To Fly or Drive? Fuel Prices Cost You, Either Way
If you think it’s a pain to pay $4 a gallon to fill your car with gasoline, or $4.65 to fill your truck with diesel, imagine how much it hurts to fill a commercial jet airplane.
Or don’t imagine. We’ll tell you. A 2008 Honda Accord has an 18.5-gallon fuel tank. At $4 a gallon for gas, filling it up would cost $74. Ouch.
A Boeing 757 has a jet fuel capacity of 11,489 gallons. At $8.60 a gallon in some cities, that’s almost $99,000, twice what the same amount of jet fuel cost a year ago.
Almost predictably, and just in time for summer vacations, the airlines are passing the pain to their customers.
Here’s why they have little choice:
US Airways executives told shareholders this month that fuel costs alone would add about $2-billion to the airline's expenses this year, and that the cost of fuel averages $300 per round trip ticket. At that rate, according to Doug Parker, the airline's chief executive officer, US Airways would have to charge about $700 for each ticket just to break even.
American Airlines made major headlines in May when the company announced it would begin charging for checked luggage. But before you being changing your flight plans to avoid American Airlines, you should understand the company is not alone.
Following is an airline-by-airline comparison of add-on fees charged to help defray the cost of fuel:
AIRTRAN: First checked bag is free, second checked bag is $10 if done online, $20 at the airport. Additional bags $50 each. Overweight and oversized bags $29 to $69. Ticket-change fee $75. Unaccompanied-minor fee $39, each way. Pet-in-cabin fee $69, each way. Advance economy seat selection $20, each way.
ALASKA AIRLINES: No charge for the first two checked bags, $50 for each of the next three checked bags. Additional checked bags $75 to $150. Overweight bags $50. Oversized bags $50-$75. Ticket-change fee $50 online, $75 otherwise. Unaccompanied-minor fee $75. Pet-in-cabin fee $100. No charge for advance seat selection.
AMERICAN AIRLINES: First bag checked $15. Second bag checked $25. Third to fifth checked bag $100 each. Six or more $200 each. Overweight bags $50. Oversized bags $150. Ticket-change fee on domestic flights $150; on foreign flights $150-$300. Unaccompanied-minor fee $100. Pet-in-the-cabin fee $100. No charge for advance seat selection.
CONTINENTAL AIRLINES: No fee for first checked bag; $25 for second; $75-$100 for each additional checked bag. Overweight bags $50 up to 70 pounds. Heavier bags not accepted. Oversized bags $100. Ticket-change fee $150 on domestic flights, $150-$300 on foreign flights. Unaccompanied-child fee $75 on non-stop flights, $100 on connecting flights. Pet-in-cabin fee $95. No fee on advance seat selection.
DELTA AIR LINES: No fee for first checked bag, $25 for second, additional bags $80 to $180 each. Overweight bags $80 to $150. Oversized bags $150. Ticket change fee on domestic flights $100, on foreign flights $200 and up. Unaccompanied-minor fee $100. Pet-in-cabin fee $100. No fee for advance seat selection.
FRONTIER AIRLINES: No fee for first checked bag, $25 for second, $100 for each additional checked bag. Fee for overweight or oversized bag $75. Ticket-change fee $100. Unaccompanied-minor fee $40 per segment. Pet-in-cabin fee $100. No fee for advance seat selection.
JETBLUE AIRWAYS: No fee for first checked bag, $20 for second, $75 for each additional checked bag. Overweight-bag fee $50 to $100. Oversized bag fee $75. Ticket-change fee $100. Unaccompanied-minor fee $75. Pet-in-cabin fee $100. Advance seat selection fee $10 to $20 for some premium rows.
NORTHWEST AIRLINES: No fee for first checked bag, $25 for second, $100 for each additional checked bag. Overweight-bag fee $50. Oversize-bag fee $100. Ticket-change fee on domestic flights $100, $200 or more on foreign flights. Unaccompanied-minor fee $70 to $100. Pet-in-cabin fee $80. Advance seat selection $5 to $30 for select rows.
SPIRIT AIRLINES: Fee for first checked bag $10 online, $20 at the airport. Second checked bag is $20. More than two $100 each. Fee for overweight bag $100. Fee for oversized bag $150. Ticket-change fee $80 on line, $90 otherwise. Fee for unaccompanied minor $75. Fee for a pet in the cabin $85. No fee for advance seat selection.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: No fee for first two checked bags. Additional checked bags $25 to $110. Fee for overweight bags $25 to $50. Fee for oversized bags $50. No ticket-change fee. You get a credit good for a year. No fee for unaccompanied child. Pets not allowed in cabin. No advance seat selection.
UNITED AIRLINES: No fee for first checked bag, $25 for second, additional checked bags $100 to $150. Ticket change fee for domestic flights $150, for overseas flights $200 and up. Fee for unaccompanied child $99. Pet-in-cabin fee $100. Fees for advance seat selection vary.
US AIRWAYS: No fee for first checked bag, $25 for second, $100 for each checked bag thereafter. Overweight-bag fee $50 to $100. Overweight-bag fee $100. Ticket-change fee domestic $150; overseas $150 to $250. Fee for unaccompanied child or a pet in the cabin $100. Fee for advance seat selection $5 to $30 for some rows.
There is no way to escape these fees, but if you have a choice of airlines, you can help yourself by comparing the add-on fees.
Southwest Airlines is not as severely hurt by soaring fuel costs because airline officials had the foresight to pay in advance to lock in 70 percent of its anticipated fuel supply at about half the current going rate. Other airlines locked in much smaller percentages of fuel prices and at much hire locked-in rates.
If you think you’ll just travel back in time and take a Greyhound bus, you should know the company has an indexed fuel surcharge based on the cost of diesel fuel. The current fuel surcharge is 10.5 percent of the ticket price. It could go as high as 15 percent if diesel prices continue going up.
And if you feel you have been charged additional fees improperly, seek legal help.
