Thursday, November 06, 2008
Delta finally caves, charges for first checked bag.
For months, Delta stood alone. The last of the legacy carriers to allow passengers to check a bag has finally caved to peer pressure, however, and effective December 5, this policy is no more. Starting next month, any Delta passenger checking a bag will be charged $15 for that first bag checked on a domestic flight. (First Class and Elite frequent fliers are exempt.) However, the new baggage policy and other fee announcements aren't bad news for everyone.
In fact, if you normally check two bags? It's now cheaper to do so on Delta. Instead of charging a fee for each bag, Delta charged a relatively high $50 fee for the second bag checked, inconveniencing roughly 20-25% of passengers who check bags instead of everyone. By spreading the pain around, the second checked bag fee is now going to be $25 instead of $50. Net savings if you pack heavy? Ten bucks.
This does now leave just JetBlue, Southwest and AirTran as the only major domestic airlines to allow free checked bags aboard. Although AirTran may soon change their policy as well.
This doesn't seem to be chiefly motivated by fuel costs, but instead more about normalizing fees across Delta and its soon to be absorbed partner, Northwest which became a part of Delta last month. And although the headline is bad for the consumer, there are other fees which were actually reduced as well. No more $3 charge for curbside check-in, and reduced fees to use a Delta reservation agent instead of their website, dropping from $25 to $20. Also fuel surcharges on frequent flier award tickets are to get the ax as well.
In the end, its mixed news, and mostly negative news at that for the casual flier. But for the frequent flier, in the end it may actually end up a net positive, believe it or not.
In fact, if you normally check two bags? It's now cheaper to do so on Delta. Instead of charging a fee for each bag, Delta charged a relatively high $50 fee for the second bag checked, inconveniencing roughly 20-25% of passengers who check bags instead of everyone. By spreading the pain around, the second checked bag fee is now going to be $25 instead of $50. Net savings if you pack heavy? Ten bucks.
This does now leave just JetBlue, Southwest and AirTran as the only major domestic airlines to allow free checked bags aboard. Although AirTran may soon change their policy as well.
This doesn't seem to be chiefly motivated by fuel costs, but instead more about normalizing fees across Delta and its soon to be absorbed partner, Northwest which became a part of Delta last month. And although the headline is bad for the consumer, there are other fees which were actually reduced as well. No more $3 charge for curbside check-in, and reduced fees to use a Delta reservation agent instead of their website, dropping from $25 to $20. Also fuel surcharges on frequent flier award tickets are to get the ax as well.
In the end, its mixed news, and mostly negative news at that for the casual flier. But for the frequent flier, in the end it may actually end up a net positive, believe it or not.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Flying to NYC? Get Ready to Pay More.
The announcement finally came down today from the FAA. Get ready to pay more to fly to New York? This isn't the start of re-regulation of pricing and airlines by the federal government, but instead the beginning of traffic caps at the New York airports in an effort to reduce delays at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports. The three airports most responsible for traffic delays across the country.
Last summer, almost 100 planes an hour were scheduled to take off from JFK airport. Starting March 15, the FAA will only slot 82 or so every hour many news agencies are reporting today. Exactly what will this mean for the average traveler? It's still a little unclear, but it seems to point to only being late 40% of the time instead of 50% of the time and paying more for the privilege.
In my relatively uneducated opinion, this points to affecting JetBlue and Delta the most, as these two carriers represent the largest share of traffic from the airport and will probably be asked to make the most concessions among all the airlines affected. Least affected will probably be international routings, as these flights are more profitable, and JFK is considered more of an international hub of the three airports in the NY Metro area.
Personally, I think this flight cap (which is only scheduled to last through 2009) is probably a good idea, but executed poorly. Instead of capping just flight departures, the FAA ought to also create seat minimums for flights leaving during peak travel times, particularly 4pm-9pm when the domestic departures are sharing the bulk of its traffic with the overseas rush. If the FAA insisted on a 100 seat minimum for flights in this time, the number of seats going in and out of JFK may actually increase, keeping prices relatively stable as well. (This would affect mostly American and Delta who fly lots and lots of regional jets in and out of JFK.) Unfortunately, this probably won't be a priority for either the government or the affected airlines.
