Wooly wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Dec 2005 19:15:54 +0000, "a buck here, a buck there"
> spewed forth :
>
>
>>"It's a test to see whether customers value the dollar to buy a can of
>>soda or a can of juice," said spokesman David Jackson. Flight
>>attendants will still serve free coffee or water.
>
>
> Really, what sort of test is it?
>
> If customers BUY the shit, the airlines don't have to provide it as
> part of the ticket price, thereby increasing profits.
What it really means is that the passengers who DON'T want this free
"shit" aren't going to be forced to pay for it any longer.
> And undoubtedly
> the miniature soda cans and 5-cashew bags of nuts do NOT cost the
> airlines a buck each.
Well boo-frickin-hoo.
If you lived in Europe you might have bought a meal on board an
international ferry at some stage - NOTHING is free on board a ferry and
prices FULLY reflect the fact that hungry passengers who haven't brought
their own food have no alternative.
So what if the airlines can make a little profit on nuts and soda? It
all helps to get them out of Chapter 11.
But as well as the cost of the nuts and soda you have to account for the
cost of transporting, serving and disposing of the remains of these
items. The airlines have to pay people to do these things too.
Ryanair do not offer nuts for sale on their flights. This is for the
sole reason that spilled nuts take too long to hoover (US:vacuum) up and
threaten their quick turnaround times. When deciding whether, and how
much, to charge for foods and beverages on board a plane, there's a lot
more to be considered than the bare cost of sourcing the item.
As for pillows and blankets - few European passengers ever see them. Get
over it already. If you really want them bring your own, that way you
can use them in the airport too.
The thing that really bugs me about flying these days is that some fat
sweaty Yank weighing as much as myself and my fiancee put together still
gets the same ticket price and the same baggage allowance. If we want to
link prices with costs, then this guy should be put on the scales and
charged 'excess baggage' for his flab. Or I should be allowed carry more
luggage, because as far as fuel burn is concerned it's the overall
weight that counts!
U
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