{"id":30504,"date":"2025-06-05T06:31:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T04:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/?p=30504"},"modified":"2025-06-05T06:31:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T04:31:53","slug":"airline-fees-turned-baggage-into-billions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2025\/06\/airline-fees-turned-baggage-into-billions\/","title":{"rendered":"Airline Fees Turned Baggage into Billions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

B2 – Upper Intermediate<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in the days, check-in luggage, seat selection, and meals were free on commercial flights. That was until the UK low-cost carrier FlyBe started charging for check-in baggage. Then, the other airlines started doing the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to today, Air Canada and Southwest added to the list of airlines that charge passengers for check-in luggage.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From extra fees including checked baggage, seat selection, wifi and lounge access, upgrades, and food and drink alone, airlines are\u00a0expected to generate $145 billion this year. This constitutes to\u00a014% of the sector’s total revenues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the article about how airlines are now making billions from charging passengers for check-in luggage and other ancillary fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c0qg3ylx2g9o<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vocabulary Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. What does \u201cgrey area<\/strong>\u201d mean? \u201cHowever, what determines “reasonable requirements” continues to be a grey area<\/strong> in need of an official ruling.<\/em>\u201d Use this expression in a sentence. Give a similar expression.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. What does \u201cancillary<\/strong>\u201d mean? “With Air Canada and Southwest the latest airlines to charge passengers for check-in luggage, the ballooning cost of such <\/em>ancillary<\/em><\/strong> fees is provoking anger among politicians and consumer groups.”<\/em> Use this word in a sentence. Give 2 synonyms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. What does \u201cto follow suit<\/strong>\u201d mean? \u201cOther budget carriers then quickly <\/em>followed suit<\/em><\/strong>, with the so-called flag carriers or established airlines then also doing so, at least on shorter flights.\u201d<\/em> Use this phrase in a sentence. Give a similar expression.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. What is your reaction to and opinion to airlines charging passengers for check-in luggage? Also, share your opinion on airlines making billions from check-in baggage and other extra fees.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Are junk fees from airlines also very common in your country? Talk about it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Share your thoughts on how the rise of the budget airlines contributed to the ballooning of junk fees from airlines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Do you think checked bags, seat selection, and meals should be for free on commercial flights? Explain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. Share your opinion on the huge boom in the sales of carry-on luggage as a result of passengers’ refusal to pay for check-in bags.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      B2 – Upper Intermediate  Back in the days, check-in luggage, seat selection, and meals were free on commercial flights. That was until the UK low-cost carrier FlyBe started charging for check-in baggage. Then, the other airlines started doing the same thing. Fast forward to today, Air Canada and Southwest added to the list of airlines […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[291,162,8710,301,292,289,293],"class_list":["post-30504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homework","tag-b2-upper-intermediate","tag-business","tag-business-and-business-english","tag-business-english","tag-first-certificate-fce","tag-reading","tag-text"],"yoast_head":"\nAirline Fees Turned Baggage into Billions | phone english blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2025\/06\/airline-fees-turned-baggage-into-billions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Airline Fees Turned Baggage into Billions | phone english blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"B2 – Upper Intermediate  Back in the days, check-in luggage, seat selection, and meals were free on commercial flights. 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