So here’s the deal. Northwest Airlines now charges for everything on its flights except for soft drinks. That’s right – even the teeny tiny bag of snacks (trail mix, in this case) costs $1.
I’m not a big fan of this idea. I mean, I know the airlines are broke and losing money and all that, but charging for trail mix? I’ve got a better idea: in-flight gambling.
Think about it. It’s about 25 minutes into your flight (which means you’re still sitting on the runway waiting to take off.) As on a Frontier Airlines flight, you’ve got a TV in front of you. So you press the “Gamble Now!” button and swipe your credit card. Suddenly, you’re pulling the handle of a virtual slot machine. Darn it – lost. But you can play again and again, or during the whole flight if you wish.
Or how about we make competitive gaming with other passengers on the flight? I can play poker about as well as a fish, so I’ll try it against the guy in 13A, the women in 22B and 22C, and the pilot. (Just kidding! The pilot prefers to play blackjack while he’s flying.) And you know what? Northwest is the real winner here. They’ll get to make a ton of cash on every flight, and people can work towards a really big prize.
A bag of trail mix.
Posted in Consumer Commentary