| More travel fees coming, consumer group warns and US cites terror threat in new Philippine warning |
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Q: Fees have been a cash generator for the airlines. Have consumers seen the worst of it? Do you foresee new fees not yet thought of? Any predictions?A: More fees are coming. We might not be able to predict them, but the airlines are now addicted to fees and will continue to make them more complex. The certain new fees will probably be changes to current ones that vary by mileage. Baggage fees may shift from a flat fee to a sliding scale based on mileage. We already have baggage fees differ based on when you pay them (how early before your flight), how you pay them (which credit card you use), where you pay them (online or at the airport). The next step is to make the fees variable based on distance flown.Airlines already do this with their seat reservation fees. [Read the full article] SYDNEY — Stuart and Tina Gunn should be with their daughter by now. She is waiting for them in New Zealand, due to give birth to her first child at any moment.Instead, the English couple remained stuck at a Sydney hotel for a second day Wednesday, waiting for ash spewing from a Chilean volcano to clear, and waiting to hear something " anything " from Qantas, the Australian carrier that was supposed to take them on the last leg of their journey.The Gunns are among tens of thousands of passengers grounded in Australia who have become increasingly frustrated at Qantas and other airlines. Many are having a tough time understanding why some airlines are choosing to cancel flights, while others aren't.The ash, which can damage jet engines, has reached Australia and New Zealand from Chile, where a volcano has been erupting since June 4. More than 70,000 passengers in Australia and New Zealand have been at least temporarily stranded since the weekend. [Read the full article] Premium-class fliers on American Airlines will soon get a new high-tech perk along with those complimentary cocktails.The airline announced on Monday that it ordered 6,000 Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 devices and will use them to replace the airline’s current seat-back entertainment devices on many transcontinental and international flights.The tablets will be available to business and first-class passengers on some international flights to and from Europe and South America and on flights between JFK and Los Angeles or San Francisco, as well as other cross-country flights. The airline plans to offer TV shows, movies, music and games on the tablets. Content will be pre-loaded, but customers on Wi-Fi enabled flights will be able to download additional content for a fee. [Read the full article] 
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