretty early), Spirit saved a lot of money. It's a 2.5 hour flight. I don't need wifi or outlets in the seats. I can bring my own bottle of water.

That being said, my opinion may change after flying with them.
 

Gouty

Bloodborne is shit
Considering the environmental costs of air travel, it shouldn't be too cheap or convenient.

Brilliant idea. Lets reserve air travel to only the wealthy.

Everyone talking about a stealth price hike is correct and that sucks. But Id pay extra for flights that dont allow carry on baggage. Can't stand buying a ticket late and winding up at the back of the plane. After the landing you're stuck back there for an eternity while you watch people struggle with their every Earthly possession crammed into the overheads.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Did you set him straight???

I said "put my bag back right now and don't say or do anything else."

Alaska is great, but man they have some old jets that need to be updated ASAP.

I flew the Disneyland plane SEA-ANC, no in seat power, minimal amount of leg room compared to all their other jets, and the air crew seemed pissed off for some reason. Wasn't a great flight :(

.

You were unlucky. There are literally on three or four that haven't been upgraded yet. I seemed to always end up on the SINGLE one with no wifi tho.
 

sonicmj1

Member
My first and last experience on Spirit Airlines involved them boarding us onto the plane, deboarding us off the plane after announcing technical problems, all the Spirit employees promptly vanishing from the terminal, and an hour later an email shows up on all our phones saying that our flight was cancelled. No Spirit employee ever showed up to let anyone know what was going on or help with rescheduling, and another passenger had to appeal on the intercom to get an airport staff member to finally come by and confirm the cancellation by calling Spirit. "Luxury" is one thing, but when an airline's so cheap they can't even guarantee the basic service of providing a flight you're just wasting your money no matter how low a fare they advertise.

The issue is that's Spirit regularly cancels flights at random and won't have any others going out for the rest of the day. One time they cancelled a flight while we were on our way to the airport and customer service was a madhouse when we arrived. Spirit is decent to great for the price when it works, but it doesnt too often for some people.

I had a similar experience to this while coming back on the one (and hopefully only) Spirit Airlines round trip I've taken. Between that and someone getting thrown off the plane on the way out because of carry-on baggage rules, I'm done with them.

I don't ask for much on an airplane, but I at least want to be confident that the airline will get me where I want to go. Spirit is below that bar. Not worth the stress.
 

Servbot24

Banned
Bad news, likely all the other majors will follow suit and then the prices will go up to where regular coach seats are now. So essentially a long game price hike scheme.

Not even long game, this is going to happen really fast and everyone knows it.
 

Joni

Member
I gotta wonder how much cheaper are the seats? Cause when you have to spend 100 dollars extra (unless you are a very light packer or just going on a few days trip you're going to want at least one bag that doesn't fit underneath the seat) to take your bag I'd expect that gets back to "normal" ticket price.

Well, as you said, ideal for very short business trips.

One thing I don't understand is why being the "last boarding group" is supposed to be a bad thing and "first boarding group" being a perk. Who the hell wants to spend more time in an airplane?

I know it is about making sure the first people have the most overhead space, but it is really backwards when you're thinking about speed. If you let the people in the rear first on the plane, they can move straight to the back and put in their luggage there, while you let the people in front of them in. Now the people in the front are standing in the way of people entering.
 

norm9

Member
I know it is about making sure the first people have the most overhead space, but it is really backwards when you're thinking about speed. If you let the people in the rear first on the plane, they can move straight to the back and put in their luggage there, while you let the people in front of them in. Now the people in the front are standing in the way of people entering.

If I'm sitting in the back and you let me on first, I'm putting my luggage in the overhead at the front. That way, there's more space for the people in the back.
 

Joni

Member
If I'm sitting in the back and you let me on first, I'm putting my luggage in the overhead at the front. That way, there's more space for the people in the back.

And that is why we are stuck with those waiting times.
 
I can't really vouch for passanger conditions, but in terms working in logistics and transporting cargo...

Alaska > Southwest > Delta > >>>>>>> American > > United.
 
One thing I don't understand is why being the "last boarding group" is supposed to be a bad thing and "first boarding group" being a perk. Who the hell wants to spend more time in an airplane?
If you fly business class, they start serving you as soon as you board. So while everyone else is queuing up to push each other over for the overhead compartments, you're already sitting in a comfy seat and enjoying a nice champagne.
 

heyf00L

Member
One thing I don't understand is why being the "last boarding group" is supposed to be a bad thing and "first boarding group" being a perk. Who the hell wants to spend more time in an airplane?

I've never understood this either. When the plane starts boarding I stay seated until the line is very short. The flight attendants always find some overhead space somewhere, and everything I'll want is in my personal bag that stays with me.

I assume it's just a psychological thing that first people are more important and they're moving onto the next thing sooner which feels good.
 
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