"The day is coming when there will be no more advance seat assignments without paying a fee," he said. The airlines are gradually reducing the number of nonpreferential seats passengers can reserve in advance without paying a fee, said Rob Elking, owner of Grandview Travel. "The airlines realized because of passenger psychology they could get better revenue per passenger through an a la carte policy," said Vinay Bhaskara, a senior analyst with Airways News. Not all travelers are savvy, and many focus only on the cost of a ticket when they shop online and click on the lowest price. "This is how we differentiate ourselves from the other carriers." "We absolutely try and let people know this," Landson said. Southwest spends millions to advertise this fact.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES BAGGAGE FEES 2015 FREE
"Seasoned travelers know that they may not necessarily offer the lowest airfare, but are often cheaper when you factor the free bags and change fees in," Reynolds said. Southwest started out as a low-cost operator, but now its fares are in line with what the other carriers charge. "Our customers hate being nickeled and dimed," said Southwest spokesman Dan Landson, adding that not charging for these services is a big part of the company's business plan and marketing efforts.
Southwest Airlines is the only major airline that does not charge a fee for a passenger's first two checked bags or for changing a reservation. The statistics bureau does not track fees airlines charge for early boarding or for "preferred" seating. "Maybe that costs them $50 and then they put $150 in their pocket." He questioned the industry standard of $200 to change a reservation. "They (airlines) may make more off of you in incremental charges than from the airfare charge," said Ike Reynolds of Reynolds Travel in Columbus. Numbers for the first three quarters of 2014 indicate that fees, however, will rise only moderately when last year's picture is complete. He expects overall fee numbers to keep rising.īaggage fees have taken the biggest jump, rising to $3.4 billion in 2013, up from $464 million in 2007.Ĭhange and cancellation fees hit a combined $2.8 billion in 2013, up from $915 million in 2007. "We mere mortals can't think of all the new fees they're going to dream up," said Michael Boyd of the Boyd Group, an aviation-consulting firm in Evergreen, Colo. Not only are fees on the rise, but airlines also are gradually introducing new fees that will bring in even more billions, such as charges for early boarding and "preferred" seating, which usually means an aisle or window seat in the front half of the cabin, or a seat with extra leg room. Over that same period, airline passenger numbers declined by 10 million, as the industry was still trying to get back to its pre-recession numbers.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES BAGGAGE FEES 2015 FULL
In 2013, the last full year available to add up all of the costs, airlines charged $6.2 billion in combined baggage fees and change and cancellation fees, more than four times the $1.4 billion in total fees that were levied in 2007, the first year the Bureau of Transportation Statistics started tracking such numbers. Without a doubt, airlines are charging fees at a much higher rate than before. "They're just trying to get as much money out of us as they can." "It seems like they don't cut anyone a break," Manning said. The surgery was delayed a week, and Manning changed her reservation.
The 70-year-old Chillicothe resident had a reservation on US Airways to fly from Port Columbus to Norfolk, Va., to be with her brother-in-law, who was scheduled for surgery related to lung cancer. Those days are long gone, as MaryAnn Manning learned recently. There were no extra charges for checking your bags, changing the departure date or for early boarding. There was a time when the price you paid for an airline ticket was simply what it cost to fly from Point A to Point B.
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