How people who don't pay ancillary fees end up paying anyway

When travelers complain about the rise of airline fees, the carriers rolling out the fees like to point out that the charges are strictly optional. No one’s being forced to pay for anything they don’t want, they say. Nonetheless, it’s the travelers who don’t pay up who often pay a price for all sorts of perfectly “voluntary” airline fees.

Here’s a look at some of the ways airline travel is getting worse for passengers who don’t want to pay extra fees—and sometimes even for passengers who do cough up extra cash as well.