Air travel is supposed to feel like freedom—wings, clouds, adventure. Instead, it often feels like walking into a carnival where the ringmaster charges you for every ride, snack, and seat cushion. Airlines know tickets alone won’t keep them swimming in profit, so they’ve mastered the art of fees that sneak up on you when you least expect it.
You may think you’re booking a $200 flight, but by the time you’ve picked a seat, grabbed a snack, and checked a bag, you’re halfway to funding the airline’s new corporate jet.
