I'm taking a stand against jacked-up airline fees by taking the middle seat

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24-07-2025

I'm trying to lose a few pounds before I go on vacation next month.
Not to look better in a swimsuit, because I know that's a lost cause. I just want to be a little more comfortable as I'm flying to and from my destination in the middle seats of airplanes.
I know of no one, myself included, who would rather sit in the middle seat. When people discuss seating preferences, it's always a binary choice of window or aisle.
So why did I choose middle seats for all four legs of my upcoming travel itinerary? I've had it with the extra fees airlines are charging.
I'm old enough to remember when you plunked down your money for a ticket, you got one or two checked bags, a carry-on bag, a snack or maybe even a meal on a long flight, and as many nonalcoholic drinks as the flight attendants would serve − all for one price.
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Times have changed. Ordering a plane ticket now is like buying a car − after you've made your purchasing decision and are ready to get on with the rest of your life, you're bombarded with decisions about add-on fees.
Even Southwest Airlines, which for years trumpeted the fact it didn't charge baggage fees, recently added surcharges for checked luggage.
Instead of getting a spiel about the benefits of rust-resistant undercoating for your new car, choices must be made about how many bags you want to check, whether you want "priority seating" and whether to add some optional trip insurance.
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Some people really like to overpack for trips, so I sort of understand the baggage charges. But the rest of it? Come on.
Why should I pay more for priority seating so I can get to my seat a few minutes sooner and watch as later-arriving passengers try to stuff their carry-ons into overhead bins? And shouldn't everybody get refunds if flights are canceled, regardless of whether they've made an impulse buy for travel insurance?
How can we avoid seat selection fees? Airline ticket costs are out of control.
Call me a cheapskate, but I've never paid for first-class or even business-class seating. I get that paying for upgraded tickets means more comfortable seats and better service. But, to me, it's the same plane that will arrive at the same place at the same time. Can life really be that much better on the other side of that flimsy curtain?
Yet, as I learned while booking my upcoming trip, the attempts to divide people by class have extended to the steerage section.
Paying an extra $18 for the privilege of a window or aisle seat may not seem like a lot, but for frequent travelers, the costs add up.
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It's always been hard for me to accept drastic fluctuations in ticket prices. That's because what the airlines charge doesn't seem to have any connection to the costs they incur to provide services.
To use an example from last year's election season, if egg prices go up because bird flu kills a bunch of chickens and eggs are harder to find, then there's a reasonable link between supply and demand.
That's understandable. What's not understandable is why an airline ticket purchased well in advance costs less, while one purchased closer to departure time, for the same flight, costs considerably more. Is it because the people buying tickets on short notice are more desperate and therefore willing to pay more?
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On a per-unit basis, it would be ridiculous to suggest a window or aisle seat costs more to install or service. The seats are right next to each other.
Where does this end? With rental fees for using an airplane's blankets or pillows? Surcharges on the amount of oxygen passengers consume during flight?
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Some will say free markets will correct any inequities, as we learned in Economics 101. I'm not confident of that.
The airline industry is already heavily regulated, which makes it tougher for upstart competitors to break into the business and keep the large legacy carriers honest by offering more flights without extra charges.
Congress has tried tinkering with airline fees in the past, without finding a way to end this sort of price gouging.
One recent attempt was the FAIR Fees Act of 2023, introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee. The legislation would have prevented airlines from charging fees that weren't "reasonable and proportional." Decisions about what was "reasonable and proportional" would be left to the U.S. secretary of transportation.
Sadly, the bill never made it out of the House of Representatives' aviation subcommittee.
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Cohen could refile the bill again. As a member of the Tennessee General Assembly, he filed legislation to legalize a state lottery for 20 years before it was finally approved.
Similar reserves of persistence might be needed here. In light of Congress' current makeup, a Republican co-sponsor or two might be useful as well.
We can't agree on much in this country now. Given the color's association with the Democratic Party, there might even be disagreement about whether the sky is actually blue.
Surely, though, this issue of airlines nickel-and-diming us transcends political loyalties. It shouldn't be that hard to get politicians to reach across the aisle, so to speak, for solutions.
Until that day comes, I'm taking a stand ... by taking the middle seat.
Blake Fontenay is USA TODAY's commentary editor.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: I hate the middle seat. But airlines give us no choice | Opinion