Airlines, Fees | featured news

It used to be that the money you were charged for a seat in basic coach was called a fare. But in our age of nickle-and-dime airline fees, even the most trivial parts of the flight experience are up for grabs.

Fresh on the heels of one budget airline announcing that it will ask passengers to pay extra to bring carry-on bags on board, another is considering charging them for using the lavatory.

American Airlines said Monday it is raising its fees on checked bags for passengers buying tickets starting Feb. 1. The company said it is raising the charge for the first checked bag to $25 from $20 on flights in the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S.

British Airways says it will allow passengers to choose seats up to 355 days before flying -- for a fee.

Continental Airlines posted a big loss for the second quarter as traffic fell, and the carrier says it will cost 1,700 jobs and raise the fee for checking luggage.

Up until now, airline workers routinely waved passengers with too much luggage through, hoping to avoid a confrontation. Now that baggage fees are generating serious money, however, the carriers are less likely to let the surplus bags slide.

Many fliers are frustrated when confronted with an ever-expanding array of fees for services that once were included in the price ...

Delta, after a dismal first quarter, announces the fee, expected to bring in more than $100 million annually.