As airline passengers, we've had to put up with a lot in the past seven years or so, from slow-moving security checks in which a stray bottle of shampoo can turn you into Public Enemy No. 1 to jam-packed flights which all too often are delayed or just outright canceled. Mix in a thunderstorm or a maintenance recall or two and your trip can be unpleasant indeed.
The tradeoff for this misery, of course, has been bargain airfares. Part of the reason planes are so crowded is that there isn't a very high financial barrier to boarding when getting coast to coast can cost you $250 or so if you book in advance and take a nonrefundable ticket. In the old days, your family might have had to save for years for a flying vacation; today you can jet off whenever you like.
But the old days may be returning. Crimped by soaring fuel costs and unable to post consistent profits, airlines are looking to raise revenues anyway they can. That means higher fares, for sure, and fewer perks as well; even those little bags of nuts add up on the bottom line.
In our lead story, Consumer writer Jennifer Waters looks at the state of air travel following the demise of three carriers in the last week or so and explains why fliers should be prepared to pay up. Read her Travel column, plus check out Paul B. Farrell's column for the latest quarterly update on the successful "Lazy Portfolios" and see Andrea Coombes' story in our Last-Minute Tax Guide for ideas on dealing with the IRS when you can't pay your tax bill, on Tuesday's Personal Finance pages.
As long as the airlines are pretty unpopular these days anyway, they might think of charging for the one thing fliers seem not to be able to do without: No, not a second checked bag -- coffee.
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