Airfare News

Low cost airfare on Jet Blue has an added fee, effective immediately - if you want to use a pillow and blanket on a flight over 2 hours, be prepared to pay $7. Free pillows and blankets were removed from all of its airplanes on August 4.

If you’re willing to pay the added fee, you’ll be able to keep the pillow and blanket for re-use whenever you fly. Of course, you may not want to lug them with you when you depart the plane, or remember to take them in your carry-on the next time you fly.

While the Jet Blue spokesman, Bryan Baldwin, maintained that the pillow policy change is an improvement for customers, it seems more like an inconvenience. As airlines battle to keep costs down despite rising fuel prices, simple amenities - beverages, magazines and now pillows - have become a new source of revenue.

Will they start charging for the tiny bag of pretzels distributed during the flight? Or charge passengers to use the bathrooms? Charging for carry-on luggage may be next. Low cost airfare is an oxymoron when you add in all the fees.

When comparing the real cost of low cost airfare, remember to include all the “hidden” fees. If you don’t want to spend additional money once you board the plane, be prepared to starve, be thirsty and sleepless.

If you’re traveling to Hawaii from the US mainland after October 1 on Hawaiian Airlines and haven’t purchased your tickets, be prepared to pay $15 for your first checked bag. Inter-island flights are not affected by the new fees for the first checked bag - but for a second checked bag, Hawaiian already charges $17 on inter-island flights and $25 on flights from the mainland.

Hawaiian Airlines joins a rapidly growing list of airlines who are charging fees for checked luggage, limiting carry-on luggage, adding costs for “preferred seats” and exploring other ways to add to their bottom line while remaining “competitive” on fares.

Finding the lowest fares online is hard enough without having to check and compare each airline’s policy on fees for checked luggage and soft drinks. The situation is worse when you’ve already purchased your ticket and discover that a decent seat assignment will cost more.

As a result of high oil prices and the economic slow down, Qantas announced cuts to 1,500 jobs worldwide and a halt to its expansion plans. Its previously forecast capacity growth has been reduced from eight-percent to zero.

Among the planned cuts are closure of the call centers in Tucson, Arizona and London; the call centers in Australia and New Zealand will remain open. By December, twenty-percent of management and office support positions will be eliminated; a hiring and pay freeze is in effect.

Additionally, 22 older aircraft from its fleet will be retired as it proceeds with its fleet upgrade program, bringing on board new and more fuel efficient aircraft, including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787.

Prior to Friday’s announcement, Qantas has raised fares twice and reduced capacity twice this year to manage rising fuel prices.