A la carte pricing in airlines - pillows and blankets on the menu now

In yet another move by airlines in the face of rising fuel costs, Jetblue has announced that it will be charging $ 7 for a pillow and blanket: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/business/05pillow.html

As airlines try to come up with creative ways to charge travelers money, it seems that travelers will now have to shell out money at every step of their journey – from paying more for booking fees to checking bags to getting drinks on the plane!

For airlines grappling with rising costs, this might help generate some additional revenue, but at the cost of inconvenience for the travelers. This will not only make the headline fare seem much lower than what travelers will actually end up paying but also force them to take their wallet out every time they want something. This string of additional fees for once-free services will undoubtedly infuriate most passengers.

In the airline industry, where no service can be taken for granted anymore, one can only wonder which “luxury” will be the next one to go away! Or like all things, will this come a full circle back to full service all-inclusive airlines?