A lot has been written lately about all of these new fees the airlines are charging. But here’s a warning that may help you weather the latest air travel storm.
After two decades in the airline industry, I often read Internet message boards dedicated to airline employees. Many people say that once the airline business gets in your bloodstream, it stays there, and I like to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s going on.
I noticed an entry on one of those boards that might be of particular interest to the customer. It’s a phenomenon I’ve seen in a few downward economic cycles over the years, as airlines struggle with profitability (or, in this cycle’s case, as they struggle to stop the hemorrhaging of red ink on their balance sheets because of the high cost of fuel). Perhaps quoting the employee’s entry will best illustrate my point.
I fear getting furloughed so I collect, collect, collect. We won’t lose money if we take our time and look at whether the customer owes money…after all, management told us to collect, right? $25 is $25.
During the easy times, when money seems plentiful and profits are rolling in, management and front-line employees seem to lose their focus on collecting every nickel and dime from every customer who walks in the door.
But times are tough now. For the airline and the customer.
Management is advising those in the trenches to review every customer’s reservation to be sure every penny has been accounted for, every excess baggage fee collected and every one of those new a la carte charges is levied.
The customer – especially the business customer – who was accustomed to skating through with an occasional waiver or favor is getting slapped with every fee known to man.
It seems like there’s practically a charge to inhale or exhale.
Get out your credit cards, folks. These charges and fees may be here to stay for a while. My experience has been that this “charge ‘em so we can keep our jobs” mindset is a hard thing to shake once it sets in.
