Airlines Add Fees _ And Some Fees On Top Of Fees

— If you want to select an exit row seat on AirTran and enjoy the extra legroom, expect to cough up $20.

— Allegiant Air, a smaller national discount airline, charges a $13.50 "convenience fee" for online purchases, even though most other carriers encourage purchases direct from their Web site.

— European discounter Ryanair charges for something everyone has to do if they want to fly: check in. It's 5 euros, or about $6.75, to check in online, double for passengers who pay at the airport. Ryanair plans to eliminate airport check-in desks.

— Spanish airline Vueling charges a fee to pick a seat. Any seat at all. A "basic" seat behind the wing runs 3 euros. For 30 euros, travelers can choose an aisle or window seat and guarantee that the middle seat will remain empty.

"They need to chill out with those," said a frustrated Jim Engineer, a public relations executive waiting for a flight out of New York's LaGuardia. "Charging for a glass of water and seats just translates into unhappy customers."

As recently as last year, most fliers only came across a fee if they checked three bags or sent a minor child across the country. Most people, most of the time, traveled fee-free.