That same phrase, uttered with more alarm and less wonderment, easily describes the fat package of fees most of the nation’s airlines are imposing on their customers.

Born of escalating fuel prices and nurtured by a declining economy, those fees, hidden in the fine print on airlines’ Web sites, can easily add 20 to 50 percent or more to the price of a trip for those who are unaware of their existence.

Infrequent fliers whose last trip to the airport was in 2007 will find a whole new world awaiting them from the time they reserve their flight until the time they claim their luggage after the return flight.

Those fees of $5 here and $20 there add up to big numbers for cash-strapped airlines.

Delta Air Lines, which held out for months from joining other major carriers with a $15 fee for the first checked bag, recently announced it was imposing that fee. The incentive? An estimated $500 million in additional revenue.

“The increase in bags being carried on board Delta aircraft this year tells us that customers are not differentiating Delta as the only major airline not charging for a first checked bag,” said Steve Gorman, the airline’s chief operating officer in announcing the new fees early last month.

Many passengers simply are unaware of the new fees or don’t see them as a deterrent to travel on their favorite carrier.

“We were unaware of those extra fees until we got to the airport,” said Amber Young of Las Vegas after she checked in recently at Sea-Tac Airport. “The baggage charges weren’t a consideration,” said Young, who checked two bags. “But they may be in the future. We just picked the lowest fare.”

The new fees have not only added costs to flying, but they’ve also made the hitherto simple task of finding the least-expensive fare between home and a distant destination an exercise worthy of a CPA.

Simply entering the date and destination in a travel Web site might still give you the lowest cost for a ticket, but it won’t necessarily give you the lowest total cost.

Consider this example.

We’re comparing nonstop flights between Sea-Tac and Phoenix leaving in the morning of Dec. 22 and returning the evening of the 27. The airfares were the least expensive available at midweek on each of two airlines’ Web sites for nonstop flights at comparable times of day.

We’re using two airlines at the opposite ends of the fee spectrum, Southwest Airlines and US Airways.

Southwest has taken a well-advertised “no fees’ approach, not charging for the first two checked bags, for refreshments, curbside check-in, phone reservations or many of the other services for which other carriers are now charging extra.

US Airways has pioneered what it calls “a la carte” pricing, posting charges for check-in luggage, refreshments and even coffee served aboard. US Airways is even contemplating selling pillows and blankets, following the example of JetBlue Airways.

Each airline claims its approach is superior, US Airways because it charges customers for just the services they use, not those they don’t.

In announcing a list of new fees, US Airways President Scott Kirby said the airline needed to find new revenue sources.

“We simply must adapt to the current environment and transform our business by generating new sources of revenue and adding fees to better offset our costs. The ‘pay for what you choose and use’ model ensures that only the customers that want such services bear those costs. While new and different, this model ensures that competitive and affordable travel remains intact across our system,” he said.

COMPARING PRICES

Southwest claims certain services should be part of the airfare package, not extras.

For the sake of this comparison, let’s assume you’re loaded up with luggage full of Christmas presents, two bags. Let’s also assume that you like to sit on the aisle near the front of the plane for a quick exit on landing. We’ll also say you check your bags at the curb instead of inside at the counter. While you’re aboard for the three-hour flights, you drink a soda and eat a snack each way.

So here’s how it works out:

US AIRWAYS

Basic fare: $417.

Two checked bags: $40 each way for a total of $80.

Curbside check-in at each airport: $4.

Aisle seat near the front: $5 each way for a total of $10.

Drink and snack: $7 each way for a total of $14.

Grand total: $525.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

Basic fare: $512.

Two checked bags: $0.

Curbside check-in: $0.

Aisle seat near the front: $0 if you check in early.

Drink and snack: $0.

Grand total: $512.

Under those circumstances, US Airways’ $95 advantage turns into a $13 disadvantage compared with low-fee Southwest.

But wait. Change a few details, and the advantage shifts back to US Airways.

For instance, say you’re satisfied with an aisle seat farther back in the plane. You can reserve those at no charge on US Airways, while at Southwest you’ll just have to take your chances because Southwest doesn’t reserve seats. You could also roll you bags inside, forgo the snack and check only a single bag.

COMPARING SERVICE

That reduces US Airways’ total to $451, a price advantage over Southwest of $61.

Though both airlines will get you from Seattle to Phoenix, their services aren’t identical. Southwest, for instance, doesn’t have assigned seats, though it has refined its system for queuing up passengers on a first-come, first-serve basis. It has also added what it calls “Business Select” fares which, among other things, puts you in the front part of the line to grab seats after you enter the plane. Business Select fares also include frequent-flier benefits, a free alcoholic drink and other amenities, all for an extra charge.

Southwest offers free soft drinks and small snacks, services for which US Airways charges, but it doesn’t offer meals, even for extra bucks.

And while Southwest has free checked baggage service, it doesn’t exchange bags with other carriers, so if you’ve booked a trip that includes multiple carriers along with Southwest, you’ll have to reclaim your bags at a midpoint in you trip and check them in with the other carrier. US Airways and most other major carriers will transfer the bags to your next airline for you.

