Continental Debuts New 'Fare Holding' Fee

Continental Airlines has come up with yet another new fee that's likely to become an industry standard. "FareLock" allows customers to lock into low airfares they find for up to a week with no obligation to buy a ticket, the Houston Chronicle reports. It costs at least $5 to lock the fare for 72 hours and at least $9 for a week. The idea is to draw customers who aren't quite ready to book a flight but don't want to miss out on a bargain.

"It's cheap revenue" for Continental, says the CEO of Bestfares.com "If they don't get on the plane, who cares, I made $5 or $9." (More airline passengers stories.)