This is the latest thing – “unbundling” – take out all the things you may not want on your flight and then charge for things that are optional. This keeps the fares low – Right?
Not exactly. Fares are regulated by a very pure form of supply and demand. They always have been. As any flight fills up, so the price rises. At which stage, therefore, does it become unreasonable to charge for things that are “extras”?
I have just checked RyanAir for a flight from Luton to Lanzarotte – out on the 11th April back on 15th. At the time of writing I would be charged £59.99 (really, £60) to get there and an eye-watering £239.99 (£240) to get home – total £262.33. I happened to pick RyanAir, but I could have used any airline that is getting their snouts into the unbundling trough. Now, if the “unbundling” theory holds true, really all seats should be, say, £5 and then one can add in all the extras, including the charge if you need air at 32,000 feet – with justification. The thing is, if I have to pay £239.99 rather than £59.99, why should I have to pay all the “extras” on top, still?
This begs the other question – What should the “Man on the Clapham Omnibus” reasonably expect a fare to cover? An aeroplane that goes to the appointed destination, a qualified crew – yes, obviously. Now, with a holiday flight (as Lanzarotte is) why should I not reasonably expect the fare to cover my holiday bag – and given that it is pushing 3 hours or so, a cup if tea, say, a wee even a sandwich (God forbid). Further, and no-one in the airline business seems to want to ask this, would passengers not prefer to pay an extra few quid on their fare in order to have the items mentioned, included? Who says: “Fares must be cheaper than chips”? Answer: No-one. Given that I am paying £239.99 rather than £59.99, I think that I can reasonably expect a few things – Even a “Good morning” and a smile would be a start!
