American Airlines Bumps Cost of Amenities

I overheard an interesting conversation during a

Superbowl party last weekend.  Some

teenage kids were there and after seeing a cell-phone commercial featuring Eric

Clapton, they started talking.  The first

said, “Who’s that dude?  Some famous

singer?”  Another said, “Yea, he’s the

guitar player from a band called the Yardbirds.”  Another said, “Wait, that’s not where he got

his start though, he played for Blind Faith, right?  Or Cream, right?”  “No,” yet another kid said, “You’re all

wrong, that dude was the lead singer for Dire Straights.  I think “Money for Nothing” was his first

real hit.”  I sighed, deeply, and finally

told them, “That’s Eric Clapton.  He

formed a band in 1970 called Derek and the Dominos and he wrote and performed

Layla, which is easily one of the most popular rock songs ever played,

performed, and/or sold.”  The all looked

at me like I was crazy.  Punks…

I’m

starting to feel old.  At breakfast with

some fellow travelers today, my co-worker Aaron was reading the paper and he

remarked, “Hey, American Airlines is going to start charging $8 for a

blanket!”  He also said, “Wow, I remember

when they were only two dollars.”  “Good

grief,”  I replied, “Gentlemen, I

remember when blankets, pillows, snacks, full meals, and unlimited checked

baggage was all free.  In fact, every

single seat on the plane had a sanitized pillow and blanket waiting for you

when you sat down!”  They all looked at

me like I was ancient.  Donna said, “I

bet you walked uphill, barefooted in the snow, to get to the airport,

too!”  They’re all comedians.

In

all seriousness, American Airlines is raising the cost of their blankets to

$8.  Cruel?  No, I won’t call them “cruel” until they drop

the temperature of the cabin to 58 degrees before walking down the aisle

waiving blankets and collecting $40 to provide warmth for families of

five.  For your $8 you will get a new,

clean, fleece blanket along with an inflatable pillow and, for a limited time,

a coupon worth $10 to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. 

Such a deal…

Personally,

I can’t imagine paying for a blanket on the plane, let alone $8 for one.  It’s much simpler to wear a light jacket when

you travel, one that you can crush or fold down and stow in a side pocket

somewhere when you don’t need it.  If you

like something “snuggly” to help you sleep, I recommend a Nap brand “Cuddle Blanket.”  It’s made of micro-fleece, packs down to

almost nothing, and it’s a comparatively good bargain at $39.95.  Most airports have a Brookstone store and can

pick up this blanket in time for your next trip.  Take three round trips on American and you

will come out ahead!

EXTRA: If

you have questions for Ken regarding business travel, hotels, airplanes, etc,

please call 1-877-49-EXPERT.  Your questions will be recorded and Ken will

answer the best ones in his Ask

the Expert podcast show.