Airlines have nickel-and-dimed their way through what feels like dozens of fees over the last few years. Fees for meals. Fees for water. Fuel surcharges. Fees for paper tickets. Fees for blankets and pillows. And of course a fee for each bag you'd like to take with you.

Now comes the very pinnacle, the mother of all airline fees: An extra fee for buying a ticket.

You can thank Spirit Airlines, a cheapie outfit which seems to spend more time coming up with new fees it can levy than it does flying planes, for this one. The U.S. Department of Transportation, which has oversight over what airlines can and can't charge by way of add-on fees, has approved Spirit's introduction of a "passenger usage fee," which will be levied against all ticket buyers unless they are standing in person at a Spirit airport ticket counter...

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