Want a window seat? Pay more on some flights

It was a redeye flight from Denver to Washington, D.C. and I wanted a window so I could slump over and get some sleep before work.

I had a ticket on a United Airlines flight that was the second leg of a trip booked though U.S. Airways, so I couldn't get a seat assignment until I arrived at the gate. When a gate agent got the podium around 11 p.m., I requested a window seat.

She asked me for $41.

"Sorry?"

"A window seat is considered an upgrade," she replied, with a hint that anybody who's boarded a plane would know that's a given.

The charges from major airlines around the world are starting to add up these days. It's not uncommon to pay extra for in-flight snacks on domestic flights, and some carriers abroad charge to check bags or even give you a pillow.

But paying extra for a window seat? There is now such a thing as Economy Plus on United; has been since 2004. The latter has more foot room, and apparently a window.

I didn't pay the $41, mostly from principle, and exhaustion. She held onto my boarding pass until the flight was about to leave, handed it back and said there was nothing she could do. I was still on the aisle on 13D. When the plane door closed I simply moved to the empty exit row, stretched out over the two empty seats and got some sleep.

When I returned I e-mailed the company for an explanation.

United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski Janikowski said she'd checked with the boarding agent and what I was told was correct. I'd paid for an economy seat, and the economy window seats were gone. Only Economy Plus window seats were open, and people decided to fork over the extra money.

So what's an air traveler to do? Get ready to open your wallet, apparently.

Tacking on costs

David Stempler of the Air Travelers Association said airline passengers demanding cheaper and cheaper seats have to be careful about what they wish for.

"The problem is not the airline. It's the passenger. We tell them we want low fares. We have seen the enemy, and it's us. It's all dollars and cents."

Stempler said U.S. airlines are looking at foreign companies for ideas. Paying extra for checking luggage may be coming. In the United Kingdom, low-cost carrier Ryanair charges extra for checked baggage. Ryanair has noticed its planes are lighter, and fuel costs have gone down.

Stempler says that passengers have been paying for luggage service in the ticket price for years. He said that breaking off the cost could lower everyone's ticket price.

Air Canada has been charging passengers for pillows and blankets that come in a sealed plastic bag. The fact that they're fresh and kept sealed could be good for people with hygiene concerns.

Food is no longer being routinely served on U.S. flights — even the long ones. I recently bought a $5 lunchbox onboard a four-hour flight.

Changes are also coming at the high end that may help those at the back of the cabin. The airlines are starting to open up their luxuries to the economy classes, too. One-time passes are being offered to the private lounges (that usually cost hundreds of dollars a year) for $50 in limited airports.