Happy holidays: Airlines expand $10 fee, and it's your fault

You didn't complain. So you're going to pay more.

Last week, WalletPop told you about the new $10-each-way increase that the airlines planned to sneak into a few peak days of holiday travel. Originally, that was supposed to fall on only three days: Nov. 29, Jan. 2 and Jan. 3.

But after this charge was announced and relatively few complaints surfaced, the airlines, again practically en masse, felt emboldened enough to roll out the fee on a lot more days, which site FareCompare.com spotted in the course of its routine price checks.

In fact, the big carriers added 10 more days -- an increase of more than 300%, and now equivalent to nearly half of a 30-day month. The extra fees now bleed into holiday periods across the calendar, including Spring Break and Memorial Day. You'll find them on American Airlines, AirTran, Delta, Continental, United, and U.S. Airways.