This summer, travelers will take to the skies and be greeted by the highest airfares since 2000 according to a recent Department of Transportation report. Many will attribute this to the much higher costs of fuel but they may not realize the numerous new ways that the airlines have found to tack additional fees onto the cost of a ticket.
Air travelers have gotten fairly used to paying for food on flights but the "fee-for-all formula" which has proven successful for European carriers is gaining favor with domestic carriers. What does this mean for your costs to travel, you may ask. With an airline such as Skybus, which offers fares as low as $10 each way, you will pay for virtually everything else. This includes $5 for the first two checked bags, $50 for a third bag, $10 for priority boarding and charges for food, drink, blankets and pillows.
Skybus is on the far end of the scale for this fee-for-all formula and many may feel that it is a fair tradeoff for a very low airfare, however, many other carriers have joined them in their own barely hidden additional charges. Fuller flights and fewer of them this year has led to carriers cracking down on the bags you take with you, not by disallowing them but by squeezing a few more dollars from you for them. Spirit Airlines has begun charging $10 for you to check a second bag and $100 for a third one while most other carriers are charging approximately $80 for a third checked bag.
Before you think you can beat that charge by packing more into your two checked bags, you had better drag out the scale. Most carriers allow each of your bags to weigh no more than 50 lbs and if you go over that they will charge $25 or more. Since last summer, some of the airlines including United, Northwest and Alaska, have begun charging an additional $2 for the convieniance of curbside checkin.
"Airlines are constantly in search of new revenue sources" according the Chris McGinnis, editor of The Ticket travel newsletter.
Some of the new sources noticed include having travelers paying for seat assignments and fees charged for not using the internet while booking a flight. AirTran Airways is considering fees for advance seat assignments and charging $10 to $15 for reserving premium seat such as exit rows. Northwest already charges $15 to reserve a prefered seat such as an exit row or aisle in coach and Southwest hasn't ruled out charging for that in the future. A reserved exit row seat on a Virgin Atlantic flight will set you back $75.
The fee-for-all formula also has led to America Airlines to charge $15 for a change in seat assignments unless you have booked your ticket on their Web site. Paper tickets will cost you anywhere from $75 at United, $50 at American, Northwest, Continental and US Airways, to $45 at Virgin Atlantic.
If you plan to call an airline to book a ticket, want to redeem your miles or stop by the airport counter you can expect to pay more. This coercive fee to keep you online is from $5 to $20 and includes $20 to reserve a ticket from United and Northwest at their ticket counters, $15 from United to do that by phone and Continental, United and American all charging $15 to reserve a ticket by phone using redeemed miles.
Lastly, for those eco friendly travelers who have taken their bicycles with them on trans Atlantic and trans Pacific flights for free in the past, in lieu of one checked bag, you will now be paying from $80 to $160 one way, upwards to $320 for roundtrip as of January 2007.
I have to wonder how far this fee-for-all formula will lead........ as far as charging a $5 fee for each use of the bathroom on board?
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