Travelers who value such comforts as legroom, a checked bag, a blanket to keep warm, dinner or sitting beside their loved ones during a flight are a goldmine for airlines.
Airlines this year will turn those preferences into a record $57 billion this year, according to a study on carriers' fees that was released Monday.
In total, airlines around the world will bring in a record $82.2 billion in fees to passengers and revenue from selling frequent flier miles to banks, among other sources aside from ticket costs, said the study by consulting firm IdeaWorks Company and online car-rental site Cartrawler. The amount is more than triple the sum of airlines' ancillary revenue in 2010, according to the study.