ATLANTA -- Fees for checked bags, reservation changes and other services are a bane to fliers these days, but they have become a significant source of revenue.
Delta Air Lines, based in Atlanta, had the highest "ancillary revenues" per passenger in the third quarter among major airlines ranked in a federal report. It brought in $24 a passenger in such revenue, the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics report said.
That was 20 percent more than the next-closest airline, Delta merger partner Northwest Airlines, whose numbers were reported separately.
US Airways came in third at $18.
AirTran Airways, meanwhile, collected only $10 a passenger from such sources, but that money accounted for 11.4 percent of its operating revenue -- the highest in the industry. Delta was second at 9.3 percent.
The revenue measured in the federal report includes baggage fees, reservation-change fees, pet-transportation fees and standby-passenger fees. However, it also includes proceeds from the sale of frequent-flier award miles to marketing partners, which can vary significantly between airlines and might help explain Delta's wide lead over other carriers.
Delta sells miles to its credit-card partner American Express and other partners monthly.
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