Bidding to fly?

AIR TRAVEL:AIRLINE PASSENGERS could soon be asked to bid for their tickets in eBay-style auctions as carriers seek to boost profits.

Bmibaby manager director Julian Carr this week raised the prospect of auctions as a way to get “the highest price from every passenger”. Carr said he was considering two types of auctions: “Could we allow people to bid for the last few seats eBay-style? Or bid for seats on a specific day – and if it had not sold by that day, the passenger would get it for that price?”

The idea was tested on eBay two years ago by US carrier JetBlue, according to Travel Trade Gazette.It offered seats to specific destinations on specific dates, and some customers did pay more for their seats than they would have done through the airline's website, but it did not become a regular feature.

Carr also raised the prospect of variable fees for baggage so the charges could change in the same way that seat prices did.

He suggested airlines could also raise more money through baggage charges by lowering the fees, which would encourage more customers to put luggage in the hold.