The next airline fee: Paying more to get off a plane faster?

A recent survey found that many fliers would pay an extra fee if it allowed them to get off the plane sooner after landing.

Story by Charisse Jones, USA TODAY
07/09/2012 @ 10:35 AM

Some fliers would pay if it could get them off the plane faster.

That's according to a survey by Airfarewatchdog.com, a fare-tracking site that found 16% of respondents were willing to pay to be at the front of the line when their flight lands. Of that group, 10% would pay $10 and 3% would pay as much as $20.

Many fliers in coach class already pay airlines from $9 to $39 extra to get on flights ahead of others in the boarding process.

"They're willing to pay to board early and sit in those uncomfortable seats, so why wouldn't they pay for the reverse, to get out of those uncomfortable seats?' says George Hobica, Airfarewatchdog's founder. "That would make the whole experience less torturous."

An early exit can also give fliers more time to make their connections. Airlines have gotten better at getting passengers to their destinations on time. In the first four months of this year, major U.S. carriers had an on-time arrival rate of 84.54%, their best performance for that period in 18 years, according to the Transportation Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

But even if their flight's not delayed, passengers often have little cushion to make a connecting flight. Paying a few more dollars to be first off the plane could be an advantage, Hobica says.

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