Our View: Airlines nickel and dime us for millions

How much should it cost to fly in terms of dollars and aggravation?

Anyone who has flown recently knows the cost in frayed nerves, frustration and fatigue is at an all-time high. But so is the cost in dollars, and often we don’t know exactly how much the ticket costs until after we’ve booked it.

There are extra fees for bags or even for printing a boarding pass. Extra fees for selecting a seat or canceling a ticket. Most major airports add fees to the ticket for simply coming and going.

With lost bags, delayed flights, seats designed for Lilliputians and the endless lines at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, commercial air travel has become a patience-eradicating ordeal. It’s so bad the U.S. Department of Transportation developed a website to help travelers navigate the problems and file complaints. It’s a good spot to learn which airline arrives and departs on time most frequently (Hawaiian, 89.6 percent), the worst time of day to fly (only 46 percent of planes arrive on time from 10 to 11 p.m.) and the airline with the highest number of “chronically delayed flights” (Spirit, hands-down).

For safety’s sake, we’ve accepted the TSA lines. But there’s no reason to also accept being gouged at the gate by ever-increasing fees. Simply put, something must be done.

Democrats on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee released a report last week calling for a crackdown on airlines. They asked carriers to find a better way to show customers exactly what they’re paying for and why. Florida Sen. Bill Nelson vowed to push for changes as the Senate considers reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration later this year.

“The traveling public is being nickel-and-dimed to death,” said the ranking Democrat. ✔

Some of the routine complaints listed in the report:

▪ Fees that differ depending on airline. For instance, why does it cost $100 to change a ticket on one airline, but $400 on another?

▪ Fees that don’t make sense. Why does it cost $25 to check one bag, $40 to check a second and $100 for a third? (The airlines know why: they made $900 million on checked-bag fees in 2013 alone, according to CNBC.)

▪ Fees for changing tickets no matter how far in advance they’re purchased or when change is requested.

▪ Fees for reserving seats. Why do the airlines offer “preferred” seats at an additional charge without making it clear such selections are optional?

▪ Fees for inflight movies, headphones or for connecting to the internet.

The airline industry says its fee structure is already transparent and passengers are happy. It’s not, and we’re not.

The U.S. Department of Transportation logged more than 2,000 complaints in June, up 43 percent from June 2014. Complaints about fees and fares doubled.

Airlines are making record profits. An IdeaWorksCompany analysis showed the industry made $38.1 billion in ancillary revenue in 2014 – that doesn’t count ticket sales. Instead of putting some of that profit back into customer comfort, they’re instead charging higher fares, cutting amenities, smacking us with more fees and cramming more of us onto every flight in seats that force our knees into our chins.

With industry consolidation, there are virtual monopolies on many national routes and thus no competition. The Senate needs to act. Flying can be nerve-wracking. Passengers shouldn’t have to deal with hidden fees, too.

This story was originally published August 12, 2015 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Our View: Airlines nickel and dime us for millions."