- passengers are already compensated for delays that are within the control of the airline. A sliding scale or trickle down a la carte menu of time may further complicate the ticketing system. Passengers should be aware of the potential of any type of delay and the consequences. The contract explains this in more technical terms.
-a transparent form of pricing would indeed be nice but who can enforce that? If that were to happen then that would have to be effective on other consumer goods and services. Personally, my internet/cable bill comes to about $78 a month after the taxes and fees. The base amount is $49. That is about a 58% price increase. Phone bills, utilities, cars, real estate, credit cards and many others have added taxes and fees. Taking away the fees to be include in the base price would mean more work and calculations for the pencil pushers and bean counters thus raising the price. The IRS and FDA, just off the top of my head, would have to grow thus increasing more taxes. I don't want more taxes, I pay enough.
-"limiting the scope and nature of fee-based services airlines can implement"
why would one want to limit the scope of a free based service airline if it works? if it does not work, let the airline fall.
- it is not a policy of airlines to hold passengers hostage with no food or water but sometimes it happens and I agree better precautions should be taken to minimize discomfort. The government already has standards for food but sometimes that is not enough. The government has standards for crew rest but sometimes the crew still does not get enough rest.
My point is I also think better steps can and should be taken for airlines to improve their act but consumers still demand the service. Millions of tickets are sold annually. I think if the pie were to shrink it would be a double edge sword. Service may improve but many jobs and flights would be lost.
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