FlyBe to start charging for Baggage

The “council estate” thing was just a joke based on the oft-used and well known Southwest version I also included later on – sorry if anyone was offended.

Absolutely! Although I still contend that low-fare carriers have made the flying experience less pleasant overall.

Having said that, I stick by my comments about low-fare carriers. Whilst they may be good for most of the travelling public, the drive for lower and lower fares has been at the expense of the staff who work in the industry. Erosion in terms and conditions that low-fare carriers have applied to their own staff (and by consequence of needing to compete, the staff of other airlines), has turned the airline industry overall into a far less pleasant place to work.

Think of all the complaints from farmers over the price reduction demands made by companies like Tesco – Tesco want to give customers low prices for items like meat and milk, so they make demands on farmers that result in it being difficult for them to make money. Same principal applies with low fare-carriers. Next time you buy a flight for next to nothing, remember its the staff who “handle” you through your journey who have a less pleasant working life than was the case before the low-fare sector caught on.

This latest innovation by FlyBe will be another change than impinges on staff for the worse – there will be far more arguments at checkin over paying for baggage, and far more problems for cabin crew who will inevitably be forced to work out how to stow all the extra carry-ons in the limited cabin storage space on a packed DHC-8. Remember its not the poor sods who have to deal with irate customers who have brought in these innovations. Nothing, repeat NOTHING, like this would be introduced unless those at the top of the tree believe that they can either (a) save money/decrease costs or (b) make more money, as a result of the change. It is they who make the decisions, but it is the staff at the sharp end who have to deal with the fall out and the crap.

Andy

It’s called the cold winds of market forces and was bound to happen once deregulation had started with the dissolution of the CAB, and the lifting of the IATA fare coordination cartel, and the introduction of the EC third liberalisation package.

Competition driving down of unit cost has happened in other industries and the airline industry is not a protected species. It may be sad (and I speak as one of the many who were made redundant from IATA a few years ago) but it is a fact of life given that so many airlines have been privatised – there’s no feather beds anymore.

The “council estate” thing was just a joke based on the oft-used and well known Southwest version I also included later on – sorry if anyone was offended.

Absolutely! Although I still contend that low-fare carriers have made the flying experience less pleasant overall.

Having said that, I stick by my comments about low-fare carriers. Whilst they may be good for most of the travelling public, the drive for lower and lower fares has been at the expense of the staff who work in the industry. Erosion in terms and conditions that low-fare carriers have applied to their own staff (and by consequence of needing to compete, the staff of other airlines), has turned the airline industry overall into a far less pleasant place to work.

Think of all the complaints from farmers over the price reduction demands made by companies like Tesco – Tesco want to give customers low prices for items like meat and milk, so they make demands on farmers that result in it being difficult for them to make money. Same principal applies with low fare-carriers. Next time you buy a flight for next to nothing, remember its the staff who “handle” you through your journey who have a less pleasant working life than was the case before the low-fare sector caught on.

This latest innovation by FlyBe will be another change than impinges on staff for the worse – there will be far more arguments at checkin over paying for baggage, and far more problems for cabin crew who will inevitably be forced to work out how to stow all the extra carry-ons in the limited cabin storage space on a packed DHC-8. Remember its not the poor sods who have to deal with irate customers who have brought in these innovations. Nothing, repeat NOTHING, like this would be introduced unless those at the top of the tree believe that they can either (a) save money/decrease costs or (b) make more money, as a result of the change. It is they who make the decisions, but it is the staff at the sharp end who have to deal with the fall out and the crap.

Andy

Every word absolutely correct Andy. Well said.

1L.

I was brought up on council estates and I laughed my a** off!

The “council estate” thing was just a joke based on the oft-used and well known Southwest version I also included later on – sorry if anyone was offended.

I don’t agree that LCC’s have been bad for passengers, but I don’t know anyone who has been within the industry for any length of time and who doesn’t think it has become a worse place to work as direct a result of LCC’s.

Absolutely! Although I still contend that low-fare carriers have made the flying experience less pleasant overall.

Having said that, I stick by my comments about low-fare carriers. Whilst they may be good for most of the travelling public, the drive for lower and lower fares has been at the expense of the staff who work in the industry. Erosion in terms and conditions that low-fare carriers have applied to their own staff (and by consequence of needing to compete, the staff of other airlines), has turned the airline industry overall into a far less pleasant place to work.

Think of all the complaints from farmers over the price reduction demands made by companies like Tesco – Tesco want to give customers low prices for items like meat and milk, so they make demands on farmers that result in it being difficult for them to make money. Same principal applies with low fare-carriers. Next time you buy a flight for next to nothing, remember its the staff who “handle” you through your journey who have a less pleasant working life than was the case before the low-fare sector caught on.

