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Airline Fee Revenue To Hit Record $49.9B, Study Says

Airline fee revenue is going up, up, and away.
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If you're tired of feeling nickel and dimed by airlines, here's some bad news: They're getting better at it. Airline fee revenue is expected to hit $49.9 billion this year worldwide, according to a new study by CarTrawler. That's a 17.2 percent increase over 2013. In the past five years, airline ancillary revenue has more than doubled, said Jay Sorensen, president of IdeaWorks, which conducted the study. Two reasons for the surge: worldwide, more people are flying, and foreign carriers have started adding fees. For instance, traditional European airlines like SwissAir and Lufthansa are now charging passengers for assigned seats in coach. Others are selling passes to their once VIP-only lounges. "There's à la carte pricing everywhere in the world," Sorensen said.

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-- Phil LeBeau, CNBC