So the end result, fewer flights, slightly fewer delays, and higher prices.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Keeping you Happy - Delta v. JetBlue
Let's face it, flying to your destination is often the least fun part of the trip. Sometime endless waits in the terminal, very little to eat on board the plane... creature comforts can be few and far between. Although this kind of thing might be expected in budget adventure travel, I've found few places where the waiting, boredom and lack of amenities to be more annoying than flying somewhere. So far this year, I've flown 13 segments in the air, 6 with Delta, 6 with JetBlue and one with Southwest. Having the most experience with Delta and JetBlue, let's take a look at the Creature Comforts offered, and which has the better product.
In Terminal - Edge: Delta
The best way to compare terminal amenities is to do this at their Hubs. JetBlue has Terminal 5/6 at JFK, which is under renovation and is too crowded and although the food is alright and there is good selection, its often hard to find a place to sit. Having free Wi-Fi is a plus though, and its easy to access up to date information on your flight through your cell phone as their mobile friendly website is easy to access.
On the other hand, Delta has lots of different food options in their hubs in Atlanta and New York. JFK's Terminal 2/3 options are actually head and shoulders above JetBlue's. A Bobby Flay restaurant? Balducci's Deli? That's pretty amazing. Also, the sheer number of eateries available to you in Atlanta without leaving your terminal is a big plus. But what takes the cake for Delta is the Crown Room. Granted, the Crown Room costs money to wait in - about $25. But you get a comfortable place to sit, a couple TVs to watch, and the most important part - an open bar. Nothing makes four hours at JFK pass faster than a glass of wine or five. The average glass of wine in a JFK bar costs $13+tip. Two drinks at the Crown Room and you're already ahead of the game.
Legroom - Edge: JetBlue
Delta coach - Domestic 31-32", International 31-32" pitch. (Pitch refers to leg room between seats on a flight.)
JetBlue - 32-33" pitch on their smaller jets, 34-36" pitch on their A320's. A way roomier ride all the way around.
In Flight Entertainment - Edge: JetBlue
Jet Blue offers free TV on every flight. On some international routes, the Live TV does not work so the premium movies are offered for free instead. Jet Blue offers 36 channels. In many of their planes, 100 channels of XM radio is also available - although that is not yet fleet wide standard. Headphones for the system were free, the airline does now charge, however.
Delta has a seat back IFE on some 757 and 737 planes. It offers 16 channels of Live TV for domestic flights, some premium HBO content and also games to play. The games are a neat way to kill time, but my experience was that some of the monitors just weren't working at all, and that not all channels on the Live TV were operational, limiting me to about 12 options. Delta's seat back IFE also offers MP3 listening and the selection is quite diverse. If this was available on a much wider range of planes that Delta uses, this would actually be a better system. The flight tracking channel is also superior to JetBlue's as well. Unfortunately, on other longer haul products, movies are still shown on in flight monitors, that barely work. Audio jacks are often inoperational as well. And on many flights, the only in-flight entertainment is the kid behind you kicking your seat.
In Flight Service - Toss Up
Jet Blue offers unlimited snacks, but never a meal. Delta offers meals internationally still, but otherwise offers snack packs. The signature JetBlue snack is Terra Blue potato chips. These are kind of nasty. The signature Delta snack is the Biscoff cookie, which I have a love affair with. Both airlines have had excellent service from the flight crew, so I have no real fault here.
Winner: JetBlue (but just barely)
If I'm flying domestic, and I'm flying a long distance, I'm sticking with JetBlue, even it's a little more. The better TV product, the more space to put my legs in wins out over a better terminal experience. However, Delta wins on network. There are very few places that Delta can't get me to, while JetBlue has very little service to the midwest from the northeast, the route I'm most likely to fly.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Blogs I'm Loving.
Once a week or so, I want to share the blogs that I loved reading these past few days. Two really struck me this week.
