Check-in on the airline industry

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Christian Noriega, of Hayward Calif., checks in at Philadelphia International Airport. Noriega said he spent about $163 to check three bags with American Airlines. (Matt Rourke, AP Photo)

Hour 1

Two new airline customer satisfaction surveys just came out and, surprise, the carriers don’t rank too high.  Passengers complained about high ticket prices, the extra fees, oversold flights, and generally bad customer service. This hour, we’ll check-in on the airline industry and talk about some possible mergers and the troubles facing regional routes.  We’ll also learn about new boarding policies (no families first anymore) and baggage fees (now some airlines are charging for carry-ons), and find out where the cheap tickets are.  Our guests are Wall Street Journal’s travel editor SCOTT MCCARTNEY who writes the paper’s Middle Seat Column and blogs at Middle Seat Terminal.  We’ll also get tips on the most efficient way to pack a carry-on from DOUG DYMENT, a travel speaker and the author of OneBag.com.

Listen to the mp3

Listen:
[audio: 062112_100630.mp3]

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