Airlines and fees. Those two words have become the bane of any traveler’s existence over the past two year.
From baggage checking fees to the newest fee, American Airlines charging passengers to sit in the first few rows of coach, airlines are raking in the dough. The reason why? They can.
American Airlines will charge $19 to $39 per passenger to sit in the first few rows of coach class. The fees are based on flight distance, the longer the distance flow, the higher the fee. No determination of what number AA designates as “few” so, who knows how many rows will be set aside for this new experiment.
The perk of paying this fee? You get to board earlier, after first class and miles members but before the general cattle class seated behind you, so you’re guaranteed overhead storage and you get to disembark the plane earlier than those non fee paying fliers.
This has created a new level in the class system of the airlines. There was first class, business class, members class and coach. Add to that the new middle class, that pocket of people placed just below the elite few in the front, but ahead of the suckers in the back of the plane.
It’s just like life. You won’t receive any better treatment than the rest of coach seated behind you, but you can have that superior feeling as you sit in your seat.
Suck it up, there’s only going to be more of this. If you don’t want to pay it, don’t. This only works if people buy it. If they don’t, the seats will go to paying passengers anyway.
