Jaunted

Paying for the Pleasure

4/06/2006 at 2:31 PM
Tags: Airline Analysis (all tags)

Airlines are always looking for new ways to separate you, a supple, helpless traveler, from your money. Some are sneaky and newfangled, like security fees and charging for snacks, while others are as old as time itself. That's right! Many of the major U.S. carriers have fare increases planned for this summer.

United, in response to surging fuel prices, announced they are increasing one way fares by as much as $50. Delta quickly followed suit, though the increase breaks their own promise to streamline fares and keep last-minute tickets under a self-imposed limit of $599.

American and Delta, meanwhile, will no longer absorb the security fee imposed on them by the TSA, instead passing it on to ticket holders. That will be a $9 increase round-trip. In effect, it's $9 to have surly high school graduates force you to remove your shoes before they fondle you. Lovely.

Northwest isn't concerned with TSA fees. Instead, they're expanding their $15 charge for aisle seats, previously limited to domestic flights, to planes flying to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. They expect to make $15 million in revenue from the program. It's not so bad, right? Just think of it as a height tax.

[Image via eye2eye/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   Northwest Expands Fee-Seat Offers [USAT]
·   Airlines Raise Fares to Counter Fuel Costs [WSJ]
·   We Wuz Robbed [Jaunted]