Higher Prices and More Bad Service

photo from newamericanarriving.com

Make no mistake about it. This may be a good deal for US Airways, but it's a bad deal all around for the flying public. I've been reading what the “experts” have to say, and about the only positive comment I have is that airfares won't go up right away.

Having written about this before I feel like this is deja vu all over again. With all the bad things that have been happening to consumers in air travel this is just one more example of the traveling public taking a beating as choices become more limited.

We've been seeing steady increases in airfare for some time now, not to mention fewer benefits, and stiffer rules for luggage, seat selection, etc. Now we're going to have fewer and more crowded planes flying to popular destinations at higher prices than ever before. Business flyers will get hit hard, and frequent flyers will have a tougher time getting upgraded since both US Airways and American frequent flyers will be fighting for the same seats.

Thinking about the merger, I can't help but remember how badly America West and US Airways botched their merger a few years ago (what a mess!). Now, the same management gets rewarded and does it all over again. As I commented in a previous blog on this subject this is “proof once again that you cannot tie two rocks together and expect them to float.”

I'd love to hear what other flyers have to say about this. Please feel free to add your comments.