The airlines might have found a tax loophole, and you're it. The travel consultancy firm T2 recently published a worrisome blog post that is gaining traction. The airlines' extra fees, it says, aren't just costing consumers more. They're also enabling the airlines to dodge tax to our government.

Until a few months ago, checking a bag was considered a service that came with the base fare that you paid when you bought your plane ticket. That was taxed at a rate of 7.5%. But now many airlines are charging up to $50 for each bag each way, and because it's not part of the base fare, that fee isn't subject to tax. T2 says that cash belongs to the airlines, free and clear.

So a carrier like United, T2 writer Timothy O'Neil-Dunne calculates, would be cheating Uncle Sam out of tax income of $7.5 million for each $100 million it makes on extra fees. Given that United recently surmised that it stood to make $700 million on its extra fees, that's a lot of cash that won't be going to our schools, our roads, our veterans programs, and our elaborate Wall Street bailouts. Not only do consumers get screwed by these extra fees, they get screwed out of the greater good of tax revenue.

Hedging fuel costs sounds confusing, but it's nothing new. Some airlines, like the budget model Southwest, have managed to claim a profit in no small part because their masters were clever enough to buy most of its fuel when it was still sensibly priced. That can work out really well if gas prices go up, because those smart airlines will still be paying an older, lower price. Some experts think Southwest has saved $3.5 billion by doing this since the late '90s.

United Airlines, which has a management as sharp as a box of hammers and aging seating about as soft, thought it could imitate Southwest by getting into the hedging game, too. But, whoops! Timing is everything. It got in way too late, as the market prepared to peak. Prices went down. And right now it's paying almost $13 more a barrel than oil is actually worth, which could rack up as much as $544 million in boneheaded, unnecessary losses.

It's a lot like the guy down the street who bought his house a year ago for $400,000, only to find in this self-correcting market that it's now worth about $250,000, which everyone in the neighborhood knew was a more realistic price all along. He intended to flip it, but now he's got to live in it. Of course, if gas prices go back up a bit, United's loss may be mitigated slightly.

I ran across an interesting blog post this morning about how the airlines are treating their customers during these difficult financial times. The airlines are bleeding money, and their answer to stop that has been to create a bunch of new fees and to reduce the level of service to the customer.

That's all well and good from a financial perspective if the punishment of customers doesn't drive them away. The airline collects its fees, which chip away at the high cost of jet fuel, and their financial results look less bad.

But what would happen if the airlines instead decided to implement a sort of "reward" system for customers instead of this punitive system? I think this is an interesting concept that could build customer loyalty and leave them feeling better about their airline experience, even if they are paying more.

We shouldn't be surprised by this. In fact, I think the woes of air travelers has been one of my most frequent topics on WalletPop. The latest? United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Airlnes all have increased fares by up to $60 per round trip.

We can't say we didn't see this coming. Rising fuel prices have made it impossible for the airlines to operate profitably under their current operating structures. Increased fees can only go so far, and now increased fares are the latest.

The prices don't bother me as much as the complete lack of service on today's airlines. Customers are more of a nuisance to them than anything else, and it's unusual to fly in a clean airplane with friendly airline employees and a few nice touches (like the chocolate chip cookies on Midwest Airlines). I'm not asking to be treated like royalty. Just a little politeness and cleanliness would go a long way for me.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

Does it shock you that there's another fee to be had for the airlines? It shouldn't. We know more fees are coming, I just thought they would have been a little more creative about it. This one is boring: American Airlines is going to charge $15 to check one bag.

That's right. If you want to check any bag at all, you have to pay. Airplanes are already bombarded by too-big rolling suitcases that quickly fill the overhead bins. If you're sitting at the front of the plane, the chances that someone from the back has already filled your overhead bin with their monstrous carry-on have just gone up.

Industry experts say the logic here is simple: Customers will only pay so much for an airline ticket. If the tickets go above a certain level, it starts scaring passengers away. But they say passengers are willing to pay fees for extras.

The airlines are easy to complain about. They are losing money at alarming rates, and the comfort of their customers is the least of their concerns. There is a fee for everything under the sun, and these days you're lucky if you get a clean airplane and a sip of water during your flight.

The Baltimore Sun did a great summary of all the fees and made a very valid point: There are likely to be more fees coming because it doesn't seem as though travelers have hit their breaking point yet. Leisure travelers are likely a little more irritated with the cost of flying, but business travelers who have little choice but to fly to their destinations still seem willing to pay for certain in-flight amenities.

Current additional charges include: second checked bag ($10 to $25), curbside baggage check fee ($2 to $3), booking seat assignments prior to check-in ($6), unaccompanied minors ($75 to $100), booking a flight over the phone ($15 and up), carry-on of small pets ($65 to $100), snack boxes ($3 to $8).

What fees are next? Likely charges for better seats. Some airlines are already charging $10 or $20 extra for seats in exit rows, and others are charging extra for seats toward the front of planes. Travelers may soon be paying extra for aisle or window seats. And who knows what they'll come up with next. I'm betting there will be fees for blankets or pillows very soon. And bathroom fees. Those are coming too.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.