davywavy

So true - and now that the knee-jerk hoo-haa is dying down, some reasonable voices are coming forward, as this in the Denver Post:

http://www.denverpost.com/business/c...dustrys-future

"Frontier's fees are a forecast for the industry's future

Frontier is not the first to add fees, but is pioneering the fight against OTAs. "It is probably not any fun to be a Frontier salesperson this week, but all that will settle at some point. If you are a very savvy traveler, you get the hint," Mann said.

If you're a forward-thinking carrier, you spend plenty of money to revamp your website, you give them perks for booking through them directly and penalize those who use other channels," Mann said.

The point of this is to drive passengers to the website, away from the OTAs. Frontier has already dropped Expedia and I would not fall over in shock if it dropped the others when their various contracts come up for renewal.

http://articles.marketwatch.com/2013...te-fee-waivers

"Airlines want you off Expedia, Orbitz - Carriers lure travelers away from travel sites with new perks

Getting the best deal on the price of a plane ticket increasingly comes down to where you book.

Travelers who do buy tickets through the (Frontier) site are exempt from the forthcoming changes, the airline says: They’ll pay nothing for a carry-on, and receive full miles for flights taken."

It isn't rocket science.