Airline amenities flying off the radar
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He points out that even the best frequent fliers have to pay for premium coach seats on Northwest. On United, they don't.

If amenities do continue to disappear or cost more, he expects competition to send some consumers to discount carriers that offer attractive amenities such as satellite TV and a third free-baggage allowance.

Competition will keep fees from getting too much worse, he says, noting that airline doomsayers tend to forget about the competition factor. "You don't compete to see how bad you can get."

The trend toward charging for extras has happened before and will even out again, he says. His prediction for the airline industry: "The forecast is full planes and a return to amenities."

How much worse could it get?
If leg room, food and movies have a price tag, it makes sense that other once-free services might soon come with one, too. Some freebies the experts think might cease to be free include:

• Curbside check-in. Legacy carriers could charge around $2 per bag, says Miller. (American Airlines has already started the practice.)
• Beverages. Trippler predicts legacy carriers will charge for sodas, juice and bottled water at $1 to $2.
• Checked baggage. Trippler expects consumers to pay somewhere around $2 to $5 per bag. He says the fee will probably cause people to pack more into their carry-on luggage, leading to stricter enforcement of carry-on baggage limits or perhaps fees for carry-on luggage.

Most of the fees consumers will just stomach, Trippler says, noting that consumers have been conditioned to pay fees. Consumers generally pay $15 more to buy tickets at the airport versus buying them on the Web, and they'll also pay a premium for paper tickets. On some airlines, they've already gotten used to paying for junk food, sometimes paying $5 for a snack box full of junk food. Likening the fees to once-free furniture delivery, he says, "Consumers will accept it as they have everything else."

If you're thinking that the American airlines are treating loyal customers unfairly, consider that other parts of the world have similar airline woes. In Europe for example, airlines such as EasyJet charge a premium for purchasing airline tickets with a credit card. Evidently there's a charge for charging.

Let's make that lemonade
Even the experts can only guess about the future of airline amenities. In the meantime, however, try these surefire ways to save on amenities.

• Shift your weight. If you must pack a lot of items and are worried about paying extra, try splitting the weight up among your suitcases, says Miller. With the limit at 50 pounds per bag, divide your items and weigh them until they are under the limit. Some airlines, such as Southwest, allow you to check in three bags for free, so check your airline's Web site for details then distribute the weight among your bags accordingly.