This latest innovation by FlyBe will be another change than impinges on staff for the worse – there will be far more arguments at checkin over paying for baggage, and far more problems for cabin crew who will inevitably be forced to work out how to stow all the extra carry-ons in the limited cabin storage space on a packed DHC-8. Remember its not the poor sods who have to deal with irate customers who have brought in these innovations. Nothing, repeat NOTHING, like this would be introduced unless those at the top of the tree believe that they can either (a) save money/decrease costs or (b) make more money, as a result of the change. It is they who make the decisions, but it is the staff at the sharp end who have to deal with the fall out and the crap.

Andy

“Another full Ryanair/easyJet/Jet2/bmiBaby/FlyBe* flight, another deserted council estate”

I was brought up on council estates and I laughed my a** off!

I work in the airline business and havnt meat anyone who says LCCS have ruined the airline industry.

That may be because you work for a handling agent rather than an airline and came to the industry after the advent of LCC’s. I don’t agree that LCC’s have been bad for passengers, but I don’t know anyone who has been within the industry for any length of time and who doesn’t think it has become a worse place to work as direct a result of LCC’s.

As for the original point of the thread I can see where FlyBe are coming from, paying for the services you use and encouraging people to carry their own bags. However I think it will be short lived as the aircraft in their fleet are hopeless for handluggage and they simply won’t be able to cope with the amount of handluggage people will want to take onboard as a result. Then you get into the ‘well I wanted to take it onboard so I’m not paying’ arguement.

1L.

The fact is simple, you pay your money and take your choice….BUT, the effect of these carriers entering the industry has been hugely beneficial, and actually for the fisrt time since deregulation in Europe has generated REAL competition, thereby offering consumer benefits. If you look at free market structures and the debates which took place prior to deregulation you will realise that it is the LCCs that have stimulated markets in Europe.

I have the same opinion. As a tax payer, I think there is something very wrong with carriers such as SAS when they can’t give ordinary people a possibility to travel for a reasonable amount of money. Instead, carriers such as SAS tends to focus on business class. Why would they need my tax money for that?

Fact is that Ryanair et al have done more for the average citizens possibilites to travel than any government supported national carrier in Europe.

No, but I hate low fare carriers and all that they have done to ruin the airline business for both regular travellers

What? You mean the fact that the industry has been revolutionsed by these carriers, who in turn have prompted major beneficial changes at the incumbent carriers. Many business travellers continue to fly BA and the likes, but they’re not complaining about the better fare structures etc which have been generated by the competition (and threat of importantly) of the LCCs. There are also PLENTY of business travellers using these airlines you must remeber that!

The fact is simple, you pay your money and take your choice….BUT, the effect of these carriers entering the industry has been hugely beneficial, and actually for the fisrt time since deregulation in Europe has generated REAL competition, thereby offering consumer benefits. If you look at free market structures and the debates which took place prior to deregulation you will realise that it is the LCCs that have stimulated markets in Europe. WHY should the ordinary traveller not be free to travel??? Its a general effect of increasing wealth that people want to travel.

Regular travellers,regular *******ing traveller what are they. Do you meen the stuck up snobs who were the only ones who could afford to fly beofre LCCs came about. What an idiotic comment to make. I work in the airline business and havnt meat anyone who says LCCS have ruined the airline industry.

Exactly! Which of the US majors has been the only carrier to consistently show a profit over the past few years? Southwest.

Which sector of the air passenger market is growing fastest? The LCC sector.

If you ask me it’s the LCCs that are driving the industry forward.

Can be paid during the booking process or on the day.

Will this charge have to be paid during the booking process? Bad idea if so.

Regular travellers,regular *******ing traveller what are they. Do you meen the stuck up snobs who were the only ones who could afford to fly beofre LCCs came about. What an idiotic comment to make. I work in the airline business and havnt meat anyone who says LCCS have ruined the airline industry.

Without people like Southwest and Ryanair and Air Asia and Easyjet buying large amounts of heavy metal from Airbus and Boeing and driving unit costs down, I think a lot of the legacy carriers would be paying a lot more for their aircraft and may well have gone bankrupt anyway.

No, but I hate low fare carriers and all that they have done to ruin the airline business for both regular travellers and (at least as importantly) airline staff over the last few years.

For what its worth, my comments are a *******isation of a common saying in the US a few years back – “Another full Southwest flight, another deserted trailer park!”

Andy

Pretty unpleasant comments Skymonster, do you have something against people from council estates? I’m sure the carriers you mentioned are just as happy to receive their custom as those from leafier suburbs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Double

Well you know what they say:

“Pay peanuts, get treated like monkeys”

“Another full Ryanair/easyJet/Jet2/bmiBaby/FlyBe* flight, another deserted council estate!” 😉

* delete as appropriate

All very sad… 🙁

Andy