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Starting next month, it's going to cost you an extra $5 if you call Northwest Airlines. If you book through any type of agency including Travelocity, Expedia you'll pay a $7.50 surcharge, and if you go to the airport to book a ticket with Northwest Airlines, the surcharge will be $10. Yep, they are actually going to penalize you for booking with them in person. How about the folks who do not have credit cards? They have no choice but to pay the additional money if they want a Northwest ticket.

Is this a bad thing for the consumer? You bet. There is some major spin happening on the reality of what this new and improved Northwest Airline fee is being called. A surcharge, I don’t think so. Clearly this is yet one more fare increase that is being raised up the flag pole.

Think about this...Last time you walked into a bank to deposit your paycheck, were you charged extra because you dealt with a person instead of an ATM?

When you bought a magazine at the bookstore, were you slapped with a "service fee" because you purchase from an employee instead of its Web site?

No, of course not.

This is not really a Travel agent (online or brick and motor) issue it is a consumer issue. To date other airlines are sitting back and watching. If other airlines follow suit on this then this is the tip of the iceberg.

The greed of the major carriers is out of control. While they continue to bloat their exec pay they are really screwing the little guy one more time.

Also I would really appreciate some assistance as to tracking down how much the Dems are getting from these yahoos at Northwest.

Northwest is requesting feedback in either of the below mentioned ways.

Please help me freep NW. bill.mellon@nwa.com or 701-420-6282 x3

Thanks for your support. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have about my request.

1 posted on 08/26/2004 1:38:45 PM PDT by travelagent
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To: travelagent

I'd assume that the market will solve any potential problems; people will simply switch to another carrier if it's cheaper to do so.


2 posted on 08/26/2004 1:40:31 PM PDT by NittanyLion
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To: travelagent

If you live in MSP or MEM, I feel for you. Otherwise, my advice is NEVER FLY NWA.


3 posted on 08/26/2004 1:40:47 PM PDT by Buck W. (The Berger archive scandal, aka the Folies Bergere! How apropos: It's French!)
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To: travelagent

So don't fly Northwest anymore.


4 posted on 08/26/2004 1:41:12 PM PDT by mcg1969
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To: travelagent

This reminds me of Nations Bank, which would only allow me free transactions (including DEPOSITS) at the bank's ATM. I played the game 'til the ATM failed to print a deposit slip, then went in, pitched a fit and closed my account.
Nations only lasted about 1 year in OKC, thank God.

I predict the same for Northwest. People are stupid but not that stupid.


5 posted on 08/26/2004 1:41:38 PM PDT by WestTexasWend
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To: travelagent
Think about this...Last time you walked into a bank to deposit your paycheck, were you charged extra because you dealt with a person instead of an ATM?

The answer to that is ...Yes.

Otherwise you got it

6 posted on 08/26/2004 1:41:41 PM PDT by Zavien Doombringer (I am not late for Zots, I have stealth Zot capability.....)
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To: travelagent
So what's your beef? Be a loyal NW customer and book on-line and recieve a benefit of not paying a surcharge.

Are you suggesting it's a bad thing to honor your most efficent booking process?
7 posted on 08/26/2004 1:42:03 PM PDT by Explodo
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To: travelagent
If you don't like it don't buy it.

I would like a big flat screen TV, but they are too expensive. But I don't waste my time telling the TV manufactuers how to price their product. It's none of my business.

9 posted on 08/26/2004 1:43:38 PM PDT by Voltage
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To: travelagent

It's called free market capitalism. They feel it is a good business decision to add these charges. It obviously makes you angry. So, I think you are taking the right course of action by letting them know how you feel. Only when they know how mad it makes the consumer will they change the policy. This translates to: When the new price affects demand, then the price will be adjusted to reflect demand. God bless America!


12 posted on 08/26/2004 1:46:15 PM PDT by SALChamps03
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To: travelagent
I wouldn't FReep NW about this.
Just book through another airline if the prices are compatible and tell them that you are booking through them BECAUSE NW is pulling this stunt.
14 posted on 08/26/2004 1:48:15 PM PDT by Just another Joe (Warning: FReeping can be addictive and helpful to your mental health)
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To: travelagent
The greed of the major carriers is out of control.

In case you hadn't noticed, the price of fuel has gone up more than 50% in the last 18 months. They need to cut costs or raise prices to keep up with reality.

While they continue to bloat their exec pay they are really screwing the little guy one more time.

In 2002 the CEO of Northwest made $750K. Last year he made $500K.

That's a 33% paycut.

15 posted on 08/26/2004 1:48:25 PM PDT by wideawake (God bless our brave soldiers and their Commander in Chief)
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To: travelagent
When you bought a magazine at the bookstore, were you slapped with a "service fee" because you purchase from an employee instead of its Web site?

Yes. I got charged an extra $5 the first (and last) time I paid my Sprint wireless bill in person.

16 posted on 08/26/2004 1:48:27 PM PDT by anonymous_user (If Kerry is the answer, it must be a very stupid question.)
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To: travelagent
A little travel agent personal interest at issue here? Why should I pay to support you if I can book direct and get a better deal? Life is tough for middle men all over, they produce nothing, manufacture nothing, grow nothing but want their cut. Go figure.

