so in the course of re-visiting Vayama I mentioned United’s new fee. Well guess what, they’re not alone.
According to Christopher Elliott’s post on the topic, CO has joined the game too. I love Continental, but paying to book on the website is insane. As I said last time, it’s not like the airlines are paying a fee or commission, as the online agencies do. Sheer insanity is what it is.
I used to like booking directly through CO for the booking bonus, but apparently that’s now gone too. Web 2.0 is supposed to bring convenience, not more fees. Is it a good or bad thing that word is quickly spreading about these new policies?
What will be interesting to watch is whether these stick when the recent fare increase did not.
I still maintain this is as ridiculous as a brick and mortar store charging us to walk in the door and use their cash register. As always, I’ll vote with my $.
1 response so far ↓
1 8 Things Travelers Should Expect… // Jan 22, 2008 at 11:26
[...] Inconvenient “convenience” fees – I think this one bothers me the most. That said, I experienced the fees far more in Japan and Australaia than I did here, so it’s yet another case of the US catching up with the rest of the world. The “convenience” fee that I don’t mind is the exit row and other extended legroom options as Virgin America charges for them. I don’t agree with the airlines that make these available only to elite level, they should be available to those willing to pay. It’s interesting to see how it’s going to shake out with booking fees, as I’ve mentioned before. [...]