Airlines ratchet up holiday surcharges

[lib2DaBone]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20091103/ap_tr_ge/us_travel_brief_holiday_fares

DALLAS – If you plan to travel around the upcoming holidays, prepare to pay a little more — again.

Most of the largest U.S. airlines have increased a surcharge for travel on the busiest travel days to $20 each way, up from $10.

The surcharges apply to a large number of flights within the U.S. on more than a dozen peak days around holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.

Delta, American, United, US Airways and Northwest all boosted their surcharge on some routes, said Tom Parsons, who runs the discount travel site Bestfares.com.

Tim Smith, spokesman for Fort Worth-based American Airlines, confirmed the higher surcharges Monday. He said that although airlines are filing the increases as a surcharge this time, "fares on those peak days have always tended to be higher. It's a matter of supply and demand."

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Only $20 more to be abused by the TSA Goon Squad, stuffed on an overcrowded plane with people coughing and sneezing while I sit on a runway delayed for 45 minutes?

Exactly why I'm not flying anywhere this holiday.

[AndyA]

1. Busiest travel days = Nov. 1, 2009 thru Jan. 10, 2010.

:rofl:

I won't be flying anywhere, either. I hate it. The lines to get through security, the lines to get on and off the plane, the cramped quarters, the nasty people you have to tolerate during the flight, the screaming children (there's always at least one), and the risk of getting sick.

No thanks, air travel.

[ixion]

2. Your description is accurate:

Only $20 more to be abused by the TSA Goon Squad, stuffed on an overcrowded plane with people coughing and sneezing while I sit on a runway delayed for 45 minutes?

That pretty much captures the glory that is the modern US airport.