If you can show that you will provide a service that people consider worth the extra cost they will use your service. If not, they won't and should not be required to.

18 posted on 08/26/2004 1:50:05 PM PDT by Blue Screen of Death (/i)
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To: travelagent

Well, since I ALWAYS book directly on the airline sites, this won't affect me at all. I stopped using travel agents the time mine sent me to a hell-hole in the Caribbean, after she told me what a great place it was.

Since then, I just research and book my own travel, directly with the vendors. If I don't like their prices, I propose a cheaper rate via email. Works every time.

Sorry about your business, but there it is. It's so easy to book directly now that I can't imagine doing it any other way.


19 posted on 08/26/2004 1:51:05 PM PDT by MineralMan (godless atheist)
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To: travelagent
How about looking at it like this... NW is raising rates by $10.00 across the board. If you use a travel agent, you save $2.50. If you call NW directly, you save $5.00. If you book via NW's web site, you save $10.00. it's just a matter of perspective.

Last time you walked into a bank to deposit your paycheck, were you charged extra because you dealt with a person instead of an ATM?

Actually, with certain account types, this does happen.

20 posted on 08/26/2004 1:53:17 PM PDT by kevkrom (My handle is "kevkrom", and I approved this post.)
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To: travelagent
The best thing about the free market place, If it saves them money the company will prosper. If its doesn't I bet they change back.

If you are computer savvy enough to freep, you should be computer savvy enough to buy your ticket on-line.

22 posted on 08/26/2004 1:57:05 PM PDT by f zero
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To: travelagent
Northwest Airlines has lost it

.......and this is news????

25 posted on 08/26/2004 2:01:46 PM PDT by Southflanknorthpawsis
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To: travelagent

Your ox has been gored!


28 posted on 08/26/2004 2:07:09 PM PDT by verity (The Liberal Media is America's Enemy)
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To: travelagent
Sabre sues Northwest over new booking fees

By Joshua Freed

AP Business Writer

MINNEAPOLIS - Northwest Airlines Corp. and a major ticket distributor have filed dueling lawsuits over Northwest's new fees for customers and travel agents who don't buy tickets on Northwest Web sites.

The new fees, from $5 to $10, prompted an outcry from travel agents when Northwest announced them Tuesday. They also prompted an immediate lawsuit from Sabre Holdings Corp. -- a large distribution system used by travel agents.

But another Sabre move may sting Northwest quicker: Sabre said it would make Northwest fares less prominent in its displays, while charging the airline more. Southlake, Texas-based Sabre and other distributors usually list the fares of competing airlines from lowest to highest so travel agents can spot price differences.

Sabre's move brought a lawsuit from Northwest on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. The airline claims Sabre's retaliation breaches their July 2003 contract, which Northwest claims specifically prohibits Sabre's action.

"The bias they have imposed against Northwest flights are denying the flying public a fair and complete choice of both schedules and fares," Al Lenza, vice president of distribution and e-commerce, said in a statement.

Sabre spokesman Michael Berman said he had no comment on Northwest's lawsuit. Sabre's lawsuit alleges that the fees violate Northwest's commitment to sell tickets through Sabre at the same price the airline offers on its own Web sites. Northwest has said the fees are not a fare increase.

Beginning Sept. 1, Northwest will bill travel agents who use global distribution systems such as Sabre $7.50 of the average $12.50 cost charged by the distributor for each roundtrip domestic ticket.

Beginning Friday, Northwest also will charge $5 for each domestic ticket bought through Northwest reservations offices and $10 to buy a domestic ticket at airports in the United States and Canada. Customers and travel agents can avoid the fees by using Northwest Web sites.

Berman said travel agents will see the Sabre listing changes soon.

He said the change means Northwest flights might show up farther down in a list of available flights seen by travel agents, even if a low fare otherwise would have given Northwest a higher spot.

Northwest's lawsuit didn't surprise Richard Copland, president of the American Society of Travel Agents. But he said the suit won't be resolved soon enough to change anything in the near term. Northwest "could be in and out of bankruptcy five times before that lawsuit ends," he said.

Copland said Northwest's new fees, if followed by other airlines, could put distributors like Sabre out of business.

Also Wednesday, a new company announced that it had signed letters of intent with seven airlines to form what appears to be a new global distribution system.

Chicago-based G2 SwitchWorks Corp. said it had letters of intent from seven carriers, including Alaska Air Group Inc., Continental Airlines Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., Northwest, United Airlines' parent UAL Corp., and US Airways Group Inc. The seventh carrier was not named.

G2 said in a statement that it planned to offer a lower-priced way for airlines to distribute tickets through travel agents.

29 posted on 08/26/2004 2:21:48 PM PDT by Osage Orange (Not all of us are sheep.............................................................................)
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To: travelagent

My bank gives us a some free teller transactions a month (I think 4, maybe 6), everything after that gets a surcharge, anything purely electronic that doesn't require dealing with a person is free. You have to pay people salaries, that means from a business aspect anything that uses people costs more than anything that doesn't, eventually businesses get sick of eating those costs and pass them on to the consumer.


31 posted on 08/26/2004 2:32:07 PM PDT by discostu (That which does not make me stronger kills me)
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