While I like to whine about American’s new $15 fee for the first checked bag, that’s really just an annoyance–I doubt too many attendees will decide this is the fee that broke the camel’s back and cancel their trips. (Check out these “sneaky” fees, though–we might be getting close.)

No, what’s scary, as opposed to annoying, is an anticipated further reduction in flight service to various cities–possibly your next meeting destination? While mergers and bankruptcies are the likely culprits, sky-high fuel costs can only add to the problem. Rising costs, reduced flights, and increasing travel hassles are not making your meeting look more attractive, that’s for sure. Is it time to start working on more attrition strategies? How can a planner, particularly an association planner booking destinations several years out, begin to guess which cities will be reachable and affordable for their constituents in 2015? How do you work the airline situation into your risk-reduction scenario?

Oh well, at least we can get up to $800 for getting bumped off that overcrowded, overpriced, fee-laden flight to a city somewhere in the vicinity of where we want to go. Can we call that progress?

I wasn’t going to chime in on American’s great new idea of further nickel and diming passengers with its new $15 fee for the first checked bag, but I can’t resist. Personally, I’d rather they just add to the ticket cost than tack on a bunch of fees, even though it would mean people like me who seldom check a bag end up paying more than we would otherwise.

First it was hotels charging separate fees for everything from baggage handling to in-room safes (we won’t go into resort fees–life is too short), then it was taxis (and everyone else) adding fuel surcharges, and now the airlines. Sheesh, they get you coming, going, and everywhere in between.

Who said travel wasn’t still glamorous?