AA Encouraging Fliers Not to Bring Carry-Ons
American Airlines enjoys a reputation for offering cheap fares, including cheap airplane tickets, cheap vacation packages, and discount travel packages and is faced with the challenge of emerging from bankruptcy and successfully merging with US Airways American.
To provide its customers with a €better, more convenient travel experience€ American has started testing a new boarding approach that rewards passengers who do not bring any carry-ons by permitting them to board immediately after its most elite fliers, ahead of others in economy class.
The proliferation of carry-on bags is being driven by fliers desire to avoid having to pay checked baggage fees.
American has noted that its new boarding test is limited until it sees the results of this approach. Four airports are taking part in this test including Austin-Bergstrom International, Baltimore Washington International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, and Washington Dulles International.
To date, the airline has not shared passenger responses regarding this test, saying only that €data is still being analyzed.€
Some passengers have told reporters that they like the new boarding approach, noting that now there is no back up on the jetway and that the process is going smoothly.
American Airlines was the first U.S. airline in 2008 to charge a fee for checking a single bag. Other airlines quickly followed American's lead resulting in baggage fees becoming a major source of revenue. $2.6 billion was collected by U.S. airlines in the first nine months of last year.
Unfortunately the implementation of checked bag fees has resulted in frustration on the part of passengers unable to find space for their carry-ons, as well as delaying the boarding process for airlines which has in turn created additional expense. Planes earn no revenue while sitting on the ground and some airports charge airlines gate time by the minute.
Complicating the situation further is that many planes are not designed to hold all the carry-ons fliers are attempting to bring on board. Several airlines have started spending money to install bigger overhead bins to hold the additional carry-on bags customers are lugging into cabins to avoid checked bag fees.
Customer relations have sometimes frayed as competition for overhead bins has at times resulted in altercations between passengers and resulting tension while in transit.
It will be interested to see if a majority of passengers are willing to pay to check bags in order to be given higher boarding priority.
http://www.cheapfares.com
Airfares Climbed 17 percent in 2012
Finding cheap travel options such as cheap airplane tickets, cheap vacation packages, and discount travel packages became more challenging last year as airline ticket prices rose.
The cost of airline tickets to some of the most frequented American and overseas destinations increased by 25 percent and more in 2012. June proved to be the costliest month of the year to travel.
The price of flights from North America to Lima were up 33 percent, London fares increased 30 percent, and airline tickets to New Orleans, Madrid, Munich, and Sydney rose 38 percent.
Tickets to Paris, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Key West Florida jumped 35 percent. Toronto was the only popular destination of Americans where airfares dropped, falling an average of 3 percent.
London, which was home to the Olympics and celebrated Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 was the top overseas destination for North American travelers, followed by San Juan, Cancun, Paris, and Rome.
Las Vegas was the most popular U.S. destination followed by New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and San Francisco.
Destinations who experienced increased visitor count in 2012 and did not witness significant increases in airfares included Punta Cana and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Mumbai, Tokyo, and Nashville.
Cheap airplane tickets were most readily available last year in January, February, September and October for domestic flights and February and March for overseas flights. January was the slowest month of the year to travel.
The least expensive average ticket prices for domestic flights of up to one week were for flights departing on Saturdays and returning on Mondays. Trips in excess of a week were cheapest departing on Tuesdays and returning on Wednesdays, with average savings of 10 percent.
On international flights prices last year were 21 percent below average on short trips of up to eight days with departures on Tuesday returning on Wednesday. Over a week prices tended to be 9 percent less with Saturday departures and Sunday returns.
Travelers savvy in the way of finding cheap fares continue to frequent major travel Internet sites such as Cheapfares, Expedia, and Orbitz. Airlines are encouraging customers to purchase from their own websites, but travel sites which show airfares across a wide group of airlines continue to consistently show the cheapest fares and best selection of travel times.
http://www.cheapfares.com
To provide its customers with a €better, more convenient travel experience€ American has started testing a new boarding approach that rewards passengers who do not bring any carry-ons by permitting them to board immediately after its most elite fliers, ahead of others in economy class.
The proliferation of carry-on bags is being driven by fliers desire to avoid having to pay checked baggage fees.
American has noted that its new boarding test is limited until it sees the results of this approach. Four airports are taking part in this test including Austin-Bergstrom International, Baltimore Washington International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, and Washington Dulles International.
To date, the airline has not shared passenger responses regarding this test, saying only that €data is still being analyzed.€
Some passengers have told reporters that they like the new boarding approach, noting that now there is no back up on the jetway and that the process is going smoothly.
American Airlines was the first U.S. airline in 2008 to charge a fee for checking a single bag. Other airlines quickly followed American's lead resulting in baggage fees becoming a major source of revenue. $2.6 billion was collected by U.S. airlines in the first nine months of last year.
Unfortunately the implementation of checked bag fees has resulted in frustration on the part of passengers unable to find space for their carry-ons, as well as delaying the boarding process for airlines which has in turn created additional expense. Planes earn no revenue while sitting on the ground and some airports charge airlines gate time by the minute.
Complicating the situation further is that many planes are not designed to hold all the carry-ons fliers are attempting to bring on board. Several airlines have started spending money to install bigger overhead bins to hold the additional carry-on bags customers are lugging into cabins to avoid checked bag fees.
Customer relations have sometimes frayed as competition for overhead bins has at times resulted in altercations between passengers and resulting tension while in transit.
It will be interested to see if a majority of passengers are willing to pay to check bags in order to be given higher boarding priority.
http://www.cheapfares.com
Airfares Climbed 17 percent in 2012
Finding cheap travel options such as cheap airplane tickets, cheap vacation packages, and discount travel packages became more challenging last year as airline ticket prices rose.
The cost of airline tickets to some of the most frequented American and overseas destinations increased by 25 percent and more in 2012. June proved to be the costliest month of the year to travel.
The price of flights from North America to Lima were up 33 percent, London fares increased 30 percent, and airline tickets to New Orleans, Madrid, Munich, and Sydney rose 38 percent.
Tickets to Paris, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Key West Florida jumped 35 percent. Toronto was the only popular destination of Americans where airfares dropped, falling an average of 3 percent.
London, which was home to the Olympics and celebrated Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 was the top overseas destination for North American travelers, followed by San Juan, Cancun, Paris, and Rome.
Las Vegas was the most popular U.S. destination followed by New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and San Francisco.
Destinations who experienced increased visitor count in 2012 and did not witness significant increases in airfares included Punta Cana and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Mumbai, Tokyo, and Nashville.
Cheap airplane tickets were most readily available last year in January, February, September and October for domestic flights and February and March for overseas flights. January was the slowest month of the year to travel.
The least expensive average ticket prices for domestic flights of up to one week were for flights departing on Saturdays and returning on Mondays. Trips in excess of a week were cheapest departing on Tuesdays and returning on Wednesdays, with average savings of 10 percent.
On international flights prices last year were 21 percent below average on short trips of up to eight days with departures on Tuesday returning on Wednesday. Over a week prices tended to be 9 percent less with Saturday departures and Sunday returns.
Travelers savvy in the way of finding cheap fares continue to frequent major travel Internet sites such as Cheapfares, Expedia, and Orbitz. Airlines are encouraging customers to purchase from their own websites, but travel sites which show airfares across a wide group of airlines continue to consistently show the cheapest fares and best selection of travel times.
http://www.cheapfares.com
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