It isn't just that fuel costs are rising, it is that they fuel needed to make the trip has increased. This is because fuel calculations were once made with a much lower assumed average weight per passenger. The average passenger now weighs as much a passenger and their luggage used to. Instead of charging people directly for bringing extra weight on the plane and charging only those people, the airlines decided to punish everyone.

The fees the airline charges are highway robbery when I can't even be assured that I will receive my entire seat instead of having some enormous guy take up half of it.

Seriously, there is no reason to enjoy flying anymore. There just isn't. You have to show up way too early to go through tons of screening that has a high failure rate and thus doesn't make us any safer; you get to have less luggage; you get to pay for snacks on the plane; and then coach wedges you up against obese customers.

I remember when your family could still come up and greet you at the terminal...