Have you been Grinched by the Airlines yet?

As we’re nearing that time of year, when it’s time to deck the halls and decorate the Christmas tree, and go out looking for that perfect gift to give. We can actually start feeling that warmth of the Christmas spirit amongst us. That spirit of giving is only being over shadowed by the Grinch’s of greed and profit bent on maximizing as much profit and greed as they can out of this holiday season while leaving us common folks with a bad taste in our mouths.

Take the Airlines, car rental agencies and hotels for examples. These three groups combined can make Dr. Seuss’s Grinch look like Santa Claus. Airlines love this season as they can suck out as much money as they can from eager passengers who are forced to travel or just want to get away from the cold. Airlines know the game to a T. They’ve done this for constant years now where they jack their flight prices sky high into the ridiculous numbers and get away with it. Because they know full well that they hold all the cards. In many cases driving is impossible and Amtrak and VIA are both useless alternative to flying unlike in Europe and Asian where rail travel gives airline travel a run for their money. Here in North America if you want to get from point A, to point B, in record time you fly and that’s the bottom line without stone cold even having to say it.

The airlines have us on a hook and are playing with us with ridiculous prices that fluctuate more then oil price. Case in point Air Canada one of the airlines I happen to fly simply because I’m one of those suckers out there who’s been hooked by them, especially when it comes to Aeroplan miles that I collect. I was going to fly Air Canada from Toronto to Los Angeles, and when I checked for flights to Los Angeles it was like $240.00 one way. I let it be for one day and the next day the price had risen to $810.00. The same economy seats on the same flight, from $240 dollars to $810.00 in just one day, now how is that justified? And it gets even better if you check out the Air Canada’s website for flights from Toronto to Los Angeles. There’s economy seats going one way from Toronto to Los Angeles going at $1,342.00 Canadian for one way to Los Angeles, and Economy, Economy, I mean I just have to repeat that it’s Economy class, not Executive or Business class but economy one way. That same seat which is usually about $240.00 to $370.00 one way Canadian is selling now for $1,342.00. I just thought I had to write that as some of you out there must be holding up your jaws right now on this one. And it gets better. I decided I’d rather fly American Airlines to Los Angeles as they were charging $298.00 Canadian one way on the same days from Toronto to Los Angeles. OK that’s a little more reasonable, but there’s a catch. While Air Canada doesn’t charge for the first piece of checked in luggage, American Airlines does. They charge about $25.00 dollars U.S. for the first checked in piece of luggage, which is absolutely ridiculous and the bottom line just straight up profit for American Airlines. What really bothers me with American Airlines is I’ve written to them about this charging for the first checked in baggage and how unfair that is to the general consumer. The question I should be asking myself is, is it really going to make a difference, is my opinion even going to count for anything. Do I really believe that American Airlines one of the largest airline carriers out there is going to make a precedence by acknowledging that this fee is wrong and it should be scraped. I’d like to see that happen. I mean there’s nothing wrong with an airline trying to make profit. Charge for the second check in baggage, as that could be considered a luxury, but don’t go around charging passengers for the first checked in baggage as most travellers including myself travel with at least one checked in baggage which means most travellers including myself are out $25.00 dollars to American Airlines and American Airlines is $25.00 dollars richer. Do the math that’s a lot of $25.00 dollars out there in economy class that American Airlines and others airlines like United and Continental are making. It’s a cash grab to them, and us being Grinched out in the process. The problem is we just let it go and don’t do anything about it. We don’t demand for these cash grabs by major airlines to stop. As in Air Canada and WestJet’s defence neither of them charge for the first checked in baggage, they only charge for the second checked in baggage which in my view is fair.

And then we come to the car rental agencies, especially those at LAX. They know they have you by the horn and they’ll fleece you for what they can get. They’ve done that to me over constant years and no matter how much I complaint it seems to fall on deaf ears.

Then the hotels and motels out there, it doesn’t even have to be in Los Angeles. They over charge you no matter where you go. I mean a reasonable rate shouldn’t exceed $45.00 dollars a night, $70.00 to $90.00 dollars a night if it’s a five star hotel. But what I’m saying isn’t going to happen. Because like the airlines and the car agencies these grinches realize a good thing when they see it and they’ll Grinch you and me until they can’t Grinch you no more. A room which in mid-January or February will be going at Approximately $45.00 or $50.00 dollars a night will go near double this Christmas season. As like with the airlines and car rental agencies they know they can get away with it.

So now that I’ve rambled on enough about all those Grinch’s out there. Let’s all try to have a Merry Christmas as I’m sure the Airlines, Car rental agencies and hotels out there surely will have a Merry Christmas on backs of poor consumers like myself out there.