$8 for a blanket and pillow...

[Rogallo]

DALLAS — If you want a pillow and blanket in coach on American Airlines, it's going to cost you.
The airline will charge $8 for a pillow and blanket in coach class for domestic trips and some international flights longer than two hours, beginning May 1.

Increased revenue for pay raises all around.
I'm waiting for pay toilets,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/08/a...r_n_454109.html

 

[BoeingBoy]

US has been selling them for 6-9 months...

Jim

 

[eolesen]

Actually, this one makes some sense. Having worked with Cabin Service, I never used a blanket or a pillow... With these, the customer won't have to worry about someone else's DNA being on the blanket, and it saves the clerks & FA's from having to fluff and fold on turns & thrus respectively....

 

[JFK Fleet Service]

This is good for First.Now there will at least be clean pillows and blankets for the front end...in theory.

I wonder what the unit costs for the pillows and blankets are?

 

[JFK Fleet Service]

Actually, this one makes some sense. Having worked with Cabin Service, I never used a blanket or a pillow... With these, the customer won't have to worry about someone else's DNA being on the blanket, and it saves the clerks & FA's from having to fluff and fold on turns & thrus respectively....

"We regret that salable pillows and blankets will result in the need for fewer fleet service clerks for cabin cleaning.Studies have shown 37% of the cabin cleaners time is spent folding blankets.Local management will be posting the exact numbers in headcount reduction in the near future."

Come on, this is AMR we're talking about.You know they'll come up with some line of BS to justify a layoff...

 

[BoeingBoy]

This is good for First.

Pillows/blankets will still be complimentary in premium cabins.

I wonder what the unit costs for the pillows and blankets are?

Guaranteed to be less than $8 or they wouldn't do it. JetBlue charges $7 for the same thing and US also charges $7 but throws in cheapo eyeshades and foam earplugs. I'd be surprised if they cost $5 in bulk quantities.

Jim

 

[jimntx]

The late news here in Dallas reported that there will be $5 coupon for Bed, Bath and Beyond in the package with the pillow and blanket; so, net cost to the customer will be $3. However, I heard from another f/a that she was told that they are only going to provision 4 on each flight. Considering the demand for blankets (nasty or otherwise) now, we'll sell out before we leave the gate.

However, as a flight attendant I am thrilled at this change. Those blankets were not cleaned nearly often enough.

Funny story: When they first started the GOGO Internet experiment on the 767s, I'm sure you will remember that they said that they would make no attempt to block porn sites. When that little piece of news was announced, a senior f/a rolled her eyes and said, "Oh great. Another reason not to touch the blankets."

 

[eolesen]

"We regret that salable pillows and blankets will result in the need for fewer fleet service clerks for cabin cleaning.Studies have shown 37% of the cabin cleaners time is spent folding blankets.Local management will be posting the exact numbers in headcount reduction in the near future."

Actually, I doubt they'd use the headcount argument -- instead, look for MOGT to get reduced.

There's a component for fluff & fold that goes into the staffing formulas, but it's minimal, especially as the provisioning of pillows/blankets has shrunk. Night-riders used to be at 100%, but I doubt they're even at 40% anymore.

About ten years ago, we'd recommended ditching fluff & fold inside the cabin, and instead having a clerk bag blankets from the inbound, and loading pre-packed bundles of 20 into specific overheads. The bundles would be built from fluff & folded blankets during overnights or at the laundry. Again, headcount wasn't the target there -- it was all about reducing the turn times.

 

[JFK Fleet Service]

They've actually stretched the ground times at LGA while reducing the headcount.

<shrugs>

 

[Maurice Chevalier]

The late news here in Dallas reported that there will be $5 coupon for Bed, Bath and Beyond in the package with the pillow and blanket; so, net cost to the customer will be $3.

$10 off a minimum $30 purchase @ Bed, Bath & Beyond.

The Dallas Morning News

 

[MERV]

$10 off a minimum $30 purchase @ Bed, Bath & Beyond.

The Dallas Morning News

That's if the customer use it. It also will cost AA less because thats advertising.

 

[JFK Fleet Service]

That's if the customer sees it.

Fixed that for you.

 

[jimntx]

That's if the customer use it. It also will cost AA less because thats advertising.

But, that is the customer's choice. It is an opportunity to get back the money spent on the blanket (and then some) on a purchase that they would have probably made anyway--coupon or not. If anything it might direct traffic to BB&B that otherwise would have gone to the Evil Empire (Wal-Mart ).

As far as the customer seeing it...it sounds as if we are going with the same product as US Airways. According to a friend of mine who flies for them, it would be very hard to miss the coupon and it is mentioned in the sales pa. I'm sure we will be expected to do same.

Does anyone know for sure if what I heard about the number of packages to be boarded (4) is correct?

I'm old enough to remember when people dressed in business attire to travel by air or train. If you didn't want to go to that much "trouble", you traveled by bus or drove in your own car. Now, I have no interest in debating your god-given, Constitutional right to dress in your underwear or like you were going out to clean out the cesspool when traveling. But, why should the airline be required to provide covering for you for free if you decide to travel half-naked and get cold?