Packing a few extra swim shorts this summer is about to get even more expensive with airlines announcing new rounds of baggage fees.

Always striving to be ahead of the riff-raff, fee pioneer United Airlines announced that starting June 10 it will begin charging $20 for the first checked bag, $25 for the second. Passengers who pay the fees in advance online can still get the old “deal,” $15 and $20, respectively.

That move trumps US Airways, which will unroll the same fee structure, but not until July 9. And in a new twist, Air Jamaica will begin charging passengers traveling between New York and Grenada or Barbados  $25 for a second checked bag. Oh, did I mention that second bag is guaranteed to arrive only at some undetermined point within the next week? And, yeah, you have to return to the airport to pick it up yourself. 

If you think you can get out of paying fees by traveling with a carry-on only, think again. Ireland’s irascible Ryanair (they of the proposed fat tax) will introduce an online check-in fee of £5/€5 as of May 20. But if you don’t check in online, that will be €40/£40, guv’nor.

These fees aren’t going anywhere but up, folks—the U.S. Transportation Department reported this week that airlines made $1.1 billion from luggage fees alone in 2008. And so far, although there has been lots of wingeing, consumers aren’t changing their flying habits: It’s still all about price, price, price, even if that cheap flight sees you ponying up at the baggage counter. As aviation expert Julie Johnsson said this week, “You don’t leave money on the table.”

So how do these fees make you feel about flying? Take our poll (you’ll find it in about halfway down the page on the right), and let us know in the comments section below what fees would change your travel habits.

Hello, my lovelies! Welcome to the latest installment of Friday Favorites, TravelMusing’s round-up of the best of the old Interwebs.

Can I just tell you that Friday Favorites is the best time of my week? I get to log on to some super-awesome Web sites and wish myself far, far away from the maddening crowd … of my children.

Children love to travel, too, and one wandering mama lists the top five ways you can tell your kid is a pro. Meg’s excellent blog was on hiatus for awhile while she and her brood relocated to the wilds of Hartford, Conn., but she’s back online and back in the saddle. Good to see you, Meg! – Backpack to Buggy

Sometimes, in fact, kids hold their — uh, stuff — together better than the grown-ups do. Just ask this poor guy, whose tummy upset got him arrested after a dust-up over the business-class loo on trip home from the Honduras. Talk about a — wait for it — crappy flight! – Tripso

One of my favorite family-travel blogs got a make-over recently, and to celebrate, the author is heading out of town without the kids. Take a gander at Mara’s new digs, and remind yourself why sometimes it’s good just to be a grown-up, and not a parent. – The Mother of All Trips

Looking for a great destination to go solo for awhile? Read this review of the Moon Guidebook for Thailand and interview of its author, Suzanne Nam, and do some dreaming—or go ahead and plan a trip. Recession? What recession? – Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site

Speaking of the recession, did you know that you might be getting a refund on that pricey plane ticket you bought before airlines started dropping their prices? Yup, that means cash in your pocket before you hit the continent. – The Brooklyn Nomad

I do love spending time trolling for the best of the best travel blogs, but it’s always good to have another perspective of what’s hot and what’s not. So do this blogger a solid and send me some of your good stuff, travel-style.

C’mon, you know you want to. Don’t be a hater. Send me your Friday faves to editor AT travelmusings DOT com.

All the goodwill engendered by hero pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger drained out of my heart when I saw the latest attempt for airlines to thwart customers.

United Airlines decided this week to do away with a call center dedicated to customer complaints, and instead will force disgruntled fliers to submit an e-mail or letter detailing their problem or issue.

Outrageous.

I’m sorry, I know times are tight, but what next? Seats? Toilets? Airlines have cut almost every single amenity that makes flying bearable, including the number of personnel on-board flights and in airports.

It is nearly impossible to have a positive experience in the air now. You’re lucky if you even have a mediocre experience. I’ve actually stopped flying with my children—even passing up a chance to go to Mexico for a week, for free—because I couldn’t bear the idea of getting on a plane with my son and daughter.

Last time I flew, the airline seated me and my then-3-year-old in different rows, despite my clear instructions not to. And then, when we got to the airport, the attendant told me, “I can’t help you with that,” forcing me to ask a stranger to move so I could tend to my toddler.

You bet your bippy I called the complaint line. I didn’t get much satisfaction beyond telling someone off, but still, there was a human on the other end.

Now? I can just see the “complaint room” at United Airlines: a huge warehouse of stacks and stacks of unopened mail, and one computer terminal endlessly pinging with unanswered e-mails.

I just can't help but feel that this is the airline industry's way of thumbing its nose at customers. Who are, by the way, the only reason airlines stay in business.

Last week, JetBlue Airways ratcheted up the rewards for its JetPaws program for fliers traveling with their trusty pet buddy. Previously, JetBlue awarded double mileage for travelers with pets. Since Dec. 15, the program now doles out two bonus frequent-flier points on every flight people are accompanied by a canine or feline pal.

