Sure charge.

• Author: Rundles, Jeff
• Position: RUNDLES [wrap-up] - Delivery charge

With Mother's Day approaching last month, I went to my favorite Web-based flower purveyor to take care of both my mother and my mother-in-law. The process, not to mention the intended gesture and sentiment, went off without a hitch.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

But as I was getting to the "checkout" portion of the order, on top of the delivery charge they added a "courier fuel surcharge" of $1.93. No amount of calculation on my bill seemed to indicate where that number came from, each order had a different core cost, and each would also have a different distance from a vendor. I paid a fuel surcharge that was, presumably, some sort of national average.

And, as I have been discovering this spring, I will just have to get used to it. So will you. I recently paid a fuel surcharge of $2 on a taxi ride from some airport to some hotel, it hasn't hit every city yet and I can't remember which of several cities it might have been, but it was a clear indication that the odd taxi-fuel surcharge will soon be the norm everywhere.

On the very day I was hit with the fuel charge on flower delivery, I read in the newspaper that United Airlines will now charge an extra $25 to check a second bag, and then if you want to check a third or more it will cost you another hundred bucks--each. United estimated that this will generate an additional $175 million in revenue every year.

I think they could raise yet another $175 million for the extra bags and the junk people bring in carry-on stuff over the one-bag and one-personal-item limit, but I don't want to give the airlines any ideas. We'll keep that between us.

Then, just a couple of days later, a news story hit the wires that United, Delta and American airlines were increasing fares by $20 each roundtrip to recoup rising fuel costs, and they already have fuel surcharges tacked onto the fares. I also have heard they are considering charging a few dollars more for window, aisle and generous-legroom exit-row seats, not to mention the snack revenue.

To paraphrase George Harrison: If you ride to work I'll surcharge your seat; if you walk to...