American Airlines to Charge Standby Passengers

Waiting at the airport for hours, repeatedly hoping to make a stand-by flight is something every seasoned traveler has experienced. This will still be an option with American Airlines, but after today, they will charge you for the privilege.

American Airlines will begin charging passengers $50 to change their flight at the airport (for tickets purchased today and after). The fee is being promoted as an operational improvement to same day travel. Passengers will be able to confirm seats via self-service check-in machines in addition to calling reservations or using the airport ticket counter, and hypothetically, it will improve boarding procedures.

Processing large groups of stand-by passengers on a case-by-case basis can be an operational nightmare, causing delays in both boarding and departure. Situations where many passengers are rolled over to flight after flight can be frustrating to both passengers and staff. However, such circumstances and delays are a rarity, and it’s hard to view this fee as anything but another revenue source for a hurting industry.

The $50 fee was actually instituted by American Airlines in 2005, but could be avoided by remaining at the gate. This fee is actually the elimination of that courtesy. The fee won’t apply to certain members of AAdvantage frequent-flier programs, first or business class, or those with higher-priced coach tickets or military fares. Essentially this fee will affect those trying to travel on the cheap.

Among domestic airlines, American is already at or near the top in fees for first and second checked bags, ticket change, unaccompanied minors and in-flight food. Soon they will be one of only four domestic airlines to charge for blankets and pillows. It remains to be seen if this stand-by fee will become another trend in airline expenses, or a reason to consider other options for cheap travel.

[Photo: aicrblog]