I've been flying my whole life, and every year there seems to be a new reason for airlines to charge me a little more money.

The other week, I went to visit my buddy in British Columbia. I found a ticket for a decent price, but I checked another site just to compare. The second site was more expensive, so I went back to the first one, only to find that the price had gone up too.

Now, I couldn't help but wonder if they were tracking my behaviour. But whatever. I took the loss and continued through the obstacle course of airline fees.

Luggage insurance, in case they lose my luggage? Sure.

An extra charge if my bag doesn't fit underneath my feet? Fine.

A meal on a six-hour flight, instead of five tiny cookies? Actually, never mind. I'll stay hungry. 

My chicken budget unfortunately went to the insanely expensive Uber to the airport, where even the prices seem to surge simply because you're going to an airport.

I know that's not the airline's fault... but after everything else, it felt like the cherry on top.

Airport = $$$$.

By the time I got across a country I was already in, I had spent over $1,200.

And that doesn't even include the fact that I had to change my ticket a week before the flight.  Instead of simply paying a reasonable fee to change it, I ended up having to buy another ticket and cancel my original one, with no refund. Yes, I do believe part of that was my fault, but I mean cmon, it even took me an hour just to get a real human on the phone.

And that's where I think the problem goes beyond just, "Flights are expensive."

Because flying isn't a luxury in every situation.

Visiting my buddy isn't exactly a necessity, but people fly to see their families. They fly for work. They fly for school. They fly for weddings, emergencies, medical appointments, and opportunities that simply aren't available where they live.

We've built our lives around the fact that you can get on a plane and be across the country in a few hours.

So when airlines take a form of transportation that people sometimes genuinely need and turn every basic part of it into a luxury upgrade...

It's frustrating.

You want to bring a bag? Luxury.

You want to choose where you sit? Luxury.

You want to sit beside the person you traveled with? Premium luxury.

And the biggest issue is that the price you're shown often isn't the price you actually end up paying.

You go in thinking you're spending $500. Then it's baggage. Then a seat. Then a change fee. Then another fee. Then another fee.

And suddenly your $500 flight costs you $1,000.

If you're going to charge me $1,000...

Just please tell me it costs $1,000.

Flying doesn't have to be cheap.

But it should be transparent.

And getting from one place to another shouldn't feel like a luxury reserved for people who can afford all the upgrades.

So, if you agree, sign this petition and demand that major airlines stop pricing people out of flying and start showing us what our flights actually cost.