What will be the next airline “a la carte” items and fees?

Japan’s All Nippon Airways recently made news by asking passengers to use the bathroom before boarding. Their reason? To lighten the weight on the plane, and thus use less fuel, thereby reducing their carbon footprint.

It remains to be seen if other airlines will follow. But this does give them ammunition for another potential fee. If airlines can claim passengers who wait to “go” until they fly mean more fuel usage and thus higher costs … well, then it’s not that far a stretch to pay toilets.

And “going green” could even give the airlines some cover of righteousness for such a fee. Not that an airline would ever use helping the environment as an excuse for helping their bottom line. Yeah, right.

But if it’s not pay toilets, what will be the next “ancillary revenue” generator for major airlines? (“Ancillary revenue” being defined as anything not part of the basic ticket price.)

US Airways backed down on charging for soft drinks and bottled water, although some small discount carriers, especially overseas, still have such charges. Some major carrier will try it again, some say.

And one perk that no carrier has started charging for yet, is priority luggage service. Most major carriers will tag business and first class luggage with a separate tag. Others will give priority tags to their elite mileage members. Presumably some travelers will pay extra for a shorter wait at the carousel.

However, “priority luggage” is, as most frequent fliers will attest, an inexact science. Priority bags are usually amongst the first off, but not always. One poor client of mine missed a connection when his first class tagged bag, checked in on time, was literally the last off a 747 from Australia in Los Angeles.

Since “green” is in, along with staying healthy, presumably charging for things like disposable pillow covers or blankets — recyclable of course — could be possible new options. (JetBlue already sells a pillow/blanket set.) With the flu season upon us perhaps the airlines will sell mini bottles of hand sanitizer.

By the same token, claiming additional fuel and environmental costs for extra weight could be a premise for weighing all carry-on luggage. And thus charging extra for any deemed overweight.

Plus, while the airlines are charging for food, adding vitamins, expensive vitamin drinks, and the like, might be a possibility. As long as the airlines don’t make any medicinal claims, or actually sell medicine, “healthy” options would be allowed.

Frequent flier charges already exist, and could be expanded. Virgin America already ties their mileage program to revenue, so discount fliers don’t get as much credit as full-fare, last-minute travelers. Air Canada and British have some discount fares where you don’t even get mileage, effectively making the higher fares include a “mileage surcharge.”

Then there are the potential punitive revenues — fees for not checking in online, fees for booking too late to get an advance seat assignment, fees for not prepaying pet or unaccompanied minor fees. Some airlines already charge more for not prepaying baggage fees.

No doubt as I write this, some airlines are probably already ahead of me. Or are cooking up fees we haven’t thought of yet. Hard to believe, but someday we may look back on these as the relatively all-inclusive days of airline travel.

Tagged as: airline fees, All Nippon, British Airways, new airline fees, pay toilets, Virgin America