Forget road rage...get ready to hear about AIR rage!

Two weeks ago we were outraged to read that many airlines, with no announcement, stealthily imposed a $10 "peak travel fuel surcharge" for travel on three heavy travel days: the Sunday after Thanksgiving and on January 2nd and 3rd.  That's $10 EACH way!

But after two years of watching the airlines raise fees and cut services, we weren't surprised. Just the airlines sticking it to their customers yet again...the latest in a long line of fees by the airlines in attempt to help pay for years of mismanagement.

But where does it stop? The airlines just slapped those "surcharged" holiday travel fees to a total of THIRTEEN travel days including school vacation days next year.

Add this surcharge to the already ridiculous fuel surcharge (which didn't go down when the price of gasoline did!) plus hefty fees for checking bags and your fees can cost nearly as much as the ticket itself!

Look, the airline industry in this country is in major trouble. But if they aren't careful, they are going to "fee" themselves out of business. People are tightening their budgets in a way we haven't seen in our lifetimes. People are already cutting back on travel. If the airlines aren't careful, they will make matters worse as people decide they can't afford to fly.

We wish we had a solution to expensive holiday airfare, but we don't.  The best you can do is use our basic tips on finding the best airfare.

But there is one option that may help reduce those offensive baggage fees.

United Offers "Subscription" Baggage Fee

United Airline is offering a year-long baggage "deal"--you pay an annual baggage fee of $249 and have the right to check two bags (not oversized or overweight) every time you fly United for one year. The fee also covers up to eight people traveling on the same reservation.

At the moment, United charges $20 to check the first bag and $30 for the second bag.

So, do the math on that offer when you count the bags for a family holiday trip this year.

We expect to see more baggage fee "subscriptions" from other airlines as they look for a way to boost their new profit center. The airlines made $669 million in the second quarter of 2009 on baggage charges--three times more than they made a year ago!

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