Airline fees, frequent-flier changes: How much will they help?

News stories and analysis about airlines sprouted like weeds in my garden over the weekend. Here's one I should have posted Friday: Continental became the fifth of the legacy carriers to impose a $15 charge for the first checked bag. Delta is the only holdout now among the Big Six to only charge for the rest of your checked luggage but not the first piece. Do we hear the sound of the other shoe dropping? With the NFL season getting underway yesterday, we also noticed a new round of commercials for Southwest, touting the absence of fees similar to their competitors.

Frequent-flier programs also are changing: USA Today has a good roundup on that topic this morning, noting that Continental and US Airways have taken steps to devalue their programs, a definite trend this year.

In the meantime, United pulled back on an extra cost it wanted to impose: Charging coach passengers for meals on trans-Atlantic flights. Airline Weekly, an excellent newsletter that is sent to us free (annual subscription $695) reports that United got an angry response from customers and flight attendants to the idea (I looked for a United news release on this but it's not on its Web site). No other trans-Atlantic airline charges for meals -- a good policy since it almost certainly keeps down air-rage incidents caused by passengers who didn't bring their own food on a nine-hour flight. It's hard to imagine what might happen if you're required to bring your own, and the folks behind you insist on unwrapping liverwurst-and-onion sandwiches just after takeoff. It's one thing to have those aromas in the cabin for a two-hour trip to Chicago, but try sleeping through it. Give me a bland piece of chicken in a creamy sauce and a plastic fork, please.