New Airline Fee: Holiday Surcharge

Bag charges.  Fuel surcharges.  Airport fees.  Fees for premium seats in the cabin.  Fees for overweight bags.  Fees for security charges.  Fees for food, pillows and blankets, and other inflight amenities.  And we haven’t even gotten to the taxes yet.  Is it any wonder that what starts out as an inexpensive airline ticket quickly creeps up to a pretty expensive charge?

Now, word is out about a holiday fee.  That’s right, Delta, American, United and US Airways have added on a $10 surcharge to fares on the weekends after Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.  The fares for that time already priced higher to start with (don’t believe me, try searching), and now we have a fee on top of the fare simply for traveling.  The fee applies to most ticked purchased for travel on November 29th, January 2nd and January 3rd, the traditionally busiest travel days of the year.

While airlines may be able to make an argument that the other fees are going to offset charges that they have to absorb (OK, the argument might be a stretch, but at least it’s there), there is no legitimate arguments other than greed that supports this holiday fee.  Simply put, the airlines know that people will be traveling, and they’re going to make a grab for as much additional money as they can get. 

I’m not a fan of a la carte airline pricing to start with, so this fee truly galls me.  Anyone else outraged, or is it just me?

Photo credit: SXC