Chicago Tribune: Fly like eagle, sip like sparrow at $1 a can

Fly like eagle, sip like sparrow at $1 a can

Complimentary soda, snack canceled; coffee, water still free on American Eagle; psst, wanna buy a pillow and blanket--only $5?

By Mark Skertic
Tribune staff reporter

December 15, 2005

First it was the free meals. Then the pillows.

And now, looking to cut costs further, one airline is experimenting with dropping the last little luxury those sitting in coach have to look forward to: complimentary soda and pretzels. American Eagle said Thursday it will charge $1 each for a can of soda and a bag of cashews on flights into and out of Los Angeles next month... Passenger reaction will determine whether sales are expanded beyond the California experiment, Jackson said.

(snip)

American Airlines gained notoriety earlier this year when it removed pillows from aircraft, a move that saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in cleaning costs. Although American was the butt of jokes on Leno and Letterman, several other airlines quietly followed suit after the furor died down.

(snip)

During the past several years airlines increasingly have tried to pass on costs to customers that were once considered part of buying an airline ticket. Free copies of general interest magazines have disappeared from most flights. Meals have been replaced with $5 snack boxes of prepackaged food. Some airlines' skycaps now charge $2 a bag and carriers strictly enforce rules charging extra for overweight luggage.

This month United Airlines unveiled an in-flight store on some of its Ted flights, which mainly serve vacation destinations. Flight attendants have a cart filled with gifts, toys and other items. Priced between $5 and $25, items can be purchased during the flight.

(snip)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-0512150159dec15,1,4453812.story

I need to pee but I can't afford it, damn.

How can a can of pop and a package of nuts be the make or break point for an airline.

Seems a little rediculous to me.

so I don't have to wait for the cart to travel the isle to arrive at my seat. And NWA, at least, no longer provide any snacks. I think that we'd be better off brining our own. At least the carts won't block the isle for the duration so that passengers can use the bathrooms - as long as they are free.

Honest.
Little sample packs with 5 cigarettes that came on your meal tray.
There were no non-smoking sections.
Life was good.
;-)

it doesn't seem like it was so long ago. A smoke, free drinks & meal....ah the comforts of flying.

I'm not paying for overpriced food at the airport (except maybe for starbucks) and I sure wouldn't on a plane. I usually make a couple of sandwiches and put a bag of cheetos and diet cokes in my backpack for a trip. All I really want from the airline is for them to get me where I'm going somewhat on time and in one piece, and in a fairly quite manner. I love AirTran's free XM radio, in the summer I just find a baseball game and let it take up the entire flight.

Back when they still served free food.
Claimed it saved them several hundred thousand dollars a year.
:shrug: