Dick Uliano, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – The airlines keep coming up with new fees to charge for services that used to be covered by the basic cost of a ticket.
These days, there are baggage fees and some airlines charge extra for a window seat or aisle seat. And, of course, fliers pay dearly if they change their reservations.
Sixteen percent of fliers have told Airfare Watchdog they would pay extra to be among the first passengers to exit the plane. Most of those respondents said they would pay $10 extra for the privilege. A few said they would pay as much as $20 to be among the first to deplane.
Might the airlines consider such a fee? Some passengers are already paying extra to board early.
There’s no doubt that extra fees have proven profitable for the airlines.
USA Today reports that U.S. airlines collected $816 million in baggage fees in just the first three months of the year. They hauled in $631 million in fees for changed reservations in the same three-month period.
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