Airline Reservation Change Fees: Unbelievable

Look, I understand that costs are rising across the board and the airline industry is certainly no exception. What I don't understand is at what point the airlines started giving all of their customers (you know, the ones responsible for their revenue) the middle finger by deciding to charge them for every little thing they can think up.

I recently had to make a change to a US Airways ticket. I knew there would be a change fee -- that's really nothing new, even in recent history. How much was the fee? $25? $50? $100? NO! $150!!!! Are you kidding me? This is totally out of control.

Some other examples of ridiculous fees that put the customer LAST:

• AirTran charges a flat $20 for exit row seats; United charges $14-$109
• Spirit charges passengers for choosing their seats: $15 for a window, $10 for an aisle, and $5 for a middle seat. They're charging for a middle seat???
  
• JetBlue charges $7 for a pillow & blanket!
  

Compare this with Southwest Airlines, who DOES NOT CHARGE for any of the following:

• first checked bag
• second checked bag
• reservation changes
• even more things (see www.southwest.com)
  

By the way, Southwest is also one of the few major carriers that is actually profitable through Q2 2008.

See my post on Virgin America for a brief example of a company that is putting the customer first, where they should be.