Major Airlines Generating Extra Cash with more Surcharges

(USA Today - Nov.18, 2009) -- Back in September, the major airlines began imposing $10 surcharges on heavy travel days around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's travel dates. Since then, surcharges have started doubling and then last week United, Delta and its subsidiary Northwest increased surcharges up to $50 and extended surcharges to cover a total of 41 days all the way to Memorial Day 2010.

Bestfares.com sounded the alarm on surcharges and provides this most recent list for 2009-2010 of surcharges on a one-way ticket:

$20 Surcharges: Nov 29, 30, Dec 18, 19, 23, 26, 27, 30, Jan 2, 3, Feb 12, May 20.

$30 Surcharges: March 14, 20, 21, 28, April 5, 11.

$50 Surcharges: Feb 8.

Most surcharges extending into March and April range from $10 to $30 and coincide with Easter or spring breaks.The $50 surcharge applies to tickets only on one day: Monday, Feb. 8, the day after the Super Bowl based on a one-way ticket.

US Airways will impose a different surcharge, equivalent to 5% of the ticket price on all domestic travel starting May 8 2010. 

Now that airlines have cut back the number of flights available to match fewer people flying they can charge more.  Even with the surcharges, most analysts don't expect the major carriers to return to profitability until the economy and business travel rebound.  

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