No matter how low your cheap fares are, be they cheap airplane tickets or cheap vacation packages, the airlines are determined to figure out ways of getting you to pay more after your purchase has been made. Ever been anxious about boarding a plane early enough to find overhead space to store your carry-on luggage? American Airlines has introduced a new offer that allows passengers the opportunity to board before everyone else (except its premium class passengers and high end frequent fliers) for an introductory rate of $9 each way.
This option may be purchased alone or is part of a broader bundling of benefits that American is calling its Boarding and Flexibility package. In additional to be able board in front of other passengers, the package includes a 50 percent discount ($75 off) off flight changes and the option to fly standby on an earlier flight on your scheduled day of departure at no extra charge.
This package is available for domestic flights only and customers who wish to purchase this option must do so for their entire itinerary and for every traveler in the reservation.
American announced that this is the first of many customized perks it plans to offer its customers. The regular price will start at $18 roundtrip and varies according to length of flight. For example, the price for a New York to Los Angeles flight is $38 roundtrip.
This is yet another example of how creative the airlines are becoming in figuring out how to charge their passengers additional fees. At least this option is left up to the customer to decide whether it is worth paying for. Of course, if many passengers sign up for this package, the remaining passengers may find that overhead space for carry-on luggage is unavailable by the time they board.
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