First, with Delta and Northwest exiting bankruptcy, we all know that it's a good thing for the airline itself. But is it good for the average Joe Economyclass? Upgrade: Travel Better isn't so sure.
Second, I love a good exotic travel story. And these days, it doesn't get more far flung than Pyongyang. In fact, it doesn't get more exotic than flying there on the state run airline of North Korea. Knife Tricks reviews his flight on Air Koryo.
Once a week or so, I want to share the blogs that I loved reading these past few days. Two really struck me this week.
First, with Delta and Northwest exiting bankruptcy, we all know that it's a good thing for the airline itself. But is it good for the average Joe Economyclass? Upgrade: Travel Better isn't so sure.
Second, I love a good exotic travel story. And these days, it doesn't get more far flung than Pyongyang. In fact, it doesn't get more exotic than flying there on the state run airline of North Korea. Knife Tricks reviews his flight on Air Koryo.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Be a Frequent Flyer without Flying Anywhere!
Free flights! The siren song of the internet these days for me. I'm always looking for a reason to get away and sneak off somewhere... be it to hang out with a good friend far away, or just to explore someplace that's new to me. There are plenty of ways to do that on the cheap these days - believe it or not, the price of flight has stayed relatively stable in the last 20 years, despite fuel costs that have tripled! There are the low cost carriers like Southwest, JetBlue and Frontier which can get you pretty far on $100 dollars, the incoming Ultra Low Cost class of airlines - like SkyBus and Spirit where penny airfare sales are common and tickets are available regularly for ten dollars or less!
But that's still not cheap enough for my skinflint heart. I want it for nothing, dammit! So frequent flier miles seem to be the best option. Flying not actually necessary. Seriously.
For example, Delta, is the airline I collect miles on. I'm saving up for 50,000 miles so I can get overseas on them and I'm currently a little over half way there. Funny thing is, I have only flown Delta five times in my life. Twice on miles. Last year, I earned 15,000 miles for getting a Delta branded American Express card, about 5,000 miles for fueling my Diet Coke addiction, and a couple thousand miles for eating at IHOP. That's right, I earned enough miles to fly home at the last minute last October by eating pancakes. Ain't life grand?
Now sure, there are drawbacks. Earning miles can be a bit of work - looking for special programs and utilizing them, but it will pay off. When I head to Buenos Aires next year for free on Delta, the kidneystones I formed from all that soda will be treated to a window seat 35,000 feet in the sky... and another Diet Coke.
Free flights! The siren song of the internet these days for me. I'm always looking for a reason to get away and sneak off somewhere... be it to hang out with a good friend far away, or just to explore someplace that's new to me. There are plenty of ways to do that on the cheap these days - believe it or not, the price of flight has stayed relatively stable in the last 20 years, despite fuel costs that have tripled! There are the low cost carriers like Southwest, JetBlue and Frontier which can get you pretty far on $100 dollars, the incoming Ultra Low Cost class of airlines - like SkyBus and Spirit where penny airfare sales are common and tickets are available regularly for ten dollars or less!
But that's still not cheap enough for my skinflint heart. I want it for nothing, dammit! So frequent flier miles seem to be the best option. Flying not actually necessary. Seriously.
For example, Delta, is the airline I collect miles on. I'm saving up for 50,000 miles so I can get overseas on them and I'm currently a little over half way there. Funny thing is, I have only flown Delta five times in my life. Twice on miles. Last year, I earned 15,000 miles for getting a Delta branded American Express card, about 5,000 miles for fueling my Diet Coke addiction, and a couple thousand miles for eating at IHOP. That's right, I earned enough miles to fly home at the last minute last October by eating pancakes. Ain't life grand?
Now sure, there are drawbacks. Earning miles can be a bit of work - looking for special programs and utilizing them, but it will pay off. When I head to Buenos Aires next year for free on Delta, the kidneystones I formed from all that soda will be treated to a window seat 35,000 feet in the sky... and another Diet Coke.
Labels: Delta, frequent flier miles, pancakes, travel
