Airline Fees, Consumer Reports

In this report: Overview; June 2011 Ratings; How to land the best fare; Should you trade your miles; Airline fees; Don't let flying make you sick; 4 ways to get the most from your miles now; How to choose the right airport; How to file a complaint against an airline

Carriers continue to squeeze with fees

Last reviewed: June 2011

This article appeared in
June 2011 Consumer Reports Magazine.

Illustration of passengers on a plane with dollar denominations underneath the TVs

Illustration by David Senior

Higher fees have become a common way for some airlines to squeeze a little more money out of their passengers, while keeping their advertised airfares competitive. The industry's baggage fee revenue alone jumped more than 22 percent between the third quarter of 2009 and the same period in 2010, from $740 million to $906 million, according to the Department of Transportation.

But the airlines may be pressing their luck. Forty percent of our survey respondents who said they're flying less these days gave increased fees as the major reason—far more than those who blamed flight delays, poor service, or any other annoyance. And according to our survey analysts, paying fewer additional fees generally translated into higher overall satisfaction with an airline.

We asked our survey respondents whether they had paid extra for any of a long list of services that once were free, including checked bags, in-flight snacks and meals, and small comforts such as pillows and blankets. Forty-five percent of respondents who checked a bag said that they had paid for the privilege, while 21 percent paid for snacks or meals and 6 percent for a pillow or blanket.

Unpleasant surprises

Although fees are increasingly common, they aren't always disclosed to passengers at the time of booking, according to a report in 2010 by the Government Accountability Office. Forty-one percent of our survey respondents who paid extra to check a bag that had been deemed overweight by the airline told us that the added fee came as a surprise. And 22 percent of respondents were surprised by fees for their carry-on baggage. In addition to being a hassle, unexpected fees can make it difficult for consumers to compare the true costs of flying on various airlines.

As with overall satisfaction, airlines differ widely in how likely they are to saddle you with extra fees. For example, 93 percent of the Southwest passengers we surveyed had avoided all of the fees we asked about. But 43 percent of AirTran passengers reported paying one fee on our list, 21 percent paid two, and 3 percent, three or more fees. The table below shows what we found.