American Airlines New Fees for Blankets and Pillows

I am writing to you today about the new blanket and pillow fees that have been implemented on American Airline flights. I am a long time frequent flyer with American Airlines, and this new policy really got my attention. American has always stood for excellence in flight and this new policy is detrimental to American's image. I'm a Communication Studies major at California State University, Northridge and I analyze public relations moves like this all the time. The damage that will be caused by this new fee will far out weigh any gains. I've spoken to thousands of fellow frequent flyers over the years, and the reason they keep coming back to American is its efficient professional service. This new fee under minds that reputation and will result in customer lost.

This problem is caused by the recent shift in the industry to no thrill airlines. Jet Blue pioneered this with charging for anything extra on flights. This helped to keep their ticket prices low, and in turn affected the competition in the industry. Now I've watched as American has slowly become like Jet Blue first with new bag fees now with the pillow and blanket fee. This change to nickel and dime passengers will surely affect perception of the airline. As American looses its reputation as a first class airline others will surely fill the void. I'd rather fly United or Delta now as much as it pains me to say.

The solution for this problem is very simple. Do not nickel and dime your passenger instead just increase the fares. An eight dollar increase across the board for all tickets would create extra revenue without sacrificing American's reputation. An eight dollar increase would not be noticed by the public. What is noticed by the public are these ridiculous fees designed to make your trip less comfortable and more of a hassle. Flying is already a headache with security lines, but adding another barrier to flying will surely disfranchise many loyal customer including myself. I don't want to worry about having money for a blanket and pillow on the flight, if I did I'd fly Jet Blue. American needs to salvage its reputation fast before its relegated to the low budget carriers. Maintain the prestige that comes with one of the world's largest airlines. People including myself will pay a little extra for the flight to ensure a comfortable and hassle free travel experience.