Passengers blamed for rising airline fees
The nation’s airlines, faced with possibly higher fuel costs and failed attempts to raise air fares, are looking for a predictable profit source: expect even more add-ons.
“Baggage fees are here to stay and they are only going to grow in importance for carriers,” said Jay Sorensen, who operates IdeaWorks, an airline consulting firm.
Sorensen said he also expects airlines to “tweak” baggage fees, with rates possibly being charged based on distance traveled.
Although consumers obviously haven’t been thrilled with the added charges, they haven’t been vocal in their opposition to the charges, giving airlines no motivation to reduce or eliminate the charges, Sorensen told the Business Journal of Milwaukee.
“There was a lack of consumer backlash,” he said. “Consumers begrudgingly accepted their fate.”
Airline baggage fee collections rose to $739.8 million in the third quarter of 2009, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The figure represented an increase of 111 percent over the same period in 2008, when baggage fees generated $350.1 million in revenue.
Airlines consider baggage fees the “holy grail of revenue treasure,” a report issued by IdeaWorks said.
The lone holdout on baggage fees has been Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, whose “bags fly free” advertisements have been running for months. The campaign “virtually assures (Southwest) will remain on the sidelines for some time,” according to the IdeaWorks report.
By David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025