US LEGACY AIRLINES topped the charts in terms of revenue earned from ancillary sales in 2010. IdeaWorks and Amadeus carried out an analysis of some 47 airlines worldwide, which reported an increase in ancillary revenue of 96 per cent on 2008 to €15 billion.
United Continental earned the most globally from ancillary sales, having racked up €3.5bn in revenue. Delta came in a close second with €2.6bn and American Airlines third with €1.3bn. Revenue from baggage fees and co-branded credit cards helped the US carriers rank highly, according to the Amadeus Review of Ancillary Revenue Results.
Jay Sorensen, the review's author and president of IdeaWorks, said the results demonstrated that ancillary sales are no longer the reserve of the low-cost carrier.
"Today ancillary revenue has grown well beyond its low-cost airline beginnings and is practised around the globe, he said. "Difficult airline economics are driving this activity.
While US carriers ranked highly in total revenue, the revenue-per-passenger saw Malaysian carrier AirAsia X claim the top spot with an average of €29.
Qantas was second, with an average of €26 per passenger, while United Continental came in third with €24 per passenger.