This Week on BNET (Sep 22 – 26)

American, BNET, British Airways, Fares, Meals, Southwest, Technology, United, US Airways

American Airlines’ In-flight Internet Raises Porn Questions
Now that American has started to test in-flight internet, some are getting angry that the airline isn’t restricting which websites people can see.

US Airways is Happy That Nobody is Buying Drinks
It hasn’t been very long since US Airways started charging for drinks, but the airline is already crowing about the benefits they’ve seen so far.

United Gets Smart By Allowing Economy Plus Upgrades Anytime
United is making it easier for anyone to upgrade to Economy Plus at any time before they fly. It’s a smart move that’s good for everyone involved.

Southwest’s Stance on Fees Could be Problematic
Southwest has been very clear that they will not charge fees. Are they backing themselves into a corner with this aggressive marketing?

Financial Crisis Likely to Contribute to Premium Cabin Weakness
Massive bank failures will hurt many areas of the economy and the airlines are not exempt. There will be fewer premium travelers flying the skies.

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6 comments on “This Week on BNET (Sep 22 – 26)

  1. Regarding Southwest:

    My hope is that instead of charging fees they can adjust the airfare to reflect any potential changes to their cost structure that result from things like oil price spikes, etc.

    So although they have limited their flexibility by not charging fees, we as customers can feel more comfortable knowing that the actual price we are charged reflects the state of the business.

  2. It just opens up a can of worms. As a woman who travels alone I would NOT want to be sitting next to someone – young, old, man, woman, respectable looking or creepy as hell, while he/she watches porn on the plane. Brett, seriously, would you want your loved one in that situation? I don’t even want to think about the wanted or unwanted behavior could arise. What if there was kids nearby? Kids are curious. What if the person watching the porn had no personal sense of responsibility, regardless rights to their views, opinions, what they read and what they watch. Just plain/plane dumb. I don’t want to be any more descriptive but who is going to clean it up?

  3. Of course I don’t want to sit next to someone who is looking at porn, but they can bring on a magazine or a DVD now. There’s nothing stopping them from doing that today.

    The problem comes in deciding what gets blocked and what doesn’t. It’s a very slippery slope, and once you start, it will quickly start restricting borderline sites. Let the flight attendants police it, if need be, but don’t start censoring.

  4. Big whoop! Southwest can avoid fees because they keep fuel costs artifically low with hedges. I am not really that impressed. Let’s see if they can renew them in four years. Southwest will have to join the rest of the industry sooner or later, so promising no fees as part of the marketing is hyping up customer exptectations to unrealistic levels. Therefore, I agree with Brett’s assertion that it will be harder for them to reverse course if necessary.

  5. Brett,
    For moral reasons I have disagree with you. Porn is degrading both to the participants and viewers. I Therefore I has no place in a public place especially in tight quarters such as a plane. American should be ashamed. Also, passengers should also know better and keep that trash at home.

  6. Brett,
    For moral reasons I have disagree with you. Porn is degrading both to the participants and viewers. Therefore I has no place in a public place especially in tight quarters such as a plane. American should be ashamed. Also, passengers should also know better and keep it at home.

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