sandy_b

EricH,

I don't remember which airports, I travel a lot . . . 3-5 international trips/year and several domestic trips . . . but it has happened a lot. I do tend to favor 3rd-world destinations and that may be why.

Sandy (in Denton)

Jed

clarkgriswold <Next time one of their planes gets stuck out on the runway for 6 hours, it'll be fun to watch them try and charge people for water. >

As OP says, "US Airways says it will provide water and drinks for passengers in cases of medical emergency and during extensive delays."

BTW, how much has the last bottle of water that anyone bought at an airport store actually cost?

Andrew

A friend of mine recently took USAir across the country. She was unaware of the "no free water" policy and says they would take only cash on board - and she had none, only a credit card!!! They refused to give her any cold water - only some hot water they use for coffee and some ice. This for a 5-hour flight. What BS!!! How exactly does this endear people to want to fly USAir in the future?

Brian_in_Charlotte

I'm afraid your friend was pretty naive to think she could buy water from an FA using a credit card.

EricH

I think your friend was pretty irresponsible traveling with zero currency.

Andrew

Well, on Southwest Airlines and perhaps others, they ONLY accept credit cards and do not accept cash for alcoholic beverages, etc. I can see how someone who is used to flying Southwest would be surprised to need cash just get a cup of water!!! Also, realize that some people almost never use cash anymore, especially younger people. If you are at the airport, you can always go to the ATM if you need it; getting on a direct flight to your destination where someone is meeting you, there would seem no reason to have to have cash on an airplane.

Andrew

And it's not naive to assume that you could get a free cup of water on an airplane on a five-hour flight!!!

clarkgriswold

"Excuse me ma'am, but one of your passengers is lying on the floor near the rear of the plane, dying of thirst.".

"Is it that wacko without any cash? Nothing we can do, sorry."

MLTimes

Andrew,

I've done my fair share of cursing and complaining about the folks in Tempe, but I will defend them on this issue. USAir has made it very clear that beverages in domestic coach cost $2.00. This information is presented on their website and on posters and signs in concourses and around USAir gates before you get on the plane.

Complaining because someone didn't bother to find out USAir's policies about paying for amenities would be like me coming on Fodor's to rant that I didn't know I was supposed to check in 24 hours before my Southwest flight and therefore got stuck with a bad boarding number.

Andrew

No, MLTimes, I can't agree with you on this. I don't think an airline should charge for a cup of water, period. The reason my friend didn't check USAir's policy on water is that it never occurred to her that she wouldn't be free, I guess. And I can't blame her. It's like checking to make sure you have to pay extra to sit down on a flight instead of needing to stand - who would think to check that?

Shoot, even no-frills easyJet (Europe) gave me a free cup of water when I last flew them, and they charge for pretty much everything else. I think it's an incredibly stupid policy on USAir's part to charge for water AND soft drinks, too, though at least they can make a case for charging for soft drinks. A cup of water costs them about nothing, maybe 1 cent for the cup, and since flying dehydrates you, there should not be a charge for it.

I wonder how many people get dehydrated on USAir flights? Someday, someone's going to pass out and force USAir to make an emergency landing or something - you just watch. But in general it makes the airline look cheap.

WhereAreWe

Andrew- they are charging for bottled water. You keep saying they shouldn't charge for a cup - well, they're not. They don't give out cups of water. Wouldn't make any sense to give away cups of water and charge for a bottle - kind of like it wouldn't make sense to give away a cup of soda and charge for a can.

suze

This is not new news. Yes that's happening on many airlines. No need to freak out. Just buy yourself a bottle of water after security before boarding the plane, except in certain places like Mexico and South America where they won't even let you take that aboard.

Go crazy and buy a sandwich &/or bag of nuts in case there's no food, or pay-for only food.

It's truly no big deal when you know that's what to expect. Just the way things are with air travel these days.

suze

ooops, how'd this old thread get topped.

no wonder it's not new news... it's a post from last summer!

Gretchen

I believe they would give you a cup of water. I take an empty water bottle and fill it after security.

Brian_in_Charlotte

My apologies Andrew. I misread your post to say that your friend was "aware" of the no free water policy. That is more understandable.

clarkgriswold

They should just up the airfare from $340 to $342 and include the water or soft drinks. Dealing with the cash, and accounting for it, reconciling, making change, it's all a waste of time....it's not worth the hassle. Airlines are always telling us "a flight attendant is not there to wait on you! Their main function is security and safety!". But then they turn around and make them into 2 dollar soft-drink waiters/waitresses.

WhereAreWe

"it's all a waste of time....it's not worth the hassle"

Obviously it is worth it to the airline or they wouldn't be doing it. The average traveller is price sensitive when it comes to airfares so raising airfare across the board would cost them some business.

I don't think turning FAs from 2 dollar soda waiters/waitresses into free soda waiters/waitresses is going to free up a whole lot of their time and make the flight safer and more secure.

How hard is it to bring your own water or soda on the plane? The people who are complaining their water was confiscated before boarding were flying internationally, and as clearly stated in the OP, international flights are exempt from the $2 charge for beverages. Much ado (and drama) about nothing. Seriously, passengers passing out and dying from thirst?

rkkwan

Just want to mention to some of you that Continental not only offers free non-alcoholic beverages, but also free food for many of its longer domestic flights at meal time.

So, you do have a choice.

Andrew

WhereAreWe: How hard is it to bring your own water or soda on the plane?

Well, it's not, but you have to buy it inside security. Can you even buy cans of soda in the stores by the gates? And how will you keep them cold for a 5-hour flight?

But why should I have to bring my own water? In the US, water is universally free. Free at restaurants, free at Starbucks. Free on most airlines. Just not on US Air.

Seriously, passengers passing out and dying from thirst?

People can get dehydrated over time, perhaps after they've gotten off the flight. So how do you know? I'm guessing most people unlike my friend can at least find $2 in cash for a water if they are dying of thirst - but it seems incredibly cheap, like a restaurant charging you for tap water. I mean, they could just raise the price of the entrees $2 I suppose...

WhereAreWe

"People can get dehydrated over time, perhaps after they've gotten off the flight. So how do you know?"

I don't know. But I'm not the person who claims people are dying of thirst or passing out on the flight - how do you know?

"but it seems incredibly cheap, like a restaurant charging you for tap water"

You seem unable to comprehend the difference between a bottle of water and tap water. Nobody is charging for tap water, not US Airways and not any restaurant I've heard of. Bottled water is not free.

You are right, tap water is universally free in the U.S. That's why it's so silly to complain about this charge when you could just bring an empty bottle and fill it before getting on the flight, for free. Guess some people just want to complain about anything.