From the Travel Desk: Paying extra for comfort in the air

I knew the flight was going to be a long one — I was headed to Romania, with a brief stop in Amsterdam — but still, I dithered. Did I want to fork out an extra $50, on top of the already steep plane ticket fare, for more legroom and a more reclining seat?

I have short legs (I'm 5 feet 2). This seemed like a luxury. (Like an overseas trip wasn't already a luxury.)

I compromised with myself: Instead of paying extra to check a bag, I'd schlep my bag and pay extra for legroom on the flight over. I would not pay extra for legroom on the flight home, but would endure.

(On the flight home: regrets.)

Apparently a lot of you agree with me, according to a new survey released last month by the American Travel Association.

The survey finds that we are both annoyed at having to pay extra fees, and willing to pay them — if we can see clear benefits.

"Travelers remain frustrated by ticket add-ons from which they derive little benefit, such as bag and change fees," the results state.

The numbers showed a majority (62 percent) frustrated with air travel in general; a lesser majority (58 percent) willing to pay up to $4 per ticket to fund airport improvement projects that would reduce delays and other chronic problems; and a hefty majority (72.5 percent) maintaining that having fewer airlines (in light of all the mergers) has not proved to be a good thing.

Fees for simple services such as changing a flight, checking a bag or getting a good seat, drive us a little nuts. Though getting squashed in an inside seat with no legroom on a 12-hour flight from Bucharest to Minneapolis probably drove me even nuttier.

LAURIE HERTZEL

Senior editor/books