Sounds like a pretty counterproductive way to score $5 more per booking, but USAirways has tacked a $5 surcharge onto tickets purchased on its own web site despite the fact that its official policies promise not to charge booking fees. We read the news at View from the Wing.

By adding the fee, the airline is actually giving travelers a reason to shop elsewhere, as the Cranky Flier shows in great detail. Yes, it’s only $5, but it’s the whole idea of slipping a fee onto tickets and, at the same time, telling travelers that you don’t charge a booking fee that smacks of shadiness. I don’t think travelers care so much about an extra $5 here and there, but they certainly get the hate on for companies that say one thing and do another….