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2008's Worst Domestic Airline Is...

As far as the passenger experience, we've had worse. But for ushering in the Year of Fees this May, the Worst Domestic Airline of 2008 is American Airlines.

Faced with rising fuel prices, American announced earlier this year it would begin charging $15 for passengers' first checked bags--just weeks after announcing the second checked bag would also carry a fee. It wasn't the start of the Fee-Based Arms Race, but transforming the act of checking a bag from an included right to a privileged "extra" opened the door to all sorts of bad behavior carrier-wide, from overhead-bin wars to charging for drinks. Passengers who hadn't traveled recently got a rude awakening this holiday season with their first dose of à la carte abuse. And when fuel prices dropped later in the year, the charges they supposedly triggered remained.

"This fee is going into the Airline Stupid Hall of Fame," Wired declared at the time American made its announcement, but maybe we're the stupid ones for continuing to fly with AA. Despite their strides in in-flight WiFi and cutting the fuel surcharges themselves, we regret feeding the monster. It remains to be seen, if 2009 becomes the year of the "naycation," into what honeypot the airlines will dip next to turn a profit.

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· Typical Travel: AA Baggage Snafu Totally Predictable [Jaunted]
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· American Airlines Takes On Additional Baggage [Wired.com]

[Photo: gadge]