It’s good news and bad news for frequent flyers in this installment of “Travel Tidbits.”
Let’s start with the bad news:
United Airlines recently announced it would be charging a $10 fee to all passengers whose flights originate from Los Angeles International Airport. Today US Airways and Delta announced they plan to do the same. United representatives’ say the surcharge is meant to offset what it claims is a $10 million rent increase being imposed on it by Los Angeles World Airports.
According to news reports, in December, Los Angeles World Airports raised the rent for all carriers who fly into LAX. Other airlines say they’re considering surcharges of their own—with one exception—Southwest Airlines announced it has no plans to adopt a similar surcharge.
On to the good news:
If you are flying through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport with a child in tow you may be happy to hear about a new bathroom fixture that has just been installed there. The airport recently added a metal step about a foot tall under sinks in its restrooms to help small children scrub up with ease. You can pull it out to give your child a lift to the faucet, the step then uses hydraulic pressure to retract on its own. The handy device is also being installed in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky and Salt Lake City airports.
And more good news:
For all you honey-roasted peanut lovers—good news—the sweet and salty treats are back on Southwest flights. According to news reports, “the most profitable U.S. airline recently resumed serving honey-roasted peanuts after a two-year absence because its supplier became able to provide them for the same price as the dry-roasted.”
Ah, yes, the bottom line is always… the bottom line. According to Southwest, its peanut provider recently installed new equipment that allows the carrier to serve the sweeter nuts and still save about $250,000 a year. And, lest you think that dropping the honey-roasted peanuts in 2005 was the airlines first cost-costing move—think again. In 2000, Southwest had its vendor remove three nuts from each bag to save $300,000 a year.
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