Suzanne Barlyn
I'm tired of airlines trying to bleed my family dry.
Just when it seemed that air travel couldn't be any more demoralizing, three major carriers announced plans to charge most coach customers $15 to check a first bag. That's right. American Airlines(AMR Quote - Cramer on AMR - Stock Picks), United Airlines(UAUA Quote - Cramer on UAUA - Stock Picks) and US Airways(LCC Quote - Cramer on LCC - Stock Picks) have made a decision to bring the industry's already pitiful customer satisfaction ratings down yet another notch. Passengers who dare to travel with -- gasp -- necessities, such as clothing and diapers, will now have to pay for the privilege, beginning this week. What's next? A surcharge for the air that I breathe in the cabin? I'm fed up -- and exactly just the type of customer that Southwest Airlines(LUV Quote - Cramer on LUV - Stock Picks) hopes to snag. Last week, it responded to this lunacy with a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal, which included a clip-out "coupon" that read "Don't #$*!% Me Over." I couldn't agree more with the sentiment. The ads explained that Southwest doesn't charge fees for phone reservations, baggage, snacks, or other minutiae that too many airlines view as just more profit-enhancing opportunities. "Southwest is the only airline that accepts this coupon," it read. What marketing genius. My family has never flown Southwest, but I'll now look into the airline as a possibility for future travel plans. Airlines are, understandably, struggling to remain profitable amid record fuel prices. I can deal with cutting routes to save money. I can even accept raising fares -- probably because airfares already seem so complicated that I would, admittedly, have a hard time understanding when I'm paying an extra $15 for a ticket.
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