20 reasons to hate the airlines

A brief history of the industry's 30-year campaign to nickel-and-dime us nearly to death

Prices Take Off

• And So It Continues
• 1. The Hub System
• 2. Nonrefundable Fares
• 3. The Demise of People Express
• 4. The Disappearance of Legroom
• 5. Frequent-Flyer Gimmickry
• 6. Lunch Is Not Served
• 7. Speak to an Agent? Don't Press 1
• 8. Pay TV
• 9. Pay for Pets
• 10. The Security-Line Confiscation
• 11. Checked-Bag Fees
• 12. Who Took My Blanket?
• 13. VIP for a Day
• 14. All Seats Are Not Created Equal
• 15. Stingy Over Soft Drinks
• 16. Bye-Bye, Standby
• 17. Carry-On Luggage
• 18. Surcharges on Peak Travel Days
• 19. The Cut-in-Line Charge
• 20. Pay Toilets

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(nĭk'əl-ən-dīm') Informal.
adj.

1. Involving or paying only a small amount of money: a nickel-and-dime job.
2. Minor; small-time: "a nickel-and-dime operation run out of a single borrowed room" (New York).

v., nick·el-and-dimed, or nick·eled-and-dimed, nick·el-and-dim·ing, or nick·el·ing-and-dim·ing, nick·el-and-dimes, or nick·els-and-dimes. v.intr.
To spend very little money.

v.tr.

1. To drain or destroy bit by bit, especially financially: nickel-and-dimed the project to death.
2. To accumulate in small amounts: "nickel-and-diming a substantial bankroll together" (Newsweek).