Although airlines have raised ticket prices to cushion volatility in jet fuel prices, the real money-maker is in add-on-services-- not just legroom, but checked baggage fees, change fees , and so forth. That's why the airlines have been profitable again starting in 2010 for the first time since the '70s. See http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/28/news/companies/airline_profits_losing_streak.fortune/index.htm