Jay Sorensen flies both business class and economy.

While the differences between the two have always been stark 含羞草研究社� priority boarding and free alcohol are decades-old features of first-class travel 含羞草研究社� lately the gulf seems to have widened, said the U.S. consulting firm president.

Economy-class trips are defined by shrinking legroom, narrower cushion space, diminishing rewards for frequent fliers and, especially, the myriad fees that can pile up like thunderclouds as airlines increasingly offer top-up options on their tickets.

含羞草研究社淭raditional airlines seem to want to punish passengers who buy these fares,含羞草研究社� Sorensen said of bottom-rung tickets.

The additional money passengers pay for checked bags, pre-selected seats and onboard snacks makes up a growing share of airline revenue, even as a debate swirls around whether the charges amount to 含羞草研究社渏unk fees含羞草研究社� or the lower base price offers greater choice for travellers.

Air Canada took in nearly US$2 billion in so-called ancillary revenue in 2022, up by nearly 50 per cent from five years earlier, according to Sorensen含羞草研究社檚 IdeaWorksCompany. The category含羞草研究社檚 share of total revenue grew to more than 15 per cent from below 11 per cent in the same period.

WestJet this month introduced a new service tier, 含羞草研究社淓xtended Comfort,含羞草研究社� where economy-class passengers can pay for extra legroom, early access to overhead bins 含羞草研究社� coveted real estate due to checked baggage costs 含羞草研究社� and a free alcoholic drink.

Popularized by budget carriers more than 15 years ago and adopted by mainline players since, ancillary revenue plays an increasingly critical role in the industry, helping to diversify income and insulate companies from fluctuations in fare prices, fuel costs and competition.

含羞草研究社淎ncillary revenues are stickier than passenger revenues, which can be subject to fare changes related to competitor fares on the same route,含羞草研究社� said TD Cowen analyst Helane Becker, adding that airlines aim to 含羞草研究社渃reate moats around their business.含羞草研究社�

COVID-19 also spawned habits that have been tough for some travellers to kick, including advance seat selection.

含羞草研究社淲here you sat became important to many customers, because if you sat at the front of the airplane, you got off the airplane first. People paid a premium for that, and I think that that behaviour has stayed,含羞草研究社� Sorensen said.

Ancillary income derives mainly from three streams: 脿 la carte services such meals, onboard Wi-Fi and extra bags 含羞草研究社� or any bags; frequent flyer programs; and commission-based offerings such as hotel bookings, car rentals and travel insurance.

Globally, ancillary revenue was forecast to hit a new high of US$117.9 billion in 2023, up from the previous record of US$109 billion in 2019, according to an October report from travel technology platform CarTrawler.

Not everyone is on board.

Endless 含羞草研究社渘ickel-and-diming含羞草研究社� risks alienating passengers, who grumble online about a dizzying array of extra fees and service tiers, said John Gradek, who teaches at McGill University含羞草研究社檚 aviation management program.

On social media, WestJet含羞草研究社檚 new Extended Comfort option elicited everything from confusion 含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社渁re we getting an extra bill?含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社� to irritation 含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社渏ust adds more 含羞草研究社� costs to already rising cost of air travel.含羞草研究社�

But the fees aren含羞草研究社檛 going anywhere.

含羞草研究社淭hey love these things,含羞草研究社� Gradek said of airline executives.

含羞草研究社淭he revenues are very big dollars, and in some cases are the lifeline for survivability of ultra-low-cost carriers.含羞草研究社�

Indeed, they make up about 40 per cent of Flair Airlines含羞草研究社� revenue 含羞草研究社� 50 per cent is the goal 含羞草研究社� according to its vice-president of ancillary revenue and digital experience.

含羞草研究社淓veryone wants a bigger share of the wallet of travellers,含羞草研究社� said Juliana Ramirez.

Part of the strategy is to lure consumers to the website with rock-bottom fares, and then offer numerous add-ons, she said.

A $67 fare for a one-way Toronto-Vancouver flight next month quickly balloons to $323 after selecting the $90 含羞草研究社淏ig Bundle含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社� one carry-on, one large checked bag, priority boarding, trip modification 含羞草研究社� plus a front-row seat, a bundle of travel insurance, a $15 online check-in ($25 if you wait until the airport) as well as taxes and third-party fees.

Ramirez acknowledged the frustrations of paying well over twice the price of your ticket simply to secure what would have been standard parts of the flight package a few decades back.

含羞草研究社淲e get it. No one likes to pay for a carry-on,含羞草研究社� she said.

In its budget last week, the federal government pledged to 含羞草研究社渃rack down on junk fees含羞草研究社� charged by carriers. That prompted the National Airlines Council of Canada to demand greater clarity from Ottawa, arguing that fees give customers greater flexibility.

Air Canada said the advantage of unbundling is that customers know precisely what they are paying for.

含羞草研究社淚t is very transparent,含羞草研究社� said spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick, highlighting the different tiers of service.

含羞草研究社淥ur branded fares are part of our ancillary strategy, as each branded fare is a combination of ancillaries (such as bag, seat selection and flexibility) sold as a package.

含羞草研究社淥ur experience is customers appreciate having the option to tailor their travel to suit their needs, including not paying for services they do not wish to have,含羞草研究社� he said.

(He also said earnings derived from sources other than fares and cargo amount to well under 10 per cent of total revenues 含羞草研究社� lower than the consultancy report含羞草研究社檚 estimate.)

WestJet含羞草研究社檚 Madison Kruger put forward a similar explanation: 含羞草研究社淏y offering our guests unbundled product offerings, it ensures that they are only selecting the travel options that matter most to them.含羞草研究社�

Larger airlines see no choice other than to slice their purchase options into ever thinner levels of service in order to beat back the threat of discount carriers, said Ricky Zhang, founder of Vancouver-based travel rewards website Prince of Travel.

含羞草研究社淢ost leisure travellers pick based on price,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淪o Air Canada and WestJet have had to lower their base fares 含羞草研究社� and that results in the unbundling of the experience.含羞草研究社�

Whether it unravels Canadians含羞草研究社� taste for travel is another question.

含羞草研究社淚f you含羞草研究社檙e positioning yourself as a better-service airline than (ultralow cost carriers), that branding statement is not aligned with your behaviour to basic economy passengers,含羞草研究社� Sorensen said of carriers with spartan service for lower-tier customers.

含羞草研究社淲hy are you treating me radically different when I happen to be in my value mode?含羞草研究社�

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