American Airlines Now Charging Fees To Non-Passengers

[meegbear]

Cash-strapped American Airlines announced a new series of fees this week that will apply to all customers not currently flying, scheduled to fly, or even thinking about flying aboard the commercial carrier.

The fees, the latest introduced by American Airlines in a continuing effort to combat its financial woes, will take effect on Monday. According to company officials, these charges will include a $25 tax on citizens traveling with any other airline, as well as a mandatory $30 surcharge for passengers who decide to just stay home for the holidays instead.



"Tough times unfortunately mean tough measures," American Airlines president Gerard Arpey said. "It's never an easy decision to ask our loyal customers, as well as thousands of people chosen at random out of a telephone book, to pay a little extra, but that's just the reality of today's economic climate. We hope all Americans will understand this when receiving one of our new bills in the mail."

Arpey said that non-passengers of American Airlines should expect to pay a small fee when making Greyhound bus reservations, choosing to drive to their final destination, or simply being a citizen of the United States with a valid Social Security number.

Arpey went on to note that some additional charges would also apply, including a $15 fee for every piece of luggage customers have inside their bedroom closet, and a one-time payment of $40 for any American whose name is Greg.

<snip>

http://www.theonion.com/articles/american-airlines-now-charging-fees-to-nonpassenge,2614/

[joeybee12]

1. An oldie but a goodie....

...I'm waiting for them to really start doing this.

[leeroysphitz]

22. They already did...

How the US airlines got their $15 billion bailout

The intimate ties between corporate America, the Bush administration and the two main political parties were illustrated in sharp relief last month by the speed with which Congress passed the bailout of the airline industry. Less than two weeks following the September 11 terror attacks the airlines had secured $15 billion dollars in federal money, with none of it going to the thousands of airline workers who have lost their jobs and seen their benefits slashed.

Only the day after the attacks, the airlines sprung into action. Their lobbyists converged on Capitol Hill to convince Congress that the industry needed billions of dollars. In fact, they argued that the very survival of America was dependent on the injection of huge sums of federal money into the airline companies’ coffers. Senator Peter G. Fitzgerald (R-Illinois), the only senator to vote against the bailout package, told the New York Times: “The airline industry made a full-court press to convince Congress that giving them billions in taxpayer cash was the only way to save the republic.” He described the airlines’ lobbying efforts as “masterful.”

The airlines have a powerful lobby in Congress, including 27 lobbyists working directly for the airlines and another 42 from Washington firms. Included among them are former White House aides, transportation secretaries and retired congressmen. Haley Barbour, a former Republican National Committee chairman, and Rebecca Cox, a former Reagan administration official and the wife of Representative Christopher Cox, a California Republican, were also on board for the airlines’ cause.

Linda Hall Daschle, the wife of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, is a lobbyist for American Airlines. While reportedly avoiding her husband and Senate Democrats in her lobbying efforts, Ms. Daschle campaigned vigorously among House Democrats for the bailout.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/oct2001/air-o18.shtml


Now if you do the math 1100 bucks per person looks inaccurate since the cost per U.S. is actually closer to $60 (check my math...)However, since it is a safe bet that no wealthy people actually paid their fare share of the countries tax burden who knows how much you and I really paid?

[dflprincess]

2. The Onion should not give them ideas

Now the airlines will go to Congress and get this made law. Though income based subsidies will be provided for anyone who cannot afford the fees.

After all, it worked for the health insurers.

[EFerrari]

3. LOL. That's next!

[DrDan]

4. that's great . . .

[TlalocW]

5. Reminds me of a Monty Python skit

Where they had a montage of "ordinary people" asking what they would do to help out Britain's economy and one of them said, "I would tax all foreigners living abroad."

It was right after a bunch of legislators had figured out that all things done for pleasure had been taxed except for... "Thingy."

TlalocW

[gmoney]

19. "I would tax Raquel Welch..."

"...and I'm pretty sure she'd tax me."

[stopbush]

6. I flew Continental from the OC to Cleveland a week and a half ago for a job interview.

The round trip was $613 (paid for by the company I interviewed with), and yet I got dinged $25 (each way) to check one bag at the gate. I assumed that such a high fare allowed you a bag or two under the plane, so I packed one large bag and had no carry-on. But I was wrong - they charged extra, even though the round trip usually sells for under $400. Had I known, I would have packed a carry-on bag instead. The potential employer had to use Continental because they are a sponsor of the business (it's an arts organization).

Next time, I'll fly Southwest, which does go to Cleveland and does not charge extra for checking bags...and who has cheaper fares to boot!

[KansDem]

7. Best of luck with your interview!

Have you heard back yet?

I hope to be changing jobs soon and have been applying off and on for the past year or so.

Keep us posted! :hi:

[MissHoneychurch]

8. Very close to the truth

Ryanair plans to charge £1 for using plane toilet: report

http://www.eyefortravel.com/news/airlines/ryanair-plans-charge-%C2%A31-using-plane-toilet-report


... and that is no joke

[cui bono]

9. Wonder if they'll keep it up if people start urinating in their drink cups

and handing them back to the flight attendants.

[Initech]

10. LMAO - ignoring tax tax

:rofl:

[TexasObserver]

11. hilarious!

[spartan61]

12. AA needs the money , don't cha know, to keep paying bonuses

to their "talented" management team. Afterall, we want to retain these geniuses who made their employees take concessions in pay, vacation, work rules, etc. since 2003 and came up with the slogan, "PULL TOGETHER, WIN TOGETHER." Unfortunately, that's all it is...a slogan. Mr. AArpey et al will soon be receiving their bonuses again this month while they keep telling their FAs, Pilots, Ground Workers, and Mechanics that AA can't afford to give them a raise in their new contracts that are being negotiated. Of course, there is always money for bonuses for themselves.

[Liberal_in_LA]

13. lol n/t

[LiberalFighter]

14. They should do one with a credit card company.

[raging_moderate]

15. what if you don't have any money for the toilet?

I might just bring a plastic urinal from the hospital I work at, or use the vomit bag?

[marmar]

16. Sadly, this was somewhat believable.

[dickthegrouch]

17. Spirit Airlines wants to charge for carry-on !!!!

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2010-04-13-airlinefees13_ST_N.htm

:mad:

[dickthegrouch]

18. Accidental Dup

[Supersedeas]

20. American Airlines = RW Capitalism: you don't get what you bargain for

[Cresent City Kid]

21. I thought I smelled onion

I liked the one they had about Ben Bernanke realizing that money is just an arbitrary creation.

[tinymontgomery]

23. I'm glad my name is not Greg.

n/t

[AnArmyVeteran]

24. Great OP!

[AnArmyVeteran]

25. Will airlines be selling DEPENDS as an option to their pay toilets?

[Neurotica]

26. No joke-incurred rental car surcharge for having freq flyer miles w/ American!

Last summer we were renting a car through Avis. Spent almost two hours trying to pick up the car (such ridiculous situations that it could have been in a movie). Oddly, the price came out to be significantly more than what was quoted to us when we made the reservation. When we looked closer at the summary of charges we saw that we were being charged for previously having flown American and for having had frequent flyer miles with them! We explained that we have not flown American in years, and that we no longer have a mileage relationship with them, so that line item was then removed from our summary and, voila, the price went down.

And BTW, we weren't flying to or from anywhere this time; we were merely picking up a rental car at an airport location!

!!!