Northwest Airlines Latest Scam

We all know first class seats cost more than economy.  Then there's "economy plus", which sometimes features more legroom than regular economy.  It too is typically more expensive than the standard seat.  I'm usually comfortable enough with a standard economy seat on most domestic flights so I'm not one to upgrade.

While checking in on a recent Northwest Airlines flight I was surprised to see they're offering yet another level of upgrade.  Despite my stated preference for an aisle seat I somehow got booked into a center one on a 4-hour flight.  It's one thing if none are available, but as I checked in I saw loads of open aisle seats on this particular flight and all of them were marked with "$25 Upgrade" icons.  That's right.  The seat just to the left of my center seat is available for an additional $25 fee.  I wondered why this was the one leg of my journey where I couldn't make a seat selection during the website reservation process.  Now I know why.

If the airlines want to charge me for an aisle seat they really ought to do it during the booking process, not after I've already committed to the flight.  Had I noticed it was going to cost me more for this flight I might have chosen one from another carrier.  If they're not hitting us with silly baggage fees they're nailing us with this stuff.  What a ripoff.

Comments

[Lori Cates Hand]

I've been flying NWA a lot recently and noticed something else: Often they won't let you select a seat at all. It makes you think, "Hey, this flight must be full! If I don't buy one of those upgraded seats, I won't get on at all!" But sure enough, when you get to the airport, there are plenty of seats.

[Bill G. ( former 36yr NWA employee )]

Ah .....Would you like FRIES with that ?

[J D Cooper]

I agree this seems backhanded. Fact is, however, that if the US consumer wants a national transportation system (as opposed to a regional transport system comprised of LCC's)and wants to regulate it, too, then ticket prices need to go up by about 50%. Honestly, though it seems like they're TRYING to intimidate their customers, they're just trying to stay in business. Many won't.