Here’s my thinking: airlines have steadily reduced their prices by removing things people won’t usually pay for (and don’t value). When it comes to service in the event of a flight delay, most people didn’t care. At least, not in the past. It was uncommon, and most travelers arrived at their destinations on time. It was an easy service to cut, and airlines could continue to drop fares.

Two things have happened: more people are flying and delays have gone up. Now that more people have experienced flight delays, I actually think that people are willing to pay for better service.

So I guess I’m saying that we don’t really pay for service with a smile. It’s just that in the past we didn’t care.

When I buy a ticket, there is a reasonable expectation that the times listed on the ticket that I purchase are the times that i will depart and arrive. I’ll give 30 minutes either way but I should not have to pay extra for something they are already advertising as part of the original purchase.

On a whole though, I would pay extra to bring the services back to how it was in the past. Airlines were not cattle moving entities, they were luxury travel options that included bigger seats, wider isles, and more included services such as actual customer service. Hell if I could just use my first class miles to actually get a first class or business seat, I’d be happy.

The question is, how much extra is this guarantee worth. Like you, I probably wouldn’t be willing to pay more than $20 or $30 extra even though it could cost the airline much more.