A totally new class of service took to the skies just this week. Read on for details.
If the airline industry is right, we’re about to double our spend on ancillary airline fees. A Sabre study just released shows that we currently spend on average $44 per flight in extras, including meals, legroom, class of service upgrades, and checked bags. Their survey further indicates that we’d actually be willing to spend double that, and how that may be possible. They say that those of us who do pay extra most want either preferred seating and extra leg room.
With this week’s news on Alaska Airlines, there’s yet another reason to consider the possibility of upgrades.
Hawaiian Airlines Service Options.
1. Extra comfort seating. These seats provide extra legroom, priority security and boarding, additional entertainment options, plus pillow and blanket. We’ve long been fans of row 11 Extra Comfort seats on their Airbus 330 aircraft since that was first introduced. The amount of personal space is exceptional as is the value. The cost is $80 from all mainland gateways except New York, which is $145.
2. Meals including wine are complementary on Hawaiian Airlines. Upgraded meals and snacks are also available for a fee.
3. Checked luggage costs $25 for the first bag and $35 for the second bag.
4. First class upgrades are available as mileage, paid and bid upgrades. Mileage upgrades start at 25,000 and paid ones range from $379 to $819. Here’s more information we wrote on bidding to upgrade.
Alaska Airlines Service Options.
1. Premium class takes to the sky. Last year Alaska announced their version of premium economy, including on flights to Hawaii. Premium includes priority boarding and 3-4 inches added legroom. Alaska plans to offer other amenities but these have not been announced yet. Premium will become an upgrade option at booking as of January 5, 2017 or as a day of travel upgrade. Until then you may encounter it, although it is not for sale. Just this week, the new Alaska 3-class configuration (first, premium and economy) started flying on some of Alaska’s trans-continental flights.
2. Preferred seating in economy. At this time Alaska also offers extra legroom seats, including bulkhead and exit rows. Those provide additional legroom and are available on flights to Hawaii for $50.
3. Other ancillary fees on Alaska include meals, and a $25 each checked luggage fee on the first two bags.
4. First class upgrades are available for either 15,000 miles or for $150-$200 based on distance from Hawaii.
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I agree 100% with Judy and Robert. Paying a premium price for what used to be ‘standard’ seating, etc. does rub a person the wrong way. Especially vexing when we know record profits are being made by nickel and dime ing their customers. Hawaiian airlines is still the ONLY way we fly to Hawaii – but we liked Aloha Airlines a bit better. Too bad they are gone.
On our last flight home – a Hawaiian basketball team was flying to the mainland for a game and it was very SAD to watch those poor guys doing contortion maneuvers just to get in and out of their tiny little seats. No one should have to SUFFER to fly. Sure, they were all quite tall, but had the seats not been re configured with GROSS PROFITS in mind – instead of customer comfort – it might not have been so painful for the players. It’s one of the few times I have been grateful to be short :0/
Aloha, We just returned from visiting family on Oahu and flew Hawaiian. The flight attendants were very friendly and helpful and service carts were available at most times. Their free snack pack was pretty good and wish I could have gotten a handful. But, the “free” meal and wine were a different story. It was some kind of Asian chicken rice thing with salad, none of which was identifiable or edible. I thought at least the rice would be good – wrong. The cookie was great and while visiting the back, they gave me another one. The wine was so bad that my husband and his seat partner couldn’t even drink it. I know they are trying and it is very difficult to feed a plane full…but a simple make it yourself sandwich with fruit or applesauce in the little plastic containers would have been a 100% improvement. Just keep the cookies and forget the wine. I’d rather pay for a decent glass of wine. I must admit that I could be jaded in that I was fortunate enough to fly in the 60’s and have flown internationally. Mahalo for your newsletter.
My family focused most of its vacation spending on Hawaii this year with twelve round-trip airfares purchased. Airfare already consumes too much of our vacation budget! Being given the opportunity to purchase “upgrades” for items previously included in the fare (luggage transport, pillows, blankets,movies,audio programming,etc) while fuel costs have come down (thereby further increasing profits) doesn’t make me giddy over the aforementioned opportunities. I haven’t done any measurements, but I strongly suspect that the extra space afforded by Premium Seating does nothing more than selectively provide what used to be standard seating for all economy passengers.