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By Eve Tahmincioglu, contributor
Introduction
Don’t expect a summer of love if you’re stuck using the nation’s airlines to get you to your destination. Endless fees, route reductions and a disheartened airline labor force hit by severe layoffs are what passengers can look forward to this season.
You can get around some of the price increases. If you take a small bag that fits in the overhead bin or bring your own trail mix on board, you’ll be able to save a couple of bucks because almost all the carriers are now charging fees for baggage and snacks. But overall, expect to pony up some more money. Click the \"Next\" button above to get a rundown on nine of the top U.S. carriers and what they have in store for you.";
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American Airlines
The fare increases at American are like a death by a thousand cuts, the latest coming in June with a $20 hike on domestic roundtrip tickets. Overall for the year, the company saw a 7 percent increase in what it calls “passenger revenue per available seat mile.”
Passengers who want to check two bags for their trip, will have to pay $40 to do so. On a positive note, fees to check your dog have not increased, staying at $150 this year.
The carrier also announced it will cut its workforce by 8 percent, and flight capacity will also be reduced 8 percent compared to a year ago.";
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US Airways
About 1,800 jobs will be cut at US Airways this year. Most of the route reductions will come from night flying at the airline's Las Vegas operation, which will be eliminated on Sept. 2.
The carrier will also charge fees for cashing in those frequent flier miles. And for tickets purchased after July 9, expect to pay $15 for the first bag checked and another $25 for the second bag. And quenching your thirst will be pricey starting on Aug. 1 when the company implements a $2 charge for beverages. Java heads make out better paying $1 for a cup of Joe.
US Airways was not as forthcoming on how much the carrier has raised its domestic roundtrip fares, but according to industry reports, the hike was up to $30 per flight.";
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Southwest
If you want to take a second valise on your trip, or enjoy a bag of peanuts or sip tomato juice, you may be happy to hear that Southwest’s motto appears to be don’t “nickel and dime” passengers. The carrier has no bag fees -- and has made a big deal about this in its marketing lately. Snacks and drinks onboard are still free, too.
The workers might be a bit more cheery than employees at other airlines because Southwest is the only major carrier that has not announced layoffs this year.
On the negative side, Southwest, like all the other airlines out there, upped fares this year, between $15 to $30, or between about 5 percent to 20 percent. And it cut 282 departures from certain U.S. markets, but added 354 departures in other markets and routes.";
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Delta
Passengers who pay big bucks for First and Business class tickets or travel extensively on Delta, will get a pass when they check up to three bags. But everybody else will have to pay $25 for a second bag checked, and $3 per bag checked at the curb for skycap services.
The carrier announced a reduction of 2,000 jobs in March, but ended up seeing 4,000 workers take advantage of its early retirement offer. Domestic route capacity is expected to drop 13 percent during the second quarter of this year, compared to last year, while international flights will be up 14 percent.
Delta would not discuss its domestic fare increases, but industry sources have reported that hikes are between $20 and $30 for roundtrip tickets.
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Northwest
At Northwest, award travel may not be as rewarding. You’ll have to pay a $25 charge for cashing in your frequent flier miles for tickets issued on or after Sept. 15. And just like many of its competitors, expect to pay $40 for two bags checked.
This month, the company announced it was cutting 2,500 jobs, and it plans to reduce capacity by between 8.5 percent and 9.5 percent in the final quarter, compared a year ago.
Northwest did not immediately disclose its fare hikes for this year, but reports have said the carrier has increased fares as much as 10 percent on some flights.";
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Continental
Continental is charging passengers $25 for a second checked bag. There’s good news for parents, however. No charge for car seats or strollers. Also, all non-alcoholic beverages are complimentary.
The carrier announced it would cut 3,000 jobs. But in what might be a employee morale boosting move, the company’s CEO declined to take a salary for the remainder of the year. It also plans to slash domestic departures by 16 percent year over year.
As far as fares, Continental has been seesawing a bit lately, implementing a $40 hike in round-trip fares, then retreating, then reinstating it again in June, according to farecompare.com.";
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AirTran
If you’re bringing a second bag on your AirTran flight, it pays to go cyber. If you check that second bag online, you only pay $10 -- as opposed to $20 if you do it at the airport.
The layoffs seemed to be a bit smaller at this carrier, with only 480 jobs to be cut by September. Route reductions are more extensive, at about 9 percent this year, compared to last.
AirTran did not immediately answer questions about the fare hikes it made this year, but in May the carrier reportedly implemented a $30 increase on all its leisure travel tickets.";
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United
If you’re traveling after Aug. 18 on United and want to take your scuba equipment along it will cost you an extra $25 on top of the $100 the carrier had been charging for special items like a surf board or vaulting pole. First and second bags checked will also cost you $40 total.
United announced it plans to slash 7,000 positions by the end of 2009. Cutbacks at the airline also included suspending service of its low-cost carrier Ted, eliminated 50 flights, and about 2,500 layoffs.
United would not discuss specific fare hikes other than to say, “we led about one third of nearly 50 broad-based fare and fuel surcharge actions in the first half of the year.” News reports say the company increased its roundtrip fares by $20 to $40.";
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JetBlue
Workers at JetBlue are probably pretty happy because there were “zero” layoffs this year. But fliers might be feeling a bit of a pinch with fares climbing between 5 percent and 10 percent on average. Also passengers checking a second bag have to pay $20; and there’s curbside check in fee of $2.
Some of the route reductions this year include Salt Lake City to San Francisco and Burbank, as well as Tucson, Columbus and Nashville service being shut down completely.
You may also want to think about booking your tickets online or else you’ll end up paying $15 per person if you call JetBlue to book your reservations.";
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