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@Gray - and a lot of them are in bankruptcy or otherwise in great disdain.
Except for Southwest. Maybe that's the answer, have Southwest take over Metro.

Meanwhile, in reality, all major US airlines except American reported profits in 2010 and 2011. And even Southwest has added an early check-in fee in recent years, on top of new fees revealed in a quick googling like those for unaccompanied minors.

@Ms. D:

Gray, I would argue that those charges are all avoidable, and you actually get something for them.

I would argue that all charges are avoidable by not purchasing the good or service. Presumably those who purchase it do so because what they get is worth it to them. Yes, the purchaser may resent having to pay the price, but people are not being forced at gunpoint to buy anything.

The point here is that the surcharge represented an alternative to significantly hiking off-peak fares. The disadvantage was that it further complicated fares, but the advantage was clear: it raised fares at an overcrowded time relative to a much less crowded time. Switching back to raising off-peak fares (when both trains are crowded and users have more alternative transportation options, so demand is much more elastic) doesn't make much sense to many of us.

I just don't see how "surcharges are bad" is a reasonable argument here. Especially when the point that all other industries are avoiding surcharges is in fact false.

by Gray on Apr 30, 2012 3:57 pm • link • report