American Airlines' 'Express Seat' outrage

In the escalating effort to squeeze more income out of each flight, American is charging up to $35 extra for front-row coach seats. Will anyone pay?

The Express Seat option allows those who are willing to pay to board early, sit up front, and get off the plane first.
(Image credit: Corbis)

American Airlines is offering coach-class passengers a chance to board early, sit up front, and get off the plane first — for a fee. The Express Seat option will be available on domestic journeys for $19 to $39 per flight to travelers who sign in at self-serve kiosks. Though American isn't the only airline that's looking for novel ways to charge more cash for "extras," will their passengers embrace this option, or rebel?

This will only peeve fliers: American thinks it's being smart, says Omri Ceren at Jaunted.com, but passengers are growing weary of "nickle-and-dime" add-on fees. They just make people feel exploited, and that's not how you create customer loyalty.

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