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Airlines Make a Money Grab
The Travel Tightwad · September 6, 2002

Sigmund Freud once said that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Fortunately the good doctor never had to fly, because if he did, he'd discover that sometimes an airline ticket isn't just an airline ticket.

It's no joke. You can pay good money for a flight, only to get charged extra for everything from a scheduling change to a luggage fee. And thanks to the tailspin that the airline industry finds itself in today, these fees are multiplying with alarming speed.

Northwest Airlines refers to its efforts to nickel and dime passengers as stopping "revenue leakage." Alaska Airlines recently held a contest to see which employees showed the highest percentage increase in fee collections. Other airlines are quietly following the herd in an effort to shore up their disastrous bottom line. Most of the fees aren't new; it's the enforcement of the fees that's getting stricter.

Gayle Miller discovered that her ticket didn't include the cost of sending luggage on a recent flight from Chicago to Las Vegas. "The five of us had checked three bags," remembers the Ann Arbor, Mich., pharmacist. "Then the gate agent requested a tape measure because she was sure one checked bag was too big. Sure enough, we were charged $75. We've traveled with that bag for six years and never had to pay for it."

In addition to being more vigilant about imposing excess baggage fees, carriers such as American Airlines have raised the cost of carrying luggage. American passengers now pay $80 for baggage that's too big. Delta Air Lines also began charging $40 for passengers checking a third bag.

There are new surcharges, too. Steve Lancaster, an engineer based in Houston, discovered that Continental Airlines had begun charging for alcoholic beverages in economy class-even on overseas flights. "It was totally unannounced beforehand on a flight to China, and definitely not welcome," he says. Continental's move may be good news to the traveling teetotalers, but for those of us who like to take the edge off with a drink, it's no fun.

Is there a way around the airline surcharges? Sure.

Problem: Excess luggage fees.

Solution: Pack light. Weight restrictions are listed on your airlines' Web site.

Problem: Charge for alcoholic beverages.

Solution: Hit the bar before boarding if you have to. Better yet, stay sober.

Problem: No flexibility on change fees.

Solution: Often, buying a new ticket costs less than the $100 change fee.

Problem: Ticketing fees for frequent flier award seats.

Solution: Either book earlier (many such fees are designated as "expedite" fees) or become an elite-level frequent flier. Platinum cardholders often get the fees waived.

Problem: Fuel surcharge and taxes.

Solution: None.

You get the idea. These nuisance fees demand outside-the-box thinking. In a post-September 11 world in which the entire airline industry has been turned on its head, you can't rely on a conventional solution. It all kind of reminds me of the René Magritte painting of a pipe that declares, "This is Not a Pipe" ("Ceci N'est Pas Une Pipe"). The airline ticket you are holding isn't really an airline ticket.

Or, to paraphrase Freud, sometimes a cigar isn't a cigar.

Christopher Elliott is a travel commentator based in Key Largo, Fla. All e-mailed questions may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion.