London - Managed to get a great deal on cheap flights? Your bargain tickets could still be coming at a price.
Major airlines have brought in a lower class – known privately in the industry as “last class” – for their worst seats.
Passengers can expect to find themselves squashed closer together, unable to change flights without high fees and even charged extra for sitting next to the window.
The new class has been brought in to challenge no-frills airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet, industry experts say.
And, while the term “last class” is not official, analysts say it is being used informally to refer to seats worse than those in economy.
Passengers with these tickets often cannot make changes, get a refund or choose seats in advance.
Among the seats likely to be in last class are those at the back of the plane, which are often noisier, or next to the toilet, so the aisle fills up with queuing passengers.
That is the payoff for the lower cost, according to Phil Derner Jr, of industry news site NYCAviation.
He said: “Last class exists because the airlines are a business. The airlines that really need to meet their bottom line in a big way are going to push the limits of what they can get away with.
“People think that airlines are making money hand over fist but the opposite is the case. They may make a £200-million profit but that is not a lot of money when you consider how much money they have to spend.
“They are doing okay at the moment because of the low cost of oil but you have 15 years of downturn in the industry which made them look at their costs and find ways to pass on their costs.”
He said airlines would always appeal to the “lowest common denominator” and some seats were “not much more than a park bench”, while US airline Frontier was even charging for window seats in last class. Mr Derner said other last-class seats might include those that do not recline.
Passengers can also expect to be given a number to call if there is a problem with their flight, rather than helped to re-book. And they can even be given completely separate helplines to those who have paid more.
Fees to change last-class tickets will be very high, typically £100 (about R2 300) or more, with add-on fees for everything from checked-in baggage to on-board food. Passengers in last class felt ‘abused by an underpaid cabin crew’, USA Today reported.
In the UK British Airways offers a service for passengers with hand baggage only. And in the US American Airlines recently said it will offer tickets with “less frills” but at a far cheaper price.
Delta Air Lines already offers a “basic” economy class ticket, with no refunds or upgrades. Mr Derner said airlines will not change unless customers voted with their wallets. He said: “If you don’t like it, then don’t fly with them.”
Daily Mail