Airlines earned a record amount from the sale of ancillary services such as accommodation, car hire, check-in luggage and co-branded credit cards last year.
Research by IdeaWorksCompany for Amadeus showed that ancillary revenue grew to €18.23 billion in 2011, and was up 66% over 2009.
The figures relate to revenue earned by the 50 airlines (of 108 researched) that disclosed some type of ancillary revenue activity in 2011.
"We’ve seen the industry move swiftly to grasp some clear opportunities for providing ancillary services, such as baggage fees, extra legroom and on-board catering," said Holger Taubmann, senior VP, distribution at Amadeus.
United Airlines earned the most from ancillary revenue, which totalled €4.16bn for the carrier last year. Delta Air Lines earned €2.03bn and American Airlines €1.7bn. Qantas earned the fourth highest amount at €1.14bn.
