Airlines to charge premiums for window and aisle seats

The airline industry's latest tactic to screw the passenger charging premiums for window and aisle.

The charges for window or aisle seats in the front half of the plane, costing as much as $29 each way on U.S. domestic flights and $59 on international flights, are the latest of a raft of passenger fees introduced in recent years as the airline industry looks to generate new streams of revenue.

The issue has arisen in the United States, where Delta, American Airlines, and low-cost carriers US Airways, Frontier, Spirit and Allegiant have implemented charges for "preferred seating."

The notion of paying extra to reserve more desirable seating is catching on more widely across the industry. Across the Atlantic, low-cost Ryanair rolled out reservations for certain seats across all its routes in January, while its rival Easyjet has also been experimenting with the practice.

The implementation of end-of-row seat fees is part of a broader airline trend to charge for amenities previously included in the standard fare, such as movies, water, pillows and blankets.

In response to soaring fuel prices four years ago, airlines also began introducing charges for checked baggage, generating huge sums. But last year the revenue from checked bags for U.S. airlines fell for the first time, suggesting passengers were trying to avoid fees by packing light when they traveled.

Two U.S. airlines, Spirit and Allegiant, already charge passengers for carry-on baggage.

Soon they will charge extra for blankets cushions and yes eventually we will seen passengers force to pay to use the WC

Source: CNN

I Should Know Better

As a travel writer, I really should know better than to skim read travel instructions, but like thousands before me and even more to follow, I admit that I am guilty of being stupid.

But thank goodness for a sympathetic ear of an operator who deserves great praise.  I am talking about Eurostar.

My story begins when I turned up for my train to Paris on June 2nd.  The fact that the scanners would not accept my boarding pass was the first indication that something was wrong.  The second came when the check in lady said, "You do know these tickets are for July 2nd don't you"

Panic, a quick check and the realization that despite having been asked to confirm the booking details were correct then doing so and subsequently printing out the boarding pass, I realized that it was all my fault.

Dear Eurostar thank you for never once suggesting that I am a moron!  Thank you all, and in particular Isabelle, for moving heaven and earth to get me onto a crowed train and therefore enabling me to continue on in France to complete my assignment.

I have learned my lesson and will never do it again, I promise!