NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- This year is shaping up to be the most profitable year for the airline industry in at least a decade. The bad news is that it costs a lot more to visit Mom.
Operating profits for airlines in the United States exceeded $7.1 billion in the first nine months of 2010, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. That tally surpasses the industry's full-year profits going back to at least 1999, when airlines posted income of $6.8 billion over 12 months.
The baggage fees are a way to raise fares without publicizing the raised fares," Pickels said.
And they've been a huge success. The industry collected $2.1 billion in fees during the third quarter alone, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. This includes more than $900 million in baggage fees and nearly $600 million in reservation change fees.