Travelers planning to fly to their summer vacation destinations this summer better take out their pocket books.
According to a study of summer airline prices released on Tuesday by FareCompare.com, the five largest U.S. airlines will be slapping “peak air travel surcharges” on most of their summertime flights.
Legacy carriers American, Continental, Delta, United and US Airways are all topping their published fares with surcharges for domestic flights that fly between June 10 and August 22.
Only one day in that time frame, July 4, would be exempt from surcharges. The omission is not a patriotic gesture. Airline experts maintain that Independence Day is an extremely slow day for travel.
Travelers can also expect to pay different surcharges depending on the days they choose to travel.
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Tuesday and Wednesday flights will carry an extra $10 charge. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday flights will carry a $20 fee, and a hefty $30 will be charged to flights on Sunday.
With these surcharges, a family of four departing and arriving on a Sunday can expect to shell out an extra $240 on top of the published fare of their flight.
Most discount airlines have resisted following the legacy carriers’ lead in adding surcharges. Only AirTran is implementing them this summer.
The budget airline will add a flat $10 surcharge on some flights that fall between June 10 and August 22. However, only 25 days during that time range will be affected.
Find out more with Airline Fee Analysis: Southwest Vs. Spirit.
The peak air travel surcharges are no surprise to airline analysts.
Summer fares were expected to go up this year as travelers who eschewed flying in 2009 loosened their belts in summer 2010.
Surcharges tend to be better for airlines than raising prices outright, because they target the most high-demand days, help them get around fare-disclosure requirements, and are easy administratively to track.
Despite the surcharges and the rise in summer airfare, there are still ways to save on summer flights. Check out our summer airfare guide to learn about ways to save.
And while you’re at it, watch Peter’s segment on summer deals for The Early Show on CBS.
By Adriana Padilla for PeterGreenberg.com.
Related Links: FareCompare.com, CNN, New York Daily News
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