
A newly released Bankrate
study about checking account fees found that the associated fees have reached an all-time high. ATM surcharges increased 11 percent from just last year, going from $1.78 to $1.97, fees for bounced checks rose 2.5 percent to $28.95, and monthly service fees on interest bearing accounts increased from $11.72 to $11.97. According to Greg McBride from Bankrate.com, "Fees have been going up for years.

We saw this one coming. The travel industry has been hit by the economy — people are traveling less because their expenses up and jobs aren't as secure as they used to be, and gas prices have caused airlines to barely stay in business. Hotels are a main component of the travel formula, and they're beginning to express their hardships
in the form of fees and fine print.

US Airways may be the only carrier to charge for nonalcoholic drinks, but after reports of
how beneficial the change has been, I wouldn't be surprised if other airlines pick up the policy. Flight attendants
were initially resistant to the pay-for-drinks policy, and now it seems many of them are changing their tune about the $2 rule.
In-flight bathroom lines are shorter because fewer passengers are guzzling beverages, trash collection is less of a hassle, and aisles spend less time being blocked by the beverage cart.

Yes, it's true,
America's friendliest airline is reporting it is not as financially sound
as previously stated. Southwest has announced
it will cut 200 flights in 2009, representing about six percent of its regular daily flight schedule. The reduced schedule won't stop the airline from flying out of the 60 airports it currently uses, but the cuts will reduce frequency of flights on most routes.