Bad behavior

By The Hawk Eye

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Commercial air travel in the United States and elsewhere is enjoying one of the safest periods in aviation history.

But that doesn't mean the airline industry isn't spiraling out of control - and to some peoples' thinking - out of its mind as well.

The decline of air travel as a pleasant way to travel started with the way airlines sell seats. Before they got creative, the advertised ticket price plus a few nominal local, state and federal taxes added in showed the true cost of going somewhere by airplane.

Then came the era of advertising low fares but piling on other hidden fees for services that had long been part of a ticket price.

Fuel surcharges, stowed bag fees, carry-on bag fees, beverage and snack fees, a fee for a blanket or a pillow: Fees can add as much 50 percent to the supposed ticket price.

This spring the inherent dishonesty in the pricing system prompted the Transportation Department to order airlines to include those fees in their advertised ticket costs.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said it would “help ensure that air travelers receive the respect they deserve before, during and after their flight.”

That hasn't stopped the airlines from continuing their creative streak.

Some are charging fees to reserve certain seats, such as those next to a window, aisle or exit. Some airlines have stopped letting families with small children or handicapped passengers board first.

So unless families can afford the extra fees (up to several hundred additional dollars) to sit together, children are likely to be seated next to strangers rather than their parents and siblings. That won't sit well with other passengers who may feel obligated to look after the kids, or are otherwise annoyed.

New York Sen. Charles Schumer has urged U.S. airlines to let families sit together with no extra fees but has not proposed legislation.

Schumer said, “Requiring parents to pay an additional fee to make sure their kids are sitting next to them and in sight is ridiculous and simply over the top. ... This ill-conceived ploy to foist more fees on travelers could have profound implications for the safety of children on airlines and it needs to be revisited.”

Indeed it does. But airlines have staked out their policies. They have repeatedly shown they must be forced by rules and laws to do the right thing, whether the subject is safety, passenger comfort or honesty in pricing its service. They do nothing voluntarily when it costs them.

Determined to make more revenue, and barring reasonable prohibitions, many airlines are likely to continue inventing new ways to circumvent laws to fill their coffers and irritate their customers - even if it seems like self-destructive behavior and a lousy business model.

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