CHICAGO — American Skies Airlines on Tuesday rolled out a new fare category it calls the “Emotional Baggage Fee,” a variable surcharge determined by an algorithm that analyzes passengers' recent social‑media activity, biometric data from connected devices, and responses to a 27‑question preflight mood disclosure form.
“We’re simply pricing the externalities,” said American Skies CEO Lauren Mays in a statement. “A stressed traveler takes up more space, requests more attention, and generates more customer‑service incidents. Emotional Baggage Fees help align cost with demand while encouraging passengers to arrive at the gate emotionally optimized.”
Under the program, which launches next month, passengers will receive an “EmoScore” during online check‑in. Scores are translated into surcharges ranging from a $0 Calm Carry‑On to a $400 Chronic Negativity fee. The algorithm — developed with consulting firm StratFeel and trained on five years of anonymized airline complaints — considers keywords in social posts, heart‑rate trends from wearable devices (if the customer opts in), and answers to questions such as “On a scale of 1–10, how likely are you to cry in an airport?”
American Skies said the average surcharge will be $27, and frequent flyers in its new Smiles & Miles program can earn mood credits to offset fees. “Our Platinum Smilers receive three complimentary laugh clips per year,” Mays added.
The Department of Transportation confirmed that the policy falls within current fare‑disclosure rules. “Airlines are permitted to charge for ancillary services and fees that reflect risk and cost,” a DOT spokesperson said. “We are monitoring to ensure transparency.”
Behavioral economists hailed the move as a novel form of emotional‑economics pricing. “This is price discrimination by affect,” said Dr. Ethan Rios of the Midwestern Institute for Behavioral Finance. “Our models show a 14.6% reduction in in‑flight disruptions when emotionally calibrated pricing is applied. People adjust their online behavior when it has a financial consequence.”
An internal study provided by the airline claimed the EmoScore program reduced gate‑area complaints by 12.3% during trials at three hub airports. Among 2,142 surveyed passengers, 37% admitted to attempting to “game” the system by changing social‑media privacy settings, and nearly 10% purchased a $4.99 “Optimism Booster” filter that rewrites captions to include words like gratitude and sunrise.
Not all passengers are comfortable with the change. “They charged me $65 because my Fitbit logged a 98 BPM reading while I stood in line for coffee,” said Chicago teacher Marissa Kline. “The app told me I could lower my fee by uploading a photo of myself smiling. I don’t think smiling should be a paid privilege.”
To mitigate backlash, American Skies is introducing “Preflight Counseling Pods” for $39.99 per ten‑minute session and a “Zen Blanket” for $24.99 that the airline claims reduces computed stress by 7.2% when worn during boarding.
Consumer advocates are alarmed. “This normalizes selling access to emotional regulation,” said Elena Soto of Citizens for Fair Travel. “Next thing you know, airports will have TSA lanes for reserved serenity.”
When asked if passengers traveling for funerals or hardships would receive consideration, a spokesperson said such cases fall under “Complex Emotional States” and do not qualify for the one‑time $9.99 “Carry‑On Consolation” discount.