This never would have happened with Eastern Airlines.

Or, depends on the definition of classy:

This morning, US Airways began charging fliers $2 for bottled water and sodas and $1 for teas and coffees. First class members, trans-Atlantic passengers and a select group of others are exempt from the extra fees.
[...]
US Airways says it will provide water and drinks for passengers in cases of medical emergency and during extensive delays. If a desperately thirsty passenger does forget a few extra dollars, US Airways spokesman Morgan Durrant says flight attendants will likely “err on the side of the customer” and give him or her water. After all, the airline wouldn’t want its customers drinking tap water from the aircraft bathroom. That water is safe to drink, just not very palatable, according to Durrant.

“Frankly, that’s just not classy,” he says.

I fly a lot more than the average person, and living in the Bay Area with friends and family on the east coast means flying US Airways a lot. I don’t mind them charging for drinks for two reasons:

1) I have preferred status on US Airways, so I don’t have to pay anyway.
2) I find it silly that beverages are offered at all when the average flight is less than two hours long. There’s nothing more ridiculous than watching flight attendants rush out the cart on the 45-minute flight from SFO to Burbank.

But the bit that I can’t figure out about selling water or charging for checked bags is the explanation most often given by the airlines: Their inability to pass rising fuel costs on to customers through ticket prices. Up until a year ago I was able to fly nonstop SFO-PIT or SFO-PHL for about $300. The same seats now run double that. If the airlines are able to double their prices, shouldn’t they be able to price in a few more dollars so that Morgan Durrant wouldn’t be forced to make such a complete buffoon of himself?