"What? $8 for a pillow and blanket?"

I know I've been writing quite a few posts related to airlines and flying recently. It's a tough subject to avoid while perusing timely travel news since flying is such an important (and often controversial price-wise) element of travel.

Recently, I've shared news about Wi-Fi on a flight, tracking a plane from the ground, and now the fundamental topic of flying: prices.

According to this USA TODAY article, flight fees are up 50% compared to last year. The story, based off an USA TODAY analysis, compares 13 major airlines. The analysis looked at price changes for many items such as checked bags, preferred seating, in-flight snacks and Wi-Fi use. (See JetBlue Wi-Fi article below. Major kudos to them for free Wi-Fi.)

What does this mean to the regular air traveler? We could see a decrease in flight sales in the future. Still, airlines are still raking in the cash--U.S. Airlines brought in $2.1 billion in revenue in this year's second quarter, according to the story. (You can check out the full analysis comparison here.)

I don't think we'll see a major decrease in flying anywhere in the near future. In my opinion, it's too convenient--and even with new fees popping up, air travelers just aren't willing to give it up.