Photo courtesy of JetBlue Airways

JetBlue charges $100 each way per traveling pet, and only one pet is allowed per customer (with a few exceptions). But that doesn’t mean that everyone can bring their buddy on a flight. Only four pets total are allowed per flight, so call early.

In addition, JetPaws provides a free pet travel guide, which includes tips for pet jetting and etiquette, as well as a list of pet-friendly hotels and restaurants once you get to your destination. Don’t have a stylin’ carrier for Fido? You can buy one for smaller pets, plus a pet travel kit and collar in JetPaws’ online shop.

My personal request is that they add a cool carrier for larger dogs like me, or at least allow us to have our own seat in First Class. What? It could happen!

You’re flying during the holidays to see family. On the day of your departure, you run down the list:

Tickets—check.

Toothbrush—check.

Carry-on, complete with 1-quart bag for liquids—check.

Gifts for everyone—check.

All you need to do is park, check in and get through security. As you pull up to your tried-and-true long-term parking garage, you see it: the sign that says “Lot Full.” Other lots have the same sign, and now you’re in a panic. You finally decide to suck it up and park in short-term parking and just worry about the bill when you return.

You can avoid this nightmare by using aboutairportparking.com the next time you plan to fly during peak times. Pick your airport (from a list of 107 U.S. and Canadian airports) and the time you’ll be gone, and you’ll get a list of parking lots with available space—along with their prices, distances from the airport and other services they offer. Some lots will even allow you to reserve a space in advance.

Holiday travel can be a hassle, but preparing in advance can get you through it all like a champ.

Just in time for the holidays, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has added the popular “family lanes” to every airport in the United States. Before the recent expansion, 48 airports participated in the Diamond Self-Select program, which provides lanes for families, travelers who are unfamiliar with checkpoint procedures, and travelers who must carry medically necessary liquids, gels and aerosols that exceed the current 3-ounce limit.

The TSA had planned to expand the program to all airports by Nov. 20, a week before Thanksgiving, in an attempt to increase passenger security as well as convenience, according to TSA administrator Kip Hawley. “Passengers have clearly demonstrated their preference to go at their own pace.” Officers working in the dedicated family lanes will work with travelers to go through security checkpoints quickly and efficiently.

Individuals traveling with liquids, gels and aerosols within 3-1-1 limits will experience no change to their screening procedures.

This week, Southwest Airlines announced that they will be partnering in a service agreement with Mexican carrier Volaris. The goal of this partnership is to provide “more low fares and a better customer experience across the U.S./Mexican border,” according to a Southwest press release. The airlines stated that they planned to announce codeshare flight schedules and other features about the partnership by early 2010; however, there are still certain details of the codeshare and partnership that need to be approved by both U.S. and Mexican governments. As early as spring 2009, customers will be able to purchase travel on Volaris from southwest.com.  

Volaris was founded in 2006 and services 23 destinations throughout Mexico. Although the airline is the country’s youngest, it already has a great reputation as Mexico’s most modern and most punctual carrier. The average age of the carrier’s 19-airplane fleet is less than 3 years old, meaning that a Volaris traveler is nearly guaranteed a nice, new plane. The airlines both hope that this partnership will allow both airlines to get passengers and their luggage to a variety of over the border destinations.

Both airlines hope that “the codeshare will allow business, leisure and visiting friends and family traffic to increase on both sides of the border,” according to Volaris chief executive officer Enrique Beltranena. Other ways that Volaris and Southwest plan to partner include frequent flier options, cargo and ground handling.

Recently, Southwest announced plans to do a codeshare with Canadian domestic carrier WestJet. Although details of that partnership are still in the works, Southwest Airlines executive vice president of strategy and planning, Bob Jordan, says that the airline will continue to “work diligently in order to expand our international codeshare even further.”

With plans like these in the works, count on increased efficiency and options when traveling both north and south of the border. Looks like Southwest’s new slogan should read, “You are now free to move about the continent.”

Advertising is everywhere in airports—from billboards in parking lots to ads on jetways. Now you can add the bottom of plastic bins at security checkpoints to the list.

After a yearlong pilot program in 14 airports (including Los Angeles International Airport and Denver International Airport), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is allowing airports to sell the bin space as a way to get new equipment at checkpoints. The agency requires that the ad revenue must be used to provide the airports with new plastic bins and metal tables for passengers to use while they load and unload their carry-on belongings for screening, as well as pay for new carts that screeners use to transport stacks of bins from place to place. The TSA saves money by not purchasing the equipment itself.

In order to get approval to sell the advertising, airports must first show the TSA how the new equipment will make security checkpoints more efficient. In the first six months of the pilot program at LAX, the TSA saved $250,000 on carts, tables and bins.

What does this mean for you? Well, besides the new advertising staring at you from the bottom of the bin (Zappos has already bought some of the ads), the additional bins and carts for screeners to transport them more quickly may just result in speeding passengers through security checkpoints. I’m all for that.