Airlines, as a whole, collected the $7.8 billion in fees in 2009. Delta Airlines was the reported leader of the pack with $1.65 billion in fees, but that just may be a factor if its size rather than the amount or types of fees they charge.
Despite how we, the traveling public, may feel about the fees, I doubt that the fees are going to disappear any time soon. I read a report, I don’t remember where, that argued that the fees are not new revenue for the airlines. That report said that this fee revenue would have just been collected in the bundled fares, without the hit to customer service. I don’t know that I agree with that report, but I also can’t recall where I saw it to link to it.
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Photo Credit: Bunchofpants
What kind of fees are airlines charging now?
- Checked bag fees
- Telephone reservation fees
- Change of flight fees
- Pet travel
- Mileage redemption fees
- Premium seating fees
- Carry on luggage fees (new for 2010)
- On board meals and drinks
- Unaccompanied minor
The above list does not include all of the fees airlines charge, they are just the ones I could think of today.
Which fee produces the largest revenue?
In the last 3 months of 2009, the biggest revenue from fees came from checked bag fees. Out of the total $1.9 billion collected in fees in that time frame, checked baggage fees accounted for $738 million of it.
Which airlines made the most money from fees?
- Delta
- American
- US Airways
- Southwest Airlines
- Northwest
- United
- Continental
- Airtran
- JetBlue
- Alaska
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Interestingly, Delta collected more fee revenue than the bottom 5 airlines combined. In case you’re wondering, Spirit Airlines did not crack the top 10.
Looks like these fees that originated when oil prices were in the $140+ range are here to stay.
(USA Today)
