It is now fair to say that in today’s era airlines are beginning to think of absolutely any way in which to cut costs. This whole notion basically started with the introduction of the budget airlines in Europe. They started with the abolition of the cabin cleaners, the cancellation of free food and drinks and the abolition of paper tickets. Nowadays, the methods are becoming more and more interesting.
US Airways have recently come up with the idea of canceling in-flight movies. This may increase the danger of passengers becoming bored yet means that each aircraft should be relieved of something around half a ton. This leads to saving a significant amount of money on fuel costs. Indeed, the airline has blamed the rising cost of fuel for the drastic measures and expects to save something around $10 million on an annual basis. Rising sales of laptops and portable DVD players are expected to ensue.
The same airline has announced plans to charge passengers for drinks whilst on board. This may seem absolutely petty and ridiculous yet imagine the profit to be made if tea and coffee are sold for $1 and soft beverages for $2. Let’s not forget that people tend to get very thirsty when 30.000 ft in the air. US Airways are resorting to the tactics of budget airlines instead of simply adjusting their prices to compete with the market.
The latest trend is to abolish the in-flight magazine. This will come as a disappointment for many passengers yet besides saving a huge amount of paper it contributes to lowering the weight of the aircraft by a significant amount. Each seat shall be relieved of 2kg. Taking into consideration that the average aircraft weighs 500kg that is quite a saving. The in-flight magazine shall even be banished from the new Emirate A380 aircraft.
