Flight ceiling
Rising fuel costs, fees hitting passengers in the pocketbook
Here's how it breaks down for a family of four
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
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Planning your family vacation for the summer? Haven't flown in a few years? Be prepared for sticker shock.
The cost of air travel has risen substantially in the past few years, with fares increasing steadily and, more recently, airlines slapping fees on various services that were free.
In-flight food, checking multiple bags, flying standby, traveling with overweight luggage, and even sitting in an aisle seat or an exit row now cost extra on many carriers, including American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and others.
Even low-fare carrier Southwest Airlines, which is renowned for its stance against extra fees, has begun charging to check a third bag and recently began selling energy drinks during flights.
The fees can surprise those who haven't flown in a while.
"Most consumers aren't aware of them until they show up at the airport," said Brent Bowen, a professor at the Aviation Institute at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and co-author of the annual Airline Quality Rating survey. "That's the real problem."
The Star-Telegram took a nonscientific look at how a host of fees charged by various airlines could affect the travel costs for a family of four flying from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport to Orlando in late July. Compared with 2006, our imaginary family faced additional costs as high as $502, an increase of almost 35 percent of the total cost of the trip. The extra expense came from higher fares combined with charges for luggage, curbside check-in, in-flight food and a reserved aisle seat.
While most travelers won't have to pay every extra charge, and cheap fares are still available in many cases, it's clear that most consumers should expect to shell out more cash to fly this summer.
And people are still flying, despite the higher fares and the fees. A study from the online travel agent Travelocity, based in Southlake, showed that despite the record high fares, there are no big indicators of a summer slowdown.
"People are still flying," Bowen said. "But at some point, the consumer hits a breaking point, and the only real question is when."
FARES
The best available nonstop round-trip fare listed recently for a late July flight from D/FW to Orlando is $413 per person on Continental Airlines, or $1,652 for our family of four. According to Travelocity, fares have increased 15 percent since 2006, so it can be estimated that our travelers could have gotten tickets at about $360 per person two years ago.
Additional cost: $212
LUGGAGE
Let's say our four travelers have six bags among them, which means two of them will have to pay $25 apiece on most airlines, including American, Continental, Delta and others, to check two bags per passenger. We'll also assume that one bag was packed a little too heavy and the family was charged the $50 fee for checking an overweight bag. Airlines have long had overweight fees on the books, but only in recent years have they been cracking down with fees.
Additional cost*: $200
CHECK-IN
Our family wants to check its bags at curbside, which today costs them $2 per bag on many carriers, including American.
Additional cost: $24
IN-FLIGHT FOOD
Airlines long ago removed most complimentary food from domestic flights, and today, many carriers -- including United Airlines, American and Delta -- offer snacks and sandwiches for sale. Our family purchased two sandwiches, at $6 each, and two snack boxes, at $3 each, during both flights.
Additional cost: $36
PREFERRED SEATING
A few airlines, such as US Airways, have begun charging a premium, from $5 to $30 each way, to reserve aisle or window seats in the front of the coach cabin. JetBlue Airways offers seats with an additional 4 inches of legroom for $10 to $20 each way, while Northwest charges from $5 to $35 for some roomier coach seats. (American has no charge for premium coach seating.) We'll say the family has a tall parent who is willing to pay $15 on each flight for an aisle seat.
Additional cost: $30
Total extra costs: $502
* Costs are for both the departing and returning flight.
TREBOR BANSTETTER, 817-390-7064
