US Airways to Charge for Pillows and Blanket

US Airways New Gimmick

US Airways has announced it will charge $7 for a pillow and blanket beginning February 16th. The service will not be offered on US Airways Express flights, but can be purchased immediately on their website. In a recent BNET article, Barbara Hernandez commented on the subject. She incorrectly identifies US Airways charging for this service as an industry-first. JetBlue has been charging for a pillow and blanket set for some time now.

But we can understand her thought. JetBlue and US Airways have very different approaches to fee-based service. We’ve never made a secret of our preference of airline. Both airlines are experimenting with ancillary revenue. But their mentality on the subject is rather different. US Airways is approaching it from the fee side of things. JetBlue Airways is approaching it from a service point of view. Essentially, the items they stopped providing free are pillows, blankets, and headsets. All three, when provided free, are usually of poor quality.

US Airways new Power-Nap sack includes a fleece blanket that measures 34 inches by 60 inches; an inflatable neck pillow; eye shades; and foam earplugs. The items come in a dark-blue drawstring bag with a US Airways logo on it. JetBlue’s kit, by comparison, costs the same, $7, and is a plastic resealable bag, a blanket, and a travel pillow. Both come with a coupon, Jetblue’s is a $5 Bed Bath and Beyond coupon, US Airways a $10 Skymall coupon. Realistically, we think someone is much more likely to spend $5 at Bed Bath and Beyond than $10 at Skymall, more because Skymall sells more expensive items and Bed Bath and Beyond is a brick and mortar store. But that is a matter of preference. The US Airways packet looks to be nicer and more portable than the JetBlue one. Point in their favor.

Speaking realistically, the airline pillow and blanket were an elusive thing. Most planes did not have sufficient in stock to fuel demand, and that may continue into the new era where one must pay for them. We recall a conversation with an airline executive where they commented that they had sufficient pillows and blankets when the plane started the day, but the return flight to the plane’s overnight location never did. They were insufficiently cleaned as well. We have brought our own inflatable pillow in our carry-on for years.

Yet, despite all this, a poll last year indicated JetBlue’s pillow fee annoyed the travellers more than charging for non-alcoholic beverages. We continue to agree with some that airline passengers have a false sense of entitlement about what their ticket entitles them to. At bare minimum, we have always stated we’re feel we are entitled to, aside from the flight itself, a single piece of checked luggage not to exceed 50 pounds, a carry-on bag that can reasonably fit in the overhead bin, water, sanitary restroom facilities, and a seat mandated to be at minimum designed to fit the statistical norm for an adult male, to be reevaulated regularly.

US Airways lost our regular business when it decided to charge for water, and to lead the charge to find new things to charge for. At one point they even tried a convenience fee for booking on their own website. If they continue down the slippery slope they’ve been in, they won’t be attracting qualified and experienced captains like the one who recently averted an even larger disaster for the carrier.

As one blog put it, “Why let some good PR courtesy of a brilliant pilot help when you can charge $7 for a blanket and pillow to win over America?”

We should vote with our wallets, although this may have the effect of causing more movement in this fee-based direction, instead of halting its encroachment in areas it should not be.

Related articles

• US Air back to being Useless Air (americablog.com)
• US Airways To Charge For Pillows And Blankets (huffingtonpost.com)
• The Middle Seat Terminal: US Airways New Blanket Pack: Worth $7?