“And the Last Shall Be … Really Last.”
It really seems as though things are going from bad to worse in the airline industry. At least that sure seems to be true for those of us who fly in an Economy seat … at least most of the time. We keep running into new and not-so-subtle ways the airlines have of nicking us for an extra 20 or 30 dollars. And, of course, this is in addition to squeezing the rows closer together.
I recently booked a flight back to the U.S. from London and the combination of best fare and best schedule was a British Airways flight. After I finished the process, up pops a screen asking if I would like to select my seat for the flight. Well, yes, says I. Of course! OK, says the airline, that’ll be an additional 25 pounds (about US$39).
I’ll admit it, they’ve got me. The plane is a big 747 with 3-4-3 seating in Economy Class. If I don’t cough up the money now, BA can stick me in whatever seat they want when I show up at the airport . . . and you just know that will be in the middle of a row and way in the back. Is it worth $39 to get the seat I want? Considering the alternative, yes it is. But do I resent the airline extracting one more extra fee in such a not-so-subtle way? I sure as hell do!
And now an obvious segué to the latest insight into the modern aviation industry that won’t surprise any of us who fly with any regularity. As we all know, airlines are squeezing the rows closer and closer together and they’re also making the seats smaller and with less padding. These changes have apparently prompted airline crews—by that I mean the flight attendants—to re-name all those seats that are sold for ultra-cheap prices. Amongst themselves, they’re actually calling it “Last Class.”
Get it? Up front, it’s First Class; all the way in the back, it’s Last Class. First-to-Last. Hardee-har! Ain’t that a hoot!
But there’s more to it. Well, actually, there’s really less to it, because these “Last Class” seats will come with some severe restrictions: no changes, no refunds, and you can’t pick your own seats. According to an aviation analyst, the airlines will continue to “push the limits” until passengers really start to complain—not to the individual airline because they could care less. To the FAA.
This only confirms why when I fly (still using miles), I only travel on Lufthansa. Their business class is as good as most others first class.
However, when I flew my daughter back to Spain–on miles–I insisted she use Lufthansa in coach this past August. No problem picking the right seat for free, courtesy of the phone agent’s recommendation (not outsourced to some never, never land). My daughter had to admit a very comfortable seat and ride on a 747 from Chicago-Frankfurt; easy connection there; importantly, good food served, along with alcohol and wine.
Now she understands why I go into the galley after a great dinner and announce Lufthansa to be the best airline in the world; than I pull off my Mel Brooks and inquire, “so how did you lose war..?”
I would love to be a fly on the bulkhead to overhear the response!
A lot of “auchs”–they didn’t know whether to really laugh, or smile politely…
Perhaps due to the long distance involved for those of us living in the South Pacific, I am pleased to report that both Emirates and Etihad allow free seat selection, provide full meals and 30 kg of luggage to those in economy. Air New Zealand also have this (but only 23 kg luggage) across the Pacific and to Asia. They do charge for seat selection and meals within NZ and across the Tasman.
Good to know … and good for them!
. . . and I think (in your last paragraph) you meant that the individual airline could NOT care less. By the way, is it my imagination or would typical Amtrak coach seats be larger than first class airline seats?
Ah, I guess “could care less” is how us original New Englanders would say “couldn’t care less”. Don’t have the measurements, but if my “butt memory” serves, I would say it’s very close and, if forced to choose, I’d say an Amtrak Superliner coach seat might be a tad wider. Interesting question. I’ll see if I can find out.
Minor correction…. 39 Pounds Sterling is roughly $58 US Dollars I believe,
Yes, you are all correct . . . I carelessly had the numbers reversed. The fee was 25 Pounds Sterling or 39 U.S.dollars.
Jim,
39 GBP is 58 US,…otherwise I agree completely.
Rick
The other side of this is that the airlines are giving more flexibility to travelers by unbundling items which used to be included in the ticket price (they were never free, just included). This allows people to fly who couldn’t otherwise afford it. If you want the old perks you pay for them. If not, you don’t have to pay for them. I’m happy to not have a meal included in my ticket price anymore as I rarely ate them, for example. If I want to check a bag I pay $25 and my overall ticket price is still much less than it was (allowing for inflation) 25 years ago. The real issue is that this fees should be more explicit so you can take them into account when comparing fares. BTW if it was 39 pounds, you paid more like $60, not $25 for the privilege of picking a seat. Sorry, I know that makes it even worse.
Quite right. All I want is to be able to make a fair (and reasonably quick) comparison.