US Airlines To Add $10 Peak Travel Day Fee

In a further bid to find new and innovative ways to increase revenues in a struggling market, airlines will be adding a $10 surcharge on ticket prices for passengers travelling on the busiest travel days in winter.

The first airline to implement the charge is American Airlines, who will add the $10 fee on flights on the Sunday following Thanksgiving and for the weekend of January 2 and 3, when many travellers will be returning home from Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Delta and United Airlines have both announced that they would impose a similar surcharge.

However, JetBlue, Continental, Southwest, Alaska Airlines and AirTran have not yet announced that they will match the $10 charge on their tickets.

Airline industry insiders say that passengers already pay more on certain days of the week, with the cheapest fares usually available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, but this new charge has upped the ante by determining the peak travel days and charging extra on those days.

As the news is quite unwelcome for the millions of travellers who will fly during the winter period, some think that it could be a sign that the airlines anticipate more travellers this year compared to last.