Airlines will make a record $118 billion in extra fees this year—their websites are designed to get you to pay::Airlines are piling on fees for checked bags, assigned seats, and other extras. Here’s how their websites pressure fliers into paying for them.
Most airlines don’t charge convenience fees. It looks like Spirit does, not surprisingly.
I worked at an airport for a major airline over a decade ago. IIRC there was a $25 charge for booking at the airport (I can count on one hand how many times people actually showed up for that) and it didn’t give any cheaper fares than online. All we’d do is book in full Y to get the itinerary started, then LA$R on that command line system (how do I still remember that?) to automatically change the fare class to whatever was cheapest available while still following all the fare rules.
Bonus points for anyone who knows what system we used that LA$R is a thing.