A group of frequent travelers channeled their frustrations with airline fees into this open letter to the major airlines in the U.S.
Their bottom line: Fees used by the airline industry to generate profit have spiraled out of control!
In 2013 the airline industry in the U.S. banked record setting profits, the direct result of revenue generated from charging customers fees. This trend of "fees=profit" is expected to continue through 2014, all as customer satisfaction in the airline industry remains worse than any industry except cable TV and internet providers (corporate businesses which also use "fees" to bulk up bills).
Beleaguered travelers have traded the fear of flying for the fear of fees. Items and services, which used to be included in the price of an airline ticket have, year by year, been separated out of the fare price, and charged separately to generate new revenue streams. This phenomena has thus far been restricted to low-cost carriers around the world, and almost every airline operating out of North America. For the most part, major international carriers (which are universally lauded over their American counterparts) still operate without the specter of unending fees. Unfortunately these foreign flagged airlines are forbidden by U.S. law from operating routes domestically in competition with U.S. legacy carriers (a protectionist policy which has frequent travelers perplexed and irate).
Should consumers lend their voice to the chant, "Enough with Fees!" ? The reason airlines are addicted to them, is because flyers keep paying them. Money is the loudest voice of all.