Hard Times, High Fares

I miss the nineties. Back then, besides having boy bands and great television shows, traveling by plane was almost a pleasant experience. I could carry-on more than just the clothes on my back, a laptop, and a book. Food and non-alcoholic beverages were both free. Go on a flight nowadays, and you find yourself thirsty, hungry, and possibly bereft of clothes when the airline loses your checked baggage.

I don’t, however, miss the higher airfares. Over the last decade, plane ticket prices have become ridiculously low-priced—on the whole, airfares have dropped an average of 30 percent since 1990. It’s easy to get used to paying less; when fares aren’t as low, the public is outraged and accuses airline executives of lining their pockets.

Given the present economic situation, this attitude is irrational. Raising airfares under the circumstances makes sense as airline companies feel the financial strain due to bad money management, raised fuel prices, and the loss of confidence in air-travel after 9/11. There is a fundamental problem with the entitlement the public feels regarding low airfares—flying a commercial aircraft is expensive, and when low ticket prices are coupled with overall financial strain, airline companies lack the means for the necessary aircrafts, pilots, and crew.

While it’s mildly annoying that we must now pay for food, drinks and checked baggage—which is usually our only option when overhead compartments are too small or flights are so full that we can barely fit our carry-on bags in the space provided—any slack in the system of efficient service is even more distressing.

The financial woes of airlines are particularly noticeable during emergency situations, when any lack of resources becomes obvious. On February 15, 2007, passengers on JetBlue’s Flight 751 to Cancun, Mexico were trapped on the runway for eight hours when a snowstorm delayed their flight. The logical conclusion in most weather-related delays is to have passengers sit in the terminal until the plane is ready to take off; although not an ideal situation, it is still preferable to being trapped in a stuffy airplane. In the case of Flight 751, however, passengers remained stranded on the runway and unable to reenter the terminal because not a single gate was available.

Airlines need to pay over $1 million to airports in gate fees to have ample space for their aircraft—including extra aircraft for emergencies. When airlines face so much financial strain that even water costs money, it’s clear that airlines do not have the means to pay airports for as many gates as are necessary to accommodate delayed flights. Disasters like JetBlue Flight 751 are the result.

Somehow, airlines need to find a means to increase their revenue. Whether this comes from raising food, beverage, and baggage fees—perhaps now pillows, blankets, and even air will cost money!—or from increasing airfares themselves, is up to the airlines.

The more logical and practical option is to increase airfares, despite the frustration many people will undoubtedly feel as they themselves feel the pinch of the economic downturn. Regardless, the public ought to remember that we are not entitled to being flown to our destination of choice for a low price; everyone, including airlines, is affected by the financial crisis. If increasing airfares is the only way to avoid catastrophes like the JetBlue affair, then the public must accept the economic realities of the airline industry and be prepared to shell out just a little more.


Ayse Baybars ’12, a Crimson editorial writer, lives in Wigglesworth Hall.