Michael Hiltzik’s tells us in his column in the Los Angeles Times what he is thinking about airline fees. I would guess that most airline customers would agree … American’s bright new idea is to charge coach passengers extra for a seat in the first few rows of the cabin, the idea being that these are [...]

McCartney, The Middle Seat columnist at The Wall Street Journal askes “can the government require airlines to bake in options to ticket prices? If customers want Wi-Fi service or a sandwich and beer, they understand there will likely be an added fee. If you want to upgrade to first class and don’t have elite status that gets [...]

US-based The Consumer Travel Alliance (CTA) has found that hidden fees charged by airlines on popular routes can increase the base cost of an airline ticket by an average of 54 percent for a typical traveller with two checked bags and extra legroom, or by an average of 26 percent for a comparable one-bag traveller. [...]

Only days after federal officials announced that the nation’s airlines had collected 33% more revenue this year from checked luggage fees, UPS offered its alternative to the hassle and expense of lugging a suitcase through an airport. The world’s largest package delivery service announced last week that it was selling specially designed boxes that resemble [...]

In airline industry parlance, the practice of charging separate fees for extra services and products – such as blankets and pillows – is called unbundling. It’s the equivalent of ordering off an a la carte menu. American Airlines recently became one of the first U.S. carriers to rebundle some of those extras. Think of it [...]

While airlines advertise their base prices openly, the actual cost of your flight is often secret until you finish the booking process — and sometimes you don’t find out until you arrive at the airport, leaving you, the traveler, confused, angry, and unexpectedly reaching for your credit card so that you can actually get on [...]

Over the past few years, airlines have rushed to add bag fees as quickly as they could — and then just as quickly raised them higher. The logic? People are willing to pay bag fees, but they won’t pay higher ticket prices. While that’s true, calling bag fees an unqualified success is a huge mistake. [...]

Something in the airline biz just doesn’t add up. As one discerning flier noticed, there’s a big gap between the fees a passenger is charged when he or she changes a flight and the amount airlines hand out in compensation when they change flights on you — and the difference costs you. Read more on [...]

American Airlines will start charging passengers to fly stand-by. Previously if a passenger got to the airport early and there was another flight leaving, they could catch the earlier flight for no additional charge. Any ticket bought after February 21st, passengers will have to pay an additional $50 to fly stand-by. However, American Airlines states [...]

Beginning May 1, a pillow and blanket will run you $8 in coach for domestic flights and international flights longer than two hours to most destinations in North and South America. Maybe a little good news: According to Business Insider, the blanket may actually be a step up from the ratty things we’ve become used [...]

The move by U.S. airlines to charge extra for services that used to be included in ticket prices is just beginning, and will grow to include more European and Asian carriers, according to research from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), an aviation consultancy based in Australia. “We are just at the start of [...]

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said it may ask passengers to pay extra for a second piece of luggage following a similar move by major international carriers, UAE daily Gulf News reported . “A number of U.S. and European airlines are charging passengers for the second piece of baggage. I expect to see a similar move [...]