Oh, that's much better. "Pre-reclined" seats

[atgcpaul]

Who are the ad wizards that came up with this one?

I think Spirit Airlines is going to need a good ad man like Don Draper to save
them from themselves.

I've never flown them before so maybe they're an OK airline. Their airfares
must be amazing for their customers to put up with their belt tightening. To
me, it seems like they're taking the "spirit" out of flying which to me was always
supposed to be the most luxurious way to travel.
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/201...rit-passengers

[Rand]

They don't fly out of my area but I was curious so I compared Spirit's price on a round trip from Los Angeles to Washington DC to what I could find on Travelocity.

Spirit: Airfare+:$318.04
Taxes and Fees:$58.80(what's this?)
Total: $376.84

Travelocity: 1 Adult: $223.00
Taxes & Fees: $41.30
Ticket total: $264.30

hmmm...

[themachine]

I travel a lot and I like this idea of no recliners. I realize I am in the monrity on this, but to me the space in front of my seat belongs to me. When somebody just reclines their seat back all the way, they are taking precious space from my area. If I have my laptop open, it creates safety issues as well because the seat comes flying back without warning. So I wish all seats did not recline since people have no clue about affecting the comfort of others. Granted, the real solution to this mess is mor room between rows in the first place, but even in first class there is a problem with seat reclining.

[jackellis]

Spirit is copying the miserly ways of Ryanair, a European airline based in Ireland that I have flown before and despise. No tray tables, because keeping them repaired costs money. No reclining seats because fixing them costs money. You pay for checked bags, drinks, paper tickets, etc. Now they're talking about pay toilets. The base fares are incredibly low but then you get nickled and dimed. On top of everything else, they pay their flight crews next to nothing. I think starting pilots make something close to the US minimum wage.

Realize, of course, that some of these airlines are giving passengers exactly what they've asked for by the way they open their wallets - cheap fares and amenities be d***ed.

The seats in my little airplane recline. I serve drinks and snacks (hot foot is a problem). There's plenty of leg room in the back and with a high wing, sightseeing is terrific. You get to see and hear everything that's going on if that's what you like. No movies or music. However on some flights, it's cheaper to fly first class!

[BobSch]

The seats are reclined so when they bend you over it you're at the correct angle to receive your discount.

[germdoc]

For a 1 or 2 hour flight they can put me in the overhead bin. I have been a passenger on many military flights with webbed seats, very loud, etc.

There was an article recently about how the "golden days of air travel" weren't really so golden after all...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...041602024.html

However, for longer flights this would bug me.

Re' fees etc.--I think airlines can charge whatever they like as long as they're up front about it. Caveat emptor and all that.

[crokett]

There was much hullabaloo over Spirit charging carry on bag fees. What was missed was they lowered ticket prices by about the same amount, so you had a choice as to whether you pay the fee or not. Also, the fee only applies to what goes in the overhead bin, not what gets stashed under the seat.

[Uncle Cracker]

Next thing you know, they'll be selling standing room next to the pigs and chickens...

[cabinetman]

Next thing you know, they'll be selling standing room next to the pigs and chickens...

Guaranteed...somebody will be buying those tickets.
.

[jackellis]

There was an article recently about how the "golden days of air travel" weren't really so golden after all...

That article is pretty much on target.

The first time I visited Europe in 1982, my round-trip ticket from Atlanta on a scheduled carrier was $800. I typically paid no more than that for the next 20 years. Jets are much nicer to fly in, even when crowded, than turboprops, and they do fly above the weather, which is very nice when the weather is bad. But...

When I first started traveling regularly, Delta and Eastern had 8 across seating on their L-1011s, with space to hang suit jackets between each pair of seats in coach. Meals were decent, if not exceptional. Service was excellent. that all disappeared very soon after the airline deregulation act.

Today I put a premium on schedule and being able to avoid plane changes. I also put a premium on being able to change my plans, which Southwest allows and most other airlines do not.

[LCHIEN]

I travel a lot and I like this idea of no recliners. I realize I am in the monrity on this, but to me the space in front of my seat belongs to me. When somebody just reclines their seat back all the way, they are taking precious space from my area. If I have my laptop open, it creates safety issues as well because the seat comes flying back without warning. So I wish all seats did not recline since people have no clue about affecting the comfort of others. Granted, the real solution to this mess is mor room between rows in the first place, but even in first class there is a problem with seat reclining.

Well, I agree to some degree with you on this. someone who reclines all the way back can put his seat in your face and keep you from eating or working on a laptop. There's some getting it back and that's to recline your seat back and regain the face space but you still can't eat or work, and now you've crunched the guy in back and so on until you get tot he last row or the one before the emergebcy aisle - those seats often can't recline.

But the worst thing is, no recliners means you get the face space back but they promptly take it away by making the seats closer together by several inches. Now you've lost your leg room AND the guy in front can't get comfortable - lose-lose for the passenger and win-win for the airline.

BTW, there's an increasing number of seats that deliberately can't recline even on planes with reclining seats.
those that back up to the emergency exit rows, those at the back of the cabin.. you don't know until you sit that they don't recline.

[JR]

I agree there is insufficient recline etiquette in the world. OTOH, I once flew to Shanghai and my coach-class seat DIDN'T recline. Man, was that a long flight.

JR

[atgcpaul]

Would you fly like this for the long haul?

http://www.businessinsider.com/get-r...-travel-2009-7

[Kristofor]

I travel a lot and I like this idea of no recliners. I realize I am in the monrity on this...

Maybe, but I'm in the minority with you, at least on non TPAC/TATL or similar length flights.

BTW, there's an increasing number of seats that deliberately can't recline even on planes with reclining seats.
those that back up to the emergency exit rows, those at the back of the cabin.. you don't know until you sit that they don't recline.

You do if you did your homework at seatguru.com... I will check seat availability and plane types when making travel arangements if my schedule allows the flexibility to do so.

As a free enterprise guy I guess I'm okay conceptually with having more ala carte service. However the implementation stinks...

It's a pain in the rear having fare rules we need to follow for booking work travel, then needing to do the calculations/justification manually for why the cheap airfare isn't really a good deal if you need to add in seat selection, bag fees, etc. I'd love for base fares to need to be advertised at a minimum standard of service with discounts for things you don't need rather than starting cheap and charging for a half a dozen "premium" services... In the long run I'm sure that would help limit fee creep...

I don't actually begrudge the airlines the extra dollars... It's not like they're gouging us and rolling in cash, it just feels like the fee approach is gimicky and still doesn't address their underlying issues regarding how to actually make money running a business in the long run.

[cwithboat]

There was an article recently about how the "golden days of air travel" weren't really so golden after all...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...041602024.html

The guy that wrote the article wasn't wearing a uniform. I flew as a bluejacket coast to coast quite a few times in the early 60s. Take the red eye, sit in the back and the (young, beautiful) stewardesses, who out numbered the passengers, poured free drinks for 8 hours. Bliss.