Nickel and Dime Airline Dance
Rachel Wimberly -- Tradeshow Week, 6/30/2008
It's gotten to the point where even setting foot on a plane and breathing in the cabin air might just cost you a few bucks these days.
The first indication of things to come actually happened a while ago when airlines stopped offering free food even on transcontinental flights – except maybe little bags of peanuts or pretzels.
After Sept. 11, airlines struggled mightily and hadn't even come close to recovering when, more recently, the escalating price of oil hit their pocketbooks.
As a result, not only has the price of a ticket to just about anywhere gone up, but also it now seems people are getting charged for all the things that used to be gratis.
The Baltimore Sun recently ran an article that broke down what each airline was charging. Booze, as always, isn't free, but now carriers such as American Airlines and AirTran Airways want as much as $6, while Southwest Airlines still charges the least at $4.
Snack boxes and sandwiches range from $3 to $8 on most airlines, except Southwest and AirTran, which don't offer them at all.
American Airlines led the new trend of charging $15 for the first checked bag, and then United Airlines and US Airways quickly jumped on board and did the same thing. Checking two bags gets steeper on even more airlines with an additional $25 fee, though Southwest doesn't start charging until the third bag.
There's also a premium on space. Want some more room to stretch your legs? AirTran and Northwest Airlines ask an additional fee – between $5 and $35 – for an exit row. Hoping to see some sights from high above? US Airways makes you pay extra for a window seat.
Other costs include headphones, in-flight entertainment and curbside check-in. But, by far, what costs the most are children and pets. A small pet inside the cabin within North America costs $100 on Delta, US Airways and United, and an unaccompanied child will set someone back another $100 on Delta and US Airways.
