Why airline fares today are anything but peanuts
News from Salt Lake Tribune:

To fly someone from New York to Los Angeles and back, airlines spend close to $ 330 these days — just on fuel.

That’s a 48 percent increase from last year and the main reason vacationers face record costs to fly this summer. To offset their single biggest expense, airlines have hiked fares seven times this year and raised fees for checking bags and other services.

This has only added to the frustration of most casual fliers who see $ 59 fares advertised but are quoted prices well above $ 300 when they actually try to book. Americans’ expectations of a cheap vacation are being destroyed by the reality of $ 100-a-barrel oil.

“The passenger has to understand that the airline industry in the United States is not meant to be a low-cost mass transit system. The airlines are in business to be profitable,” said analyst Robert Herbst.

A decade ago, fuel accoun…………… continues on Salt Lake Tribune
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