a la carte

5 easy way to avoid a la carte anarchy when you fly

by Christopher Elliott on January 21, 2010

It used to be so simple: The price you were quoted for an airline ticket, rental car or cruise used to be the price you actually paid.

{ 4 comments }

Is Southwest’s EarlyBird check-in worth $10? The answer is …

by Christopher Elliott on September 22, 2009

Yes. Sure, Southwest’s decision to begin charging for early boarding is taking it on a slippery slope toward a la carte fees, but what a ride it is, according to passengers like Jennifer Rigdon.

{ 21 comments }

A losing fight? Airlines earned $10 billion from fees last year, up 345 percent

by Christopher Elliott on September 9, 2009

My friend Addison Schonland said it best: Anyone who thinks baggage fees are going away is living on another planet. And as if to underscore that point, IdeaWorks has released a survey that shows ancillary revenue is up 345 percent from 2006, to an eye-popping $10 billion last year.

{ 8 comments }

5 outrageous luggage fee myths the airlines want you to believe

by Christopher Elliott on August 5, 2009

Has the airline industry won the luggage fee war? Consider the following facts.

{ 9 comments }

Airfare computers catching up to a-la-carte pricing — is transparency next?

by Charlie Leocha on June 25, 2009

It looks like a-la-carte pricing is here to stay with the airlines. Reservation technology is beginning to catch up with the airlines’ love of fees — fees for baggage, fees for meals, fees for reservations, fees for pets, fees for pillows, fees for blankets, fees for snacks, fees for drinks and more.

{ 4 comments }