US Fliers Become Frustrated

By Terry Green
Nov 26 2010

A new tally of the US travel industry has shown today that the numbers for the holiday travelers may be far lower than projected.

Frustration is everywhere in the US air travel industry. The airlines have been bolstering their bottom lines with the last-minute fees for the past several years and this year they have actually increased, causing more headaches for those boarding planes.

This is coupled with the new security procedures that spawned protests all over the country. One college student trying to get home for the holidays yesterday decided to go through the TSA checkpoint in a small bathing suit. After a massive delay the young man was finally allowed to move through security.

But the real issue is the hidden fees. Airlines have started adding new fees including checked bag fees, carry on fees and even fees for using a pillow while flying. This is along with the process that most airlines have cut services, including meals in flight and higher dollar seating classes.

When everything that is working against the airlines comes together it evens out to lower numbers on planes. The lower the numbers the harder the times for the airlines that have been struggling with costs and profits for three or more years.

Some of the airlines, such as Southwest, have stayed clear of the hidden fees, choosing to maintain their profit margins based on the number of passengers and they have sold out more flights this season than any other airline.