Discuss the mechanics of travel with most folks, and the talk inevitably turns to fees. Sometimes you actually can feel the room heating up as travelers rail against having to pay extra to choose a seat, change a flight, carry on a bag (or check one) or pony up the dreaded "resort fee" at a hotel. And the higher those fees are, the more the temperature rises.
But there are a different class of fees that some travelers pay willingly, even with delight: those that get travelers to the front of the line. "I always pay extra to board the plane as early as I can to make sure that I get settled for my flight and to make sure that my suitcase has a place in the overhead bin," said Bryan Landrine, an assistant director for network television shows in Los Angeles. "It takes me a couple minutes to 'set up' for my flight, and then I'll have everything I'll need at my fingertips in the seat pocket."
He's not alone. Many find the perk worth the money. "I find the minimal-ish price is worth feeling a little bit 'pampered' and takes the edge off traveling," says television producer Joan Rater. "Lines and waiting can make it feel like you need a vacation after your vacation."
Others choose the option only for carriers they feel to be especially problematic. Elizabeth Heath, a book editor based in Italy, said: "I have paid for early boarding on Ryanair, because otherwise it's open boarding - a bunch of people are crushed into the gate area, and then there's a stampede to get up the stairs to the plane to get a good seat." New York City actress Kate Konigiser pays extra to jump the line at BoltBus. "It's totally worth it to board first and to know I will have a window seat on the top deck," she says.
What's intriguing, to me at least, is that none of the people I spoke with blamed the travel providers for creating a situation that was so uncomfortable that they had to pay more just to avoid it.
That, I think, will change if fees rise. And they already are for some segments of the industry. Just this week, Carnival Cruise Lines announced that it would near double their fees for boarding early, its "Faster to the Fun" program, from a maximum of $49.95-$59.95 to $79.95 (the price can vary by length of cruise). A few months ago, Southwest Airlines raised its early-boarding fee 20 percent (from $12.50 to $15). It seems likely that other airlines will follow suit (usually when one ups a fee, the others follow). Meanwhile, according to the NYU School of Professional Studies, the international hotel industry collected a record amount in fees for 2015: $2.55 billion, up 4.1 percent from the year before. The vast majority of income was from resort fees, but some was from a growing number of early check-in fees.
Frankly, I'm too much of a curmudgeon to pay for the privilege of going early. I just don't want to hand over a cent more than I have to when traveling for such basics as transportation and a place to lay my head. I'm frugal on those items so I can splurge on the activities that really matter to me, like going to the theater, museum-entry fees, great meals, walking tours, ziplining and more.
But if they introduced a fee to be first OFF the plane ... well, I might bite on that one.
Note to the reader: Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip. The information in this column was accurate when it was released, but prices are competitive, sometimes limited and can always change without notice.
Pauline Frommer is the Editorial Director for the Frommer Travel Guides and Frommers.com. She co-hosts the radio program The Travel Show with her father, Arthur Frommer and is the author of the best-selling Frommer's EasyGuide to New York City.
