Anything related to aircraft, airplanes, aviation and flying. Helicopters & rotorcraft, airships, balloons, paragliders, winged suits and anything that sustains you in the air is acceptable to post here.
Ever since it became apparent that customers were incredibly sensitive to price, airlines started unbundling everything in a ticket.
Yes, but in a shrinkflation way, whereby you get less prodict for your money and then they try to upsell you. To be fair, though, they were led by actual reduced fares by low cost airlines and they did it as a way to compete, by not raising their prices in line with inflation and costs.
You can still get the original bundle, Delta never took that away. You're just now being asked to choose if lounge access, picking your seat, checked luggage, and other items not related to the actual seat are worth it.
My guess is that premium basic will be popular enough that it will continue.
But in terms of shrinkflation, the original bundle may still be there but it’s going up in price, then what will happen is the unbundled amount creeps up to the price the original was at.
Lufthansa is doing the same with certain businesses class seats not being assigned until check in.
Lufthansa also asked me once to bid on an upgrade of my seat, I could set an amount of money and the higher I went the more likely I got the upgrade. Haven't seen it since then though, been a year I think.
They have a new lowest economy tier as well, where you don't even get a carry-on bag anymore, just the personal item which has a size of a small-ish backpack. Who travels like that?
They also now ask you if you'd like to book their "green fare" after you've selected a ticket, which is obviously even more outrageously expensive.
I know all this because I live outside my home country and have to go back to visit family 2-3 times a year. Lufthansa is the only direct flight from where I live and so far had been cheaper than any other discounters (which also always added travel time and stopovers). This is the first year where they got so shitty I am considering taking another airline after all.
They still do the upgrade bids, but be careful as your ticket restrictions will remain the same. For example, if you don't have checked bags included in your economy class ticket, you won't have any for the business class upgrade, either.
I would be in favor of the loss of a carry on bag if it meant tickets would be cheaper, but unfortunately the opposite is true.
It's a crying shame that all the European carriers are gradually all becoming LCCs (Lufthansa is by far the worst in this regard).
They have a new lowest economy tier as well, where you don't even get a carry-on bag anymore, just the personal item which has a size of a small-ish backpack. Who travels like that?
I've done this plenty of times. Can get a week's worth of clothes in there, Switch, Nintendo DS, headphones. Usually a jacket as well. Sometimes I wear it depending on the weather.
I haven't flown Lufthansa though. This was Spirit.
To be fair, most of the business lounges I have been to are a bit 'meh'. What I really want from business is a seat that goes flat so I can sleep on the flight. I would probably take the cheaper ticket.
I've always been mystified as to why early boarding was an advantage, too ... I'm about to be sat for a whole lot of time, I'd rather be stood up and moving around beforehand!
I usually don't care if I gate-check a carry on, especially on international flights where I know customs will take longer than baggage delivery. So that means I usually wander around, regardless of boarding group. I've been last to board a number of times, despite being group 2. The only issue is I usually have a window seat, but all the traffic is past my row anyway and the shuffle isn't bad. Not everyone wants to give up their bag like that (for both good and selfish reasons) and a full flight's overhead bins fill by the halfway mark. Plus, some people like to be selfish and throw their underseat bag in the overhead bin, reducing the carry on space, whether they have their own carry on or not. If they board first, they can sneak those up (or "uphold their right" to overhead space with no carry on).
My conclusion is that they want to associate boarding status with social status and make you strive to be a higher boarding group. Airline loyalty, upgraded seats, airline credit card, shit like that. It ties in with the selfish reasons to board first that go with people just being selfish all around.
My airline seems to have first-come basis upgrades. The better the boarding group and the earlier you scan to board, the better chance for a seat upgrade. So if you have some status and an earlier boarding group, it makes sense. I usually buy midgrade seats so getting bumped to business is rare, but it'd probably be worth the risk to book economy and plan for a bump to mid if you scan earlier than other eligible passengers - if it was my money. I fly for work so I'm not playing that game.
But the biggest bullshit is loading planes front to back and nearly all that boarding group status is tied to the front. I see selfish and uncoordinated traffic jams just all the time. Genuinely pisses me off when business class pax get up and block the flow to get their toys from the overhead. Give it 5 minutes and there won't be anyone up there to block while 20 people are still queued in the tail!
That's true for economy seats (but you want to get in early for the overhead bin space), but in business you have plenty of leg room and you get served a glass of wine and a snack. Its mostly OK.
Mostly ok, isn't exactly a ringing endorsement, lol
Its about as comfy as sitting in a bar, certainly not 'my knees are under my chin and the guy next to me smells of cheese'
If you really only care about the lie flat and nothing else, check out Zip Air