First, low-cost airlines started charging extra for inflight food and drink. Then came fees to carry wheelchairs and golf clubs on board and to check your luggage into the hold. Now, one low-cost carrier will take things a step further by charging passengers to check in at the airport.
Flybe has announced that within two years it expects to start charging a fee of £1.50 to use airport check-in desks. The move is designed to encourage travellers to check-in online or via self-service machines in the airport.
'Those who want the personal service of a check-in desk or prefer to use one out of habit will be costing other passengers a lot of money, so we will charge them,' said Mike Rutter, chief executive of Flybe, which flies out of regional airports such as Southampton, Bristol, Norwich and Newcastle. He added that he expected other airlines would soon follow suit.
Rutter denied the move would penalise the elderly or less well off who are less likely to have access to a computer, arguing that 'silver surfers' were the fastest-growing travel website users, and that those with disabilities would be given free assistance. Many airlines give discounted fares to those booking online.
A spokesman for Ryanair admitted the airline was also considering charging passengers to check in at the airport, though details have not yet been confirmed. The Irish no-frills carrier may also introduce fees for priority boarding, whereby passengers can pay a premium to board the plane first, rather than having to endure long queues and a scramble for a seat. Other revenue-earning schemes being introduced by Ryanair include charging for the use of mobile phones onboard from July 2007, inflight gambling and computer games and the sale of advertising space on the back of seats. It admitted these extra charges didn't mean it would drop the price of its flights, but a spokesman argued they prevented fare increases and covered the cost of rising fuel prices.
'The desire to keep fares low in an increasingly competitive market appears to be causing airlines to seek to increase revenue from charges and services that previously would be part of the fare or not charged for at all,' said a spokesman for the Air Transport Users' Council, the consumer organisation.
Low-cost airlines angered passengers when they altered their policies on hold luggage shortly after the security crisis at UK airports in August. Ryanair increased hold luggage charges from £2.50 to £3.50 per item booked in advance, and Easyjet introduced a surcharge of up to £10 for passengers with more than one item of hold luggage.
So what next? If European airlines follow the example of American carriers, many more of the components of a flight that were once included in the ticket could soon come at an extra price.
American airline Northwest has introduced fees of $15 to reserve aisle seats and seats in exit rows, which offer extra legroom, and major American carriers, including American Airlines, Continental Airlines and US Airways now charge for alcoholic drinks, even on international flights, while Air Canada charges for meals. One Asian airline has even been rumoured to crank up the air conditioning to boost sales of its blankets.
So far, no airline has touted the idea of charging passengers to use the toilet or overhead lockers, but at this rate, it may be only a matter of time.
· To compare the extra charges made by different airlines, see www.cheapflights.co.uk/travel-tips/airline-extras
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
