While some airlines add fees, Southwest flies high

Flying, in most cases, isn’t much fun these days.

Grumpy Editor, grumbling about “nickel and dime” airlines --- constantly flying at lower PR altitudes as they institute new fees almost weekly --- got a hearty laugh on seeing an editorial cartoon by Steve Benson of The Arizona Republic.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated cartoonist sketched a flight attendant demonstrating a life-saving device while informing passengers in a packed aircraft:  “In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, an oxygen mask will drop from the compartment above your head.  For $15.00 you can activate it…”

That might not be too far fetched the way some airline executives, with minds in the cumulus, are thinking.

So, as some airlines are dropping snacks altogether while others are charging passengers for baggage and other services that once were included in the ticket price, it was refreshing to see a Southwest Airlines full-page ad Tuesday that emphasizes:

No 1st or 2nd checked bag fees
No change fees
No fuel surcharges
No snack fees
No aisle or window seat fees
No curbside check-in fees
No phone reservation fees

That same list of “no fees” appears at Southwest’s Web site, where the airline also proclaims:

“We despise fees as much as the other airlines seem to love them. So we'll just keep taking care of you, rather than charging fees for the stuff that should come with your fare in the first place. We believe in not asking you to pull out your wallet every few minutes.”

(Applause.)