As a follow-up to the previous post, here's the next sign of the impending apocalypse.
Commercial flying, a pain-in-the ass experience at the best of times, is now becoming chintzier as more and more airlines are charging for things that were once free. Never mind having to reach into your pockets (correct change, please!) for food (or the reasonable facsimiles of), films, drinks and entertainment, Spirit Airlines is now charging for the right to check your bags ($10 for two online, $20 for two at the airport and a whopping $100 for a third bag).
I know times are tough in the flight game, but jeez, to go about this and try to sell it as "liberating us from having to pay for services we don't use" is a tad insulting.
Coming soon, and I'm not joking, and not just from Spirit, will be charges for guaranteed overhead storage (to put the bags you didn't want to pay to check). Can coin-operated toilets and emergency oxygen be far behind?
Maybe not, if you're named Ryanair. According to Brandweek, the airline is:
"giving away one million free seats knowing that
it can still make money by upselling passengers
with food, duty-free goods and in-flight entertainment."
Commercial flying owes it future to King Gillette, who gave away razors to make money on the blades, or to the laserprinter folks, who almost donate their printers so that they can soak us on the ink cartridges.
Surreal.
That'll be $20 for the beers and $1,500 for the engine cover, please.