It’s been a rough couple of years for the airlines – what with the fuel crisis that sent prices into the stratosphere (well, to about $140 a barrel, back in July of 2008) – and then, the economy had its dramatic meltdown.

And people weren’t flying.

Which is why prices were exceedingly cheap this summer – in fact, they’re still pretty good, even during the holiday season -and that’s good for us, but not so good for the airlines.

Hence, the surcharges (always wanted to use “hence” in a sentence).

Annoying aren’t they? But, I kind of doubt they’d be much of an issue if we passengers hadn’t been so “primed” for extra costs – which we have been since the advent of the first checked-bag fee. In any event, always good to know the total price of a ticket.

And toward that end, I’ve created some new charts so you can see specific surcharge dates (and the airlines, and the prices). Notice that these dates continue throughout the spring, with a heavy concentration on Spring Break.

See the “Peak Travel Day” Surcharge Charts here.