Dallas-based Southwest offers free phone reservations, but its least-expensive fares, called “Ding” fares, are only available on the Web, not through telephone agents.

Southwest planes are all-coach. US Airways offers first class at a considerable bump in price.

WEIGHING ALL FACTORS

Seating can be a critical issue for some travelers.

Sally and J. Michael Shaffer picked Midwest Airlines for their trip from Kansas City to Seattle and back over rival Southwest because they could pick seats with better legroom on Midwest. Sally Shaffer has had knee and hip replacement surgery, so the seat configuration is of prime importance on a flight of more than three hours.

“I can remember when they didn’t have any of the fees they have now and they served fine meals,” she said, “but if the extra money goes toward making sure the airline is safe and reliable, it’s worth the extra cost.”

Southwest, the nation’s original and largest “low-fare” carrier has an enviable reputation for on-time flights and few customer complaints, but while US Airways in the past struggled with several holiday baggage handling meltdowns, it has improved its performance markedly.

It behooves air travelers looking to keep their costs of travel low to consider not only the ticket cost but the plethora of extra fees that airlines are rolling out.

Eight rules for avoiding sky-high travel costs

1. Plan ahead: Many airline and travel service sites now offer “low-fare calendars” that show fare levels to your destination a few days or weeks surrounding your target arrival date. If you’re flexible, you can save 50 percent or more on a coach airfare by picking the least-traveled days with the lowest fares.

On the site for SeaTac’s Alaska Airlines, for instance, the airline’s low-fare calendar shows the lowest price for a two-day trip to Los Angeles leaving Jan. 4 and returning Jan. 6 is $390 including taxes. Move the trip one day later with a departure on Jan. 5 and return on the Jan. 7, and the fare drops to $159 with taxes.

If you’re not sure the fare you’re booking is a good buy, consult MSN’s Farecast. Farecast tells you based on historic data if the fare is lower or higher than normal and advises you whether to buy now or wait until the fares drop further.

2. Book tickets on the airlines’ Web sites: Other travel sites add small fees usually $5 to $8 to the price of a ticket to book a flight. The same goes for travel agents. Some travelers, however, think the extra advice and service they receive from in-person and Internet travel agencies is worth the extra cost.

Phone reservations on all airlines but Southwest incur an extra fee ranging from $10 to $35. The same fees often apply as well at the airport for a person-to-person purchase.

3. Don’t change your nonrefundable ticket once you’ve booked it: Most of the major airlines charge $150 for those changes. Southwest will change your ticket for nothing. Alaska charges $75 as does its West Coast competitor Virgin America. International change fees are even dearer, $250 in some cases.

4. Travel light: Most of the major airlines including longtime holdout Delta, now charge for all checked luggage. Fees typically are $15 for the first bag and $25 for the second. And that’s each way. Southwest has no extra fees for the first two checked bags. Alaska, JetBlue, Virgin America and Sun Country have no fees for the first checked bag but charge for the second.

Alaska spokeswoman Marianne Lindsey said the SeaTac-based carrier has no plans to implement a charge for the first checked bag.

“We’re sticking with our policy,” she said. The airline makes exceptions for its customers within the state of Alaska. There, the airline hauls three checked bags for nothing.

“We’re the bus up there, so people bring everything with them,” she said.

No airline imposes fees for carry-on luggage, but remember you can’t carry on liquids or gels in excess of 3 ounces for security reasons.

Weigh any bags you suspect might be over the 50-pound threshold for overweight charges, and redistribute the load to other bags or eliminate some items. Overweight bag charges range as high as $360, though they typically are $50 to $100 each way.

5. If you’re checking bags, do so at the counter though the charge for curbside check-in at the airlines that charge is relatively nominal, typically $2.

6. Use airlines that allow you to pick your seats in advance at no charge: About 40 percent of U.S. carriers now charge more for certain desirable seats, exit rows, aisle or window seats near the front of the plane, for instance.

Those charges range from $5 to $109 depending on the length of the flight, the airline and the configuration of the seats. Some airlines such JetBlue and United offer seats with more legroom for the extra fee.

If you’re buying your seat just a few days before the flight, you might find that airlines without seat selection fees have only a few less desirable seats left. Then the extra $20 may seem worth the expense if your other choice is a middle seat on a coast-to-coast flight.

7. Skip the snack and the beverage: Buy your own at the airport store, or fly with an airline that still features free refreshments. You can buy a beverage at airport stores beyond security and take them aboard, but you won’t get ice and the price could be close to the cost the airlines charge. Remember, too, that some airlines such as Alaska, have converted airborne sales to credit cards only. If you want that snack pack, you’ll have to haul out your Visa card.

8. Fly Continental if you expect a free meal on a long flight: The Houston-based airline is the only one of the major carriers that still provides coach passengers free meals on long flights. All the rest either offer no meals, like Southwest and AirTran, or charge prices ranging from $3 to $11 for food ranging from elaborate packs of crackers and cheeses to warm hamburgers and pasta. Don’t count having the selection you want available. Airlines estimate the need and put aboard only the amount they think they can sell. If you’ve boarded with a planeload of vegetarians, don’t count on their having a Garden Burger when flight attendants reach you in 32B.

John Gillie: 253-597-8663

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