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Excerpts from :
Online Ticketer Say We'd Pay For Airline Comfort
New York Post 03/17/2006
Copyright (c) 2006, N.Y.P. Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
March 17, 2006 -- Airline travelers are eager to shell out an extra $20 or more for their seats if they can avoid noisy
kids or get a roomier aisle spot, a new report says.
Passengers also would be willing to pay more for many other individual services, such ordering eats from a menu of
gourmet treats or being served a fine single-malt Scotch instead of routine hooch.
Cost-cutting on airlines has eliminated most amenities to provide economy fares, creating a huge pent-up demand for
creature comforts for the bored or harried airborne.
"We've discovered that more than half of the flying public would be willing to spend more for improving the
quality of their flights," said Nicole Lowe, spokeswoman for software firm Amadeus North America, which provides
airline booking and management technology.
For example, a seat next to a window could cost $5 more than a middle seat, or leg room for a 6-foot-5 passenger could
go for an added $20 or so, she said. Getting a guaranteed overhead storage bin above your specific seat could be gotten
for another few bucks.
"Many airlines haven't yet tapped into these new opportunities to increase their revenue of each flight,"
she said.