"Soaring Costs," by Clive Probert

Constructor's Comments

I was playing around with phrases associated with flying and planes and airport signs and remembered that those pesky airline fees were upsetting everyone, including me.  So here was a chance for a social statement theme instead of a wordplay theme.  David suggested adding BUDGET AIRLINE as a kind of reveal.

I live in Arizona, so making crosswords is a great pastime for the hot summer when confined to air-conditioning.  My other intellectual activity is math tutoring, which I do online, connecting to students all over the country.

Editor's Comments

As someone who's dealt with many overpriced airline commodities, I got a chuckle out of this theme.  The only thing it's missing is a reference to the overpriced food.  I still haven't forgotten the $11 mini cheese pizza I bought at JFK that fell apart after I took my first bite!  Anyway, it can't have been easy to come up with symmetrical theme entries out of such a narrow set of possibilities, and Clive did a nice job of keeping the fill Tuesday-smooth.  I hope the reveal provides a nice kicker, too.