MW Here's the real cost of economy airfare after all the fees. 'What's next - an add-on for access to the bathroom?'

By Charles Passy

Airlines are now making over $100 billion a year from add-on fees

According to a MarketWatch analysis, the price of an economy ticket can easily double when a few key add-ons are included - and some travelers say it's gotten to be too much.

As a travel enthusiast who regularly flies across the globe, Tracy Lamourie is used to contending with airline pricing strategies, particularly for economy fares that often appear affordable - until you factor in the extras. But Lamourie says she's reached her limit.

"Every single thing they used to include" in the cost of a basic ticket - from seat selection to baggage to food and drink - can be subject to an added charge, she noted, and she wonders if there's any limit to what the airlines will try to monetize.

"What's going to be next? An add-on for access to the bathroom?" she said.

It's an issue that's likely on the minds of many travelers these days, particularly given the recent news that a number of major carriers like Delta are hiking the cost to check a bag. And that's on top of concerns that airlines may have to raise fares because of the spike in oil prices resulting from the Iran war. As it is, fares have already increased by 14.9% over the past year, according to the latest consumer-price data released on Friday.

'What's going to be next? An add-on for access to the bathroom?'Tracy Lamourie, a frustrated flier

Not that any of this has necessarily stopped folks from flying. Demand has grown in recent years, as evidenced by the fact that carriers have added more flights - from 29.5 million in 2022 to an estimated 38.9 million in 2026, according to data from the International Air Transport Association.

Carriers have been reaping the benefits, with some reporting solid earnings through the end of 2025. Delta $(DAL)$, for example, posted a quarterly profit of over $1 billion for the final three months of the year. And even with issues related to oil prices and the fact that the company reported a loss in the first quarter of 2026, Delta CEO Ed Bastian is bullish. "Demand remains strong," he said earlier this week.

Any gains airlines have seen in recent years are at least partly tied to the fact they've been able to build a solid revenue stream from all those add-on fees, experts say. Since 2016, money generated from such extras - not just baggage fees, but also everything from wifi to food and drinks - has more than doubled to more than $100 billion annually, according to research from IdeaWorksCompany, a firm that tracks the airline industry.

How does all this play out for the average traveler? For a nonstop flight from New York to Los Angeles in May, MarketWatch analyzed the price difference between a bare-bones economy fare and an upgraded one with a few key add-ons - namely, the option to choose a seat and to change or cancel a flight without penalty, along with checking one bag. In most cases, those upgrades at least doubled the fare.

And that's not factoring in other extras. Want to have a meal and an alcoholic beverage on your flight? That can add $20 or more to the cost.

'I long for the days when a ticket was a ticket,' without figuring out add-ons.Nikki Beauchamp, a real-estate broker who often travels for work

Travelers can always choose to eat before the flight or bring food aboard the plane. But as some point out, other extras may be nonnegotiable, making the bare-bones economy fare not a feasible option. If you're a family that needs to sit together, for example, it's not necessarily going to work out well if you leave it to the airline to assign your seats.

Nikki Beauchamp, a real-estate broker based in New York City who travels regularly for work and pleasure, says checking a bag is a must for her in many instances. If she plans to attend a formal event, she needs to pack extra clothes, and a carry-on won't cut it.

Like others, Beauchamp says figuring out the real cost of a plane ticket with all those add-ons has become cumbersome. She wishes the pricing was more inclusive, like it used to be.

"I long for the days when a ticket was a ticket," she said.

Travelers are also waking up to the reality of how little may actually be included in that bare-bones economy fare. Certain airlines now impose fees for a carry-on bag. Some won't let a passenger earn miles with the lowest-cost fare.

"It's disgusting," said Janice Lintz, a veteran traveler who's visited more than 170 countries, about the a la carte pricing model airlines have adopted.

It wasn't always this way, of course. Experts say airlines started to really embrace the a la carte - or unbundled - pricing model when online travel-booking platforms came of age several years ago. Consumers naturally looked for the cheapest flight - and airlines wanted to position themselves as having the lowest fare lest they literally fall off the screen as a consumer scrolled through options.

"If you're on page 3, you're never going to get your brand seen," said Michael Taylor, a senior managing director with JD Power who tracks the travel industry.

By separating what could be deemed as extras, airlines are able to offer a lower fare, even if consumers might purchase those add-ons in the end.

When airlines are facing a potential financial squeeze, such as the one caused by the recent increase in oil prices, that add-on revenue can be all the more valuable, experts say. For starters, when an airline raises its base fares, it must pay more in a specific federal tax known as an excise tax. But that tax doesn't apply to a cost like a baggage fee, which may explain why some airlines have raised that fee.

On top of that, the base fare is a less predictable revenue stream - ticket prices can vary depending on demand, notes Jay Sorensen, the president of IdeaWorksCompany. But fees tend to stay set at a certain level no matter what flight a traveler books, and bag fees have indeed just increased. So as long as enough travelers are flying, the add-on revenue is more predictable.

Airlines say they're simply trying to give travelers the most options when it comes to determining how much they want out of their flying experience and how much they want to spend.

"JetBlue offers a range of fare options so customers can customize the experience that best fits their needs," a JetBlue spokesperson said. Several other carriers didn't respond to MarketWatch requests for comment.

The issue has come up in Congress. At a federal hearing in December 2024, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, lashed out at the airlines for their pricing model, saying the carriers "view their customers as little more than walking piggy banks to be shaken down for every possible dime."

Travelers can still find ways to work around some of the fee issues, experts note. If you have an airline-branded credit card, it often includes the perk of a free checked bag on that carrier - although the card itself might have an annual fee. And if you book a flight with points, you can avoid potential cancellation fees.

Still, some travelers hope that if enough consumers balk at paying add-on fees by opting for fewer extras or by forgoing air travel altogether, airlines may eventually walk those fees back - to some degree. At least that's what Michael Vater, a Florida-based lawyer who flies regularly, is banking on.

They're "going to have to course correct," Vater said.

-Charles Passy

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 10, 2026 16:23 ET (20:23 GMT)

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