Avoiding Sneaky Extra Travel Fees
May 28th, 2009 Posted in General, Travel industryI’m setting off today on a four-day trip and this will be my 14th flight without paying an extra baggage charge since the legacy U.S. airlines started implementing them. I’ve gotten out of some because there’s a loophole on international flights or I get out of Continental’s because I have one of their credit cards. But usually, I just load up a small bag—like this cool Tom Bihn Aeronaut—with lightweight, interchangeable clothing that dries fast if I need to do a sink washing along the way. And for the record, I have no plans to ever pay for crappy airline food either.
This article from Smarter Travel outlines some of the common fees the sneaksters use to pump up their profits at your expense. In most cases there’s no extra service you’re getting out of the deal. You just pay more. It’s not just the airlines, though they seem to have the deepest contempt for their customers. Rental car companies and hotel chains also show their evil streaks at times.
Just check out this story on how bad you’ll get raped for Internet access at the Marriott Berlin. I got hit almost as badly when I was in Budapest on assignment. European chain hotels really sock it to you. The writer of that Berlin piece found a workaround though: free Wi-Fi at the neighboring ice cream shop.
In this comparison of EasyJet and RyanAir on Travelrants, EasyJet gets the edge because they are more transparent in their pricing. In other words, fewer gotchas.
I’ll pay extra when it makes sense. I’ve paid booking fees to Travelocity when they came up with a multi-airline itinerary that saved me money or hassle. I gladly pay Priceline’s fees that come with “name your own price” hotels or cars because it’s still such a huge savings. And I do buy liability insurance when I rent a car abroad. I don’t like the idea of sitting in a police station in a country where I can’t communicate very well while they sort out what to do with me after a wreck. So it’s a “peace of mind” fee. The key thing is, I choose to pay these fees and feel okay about it. For the sneaky ones, like trying to make you pay for an aisle seat, I get pissed off at the company and do everything I can to get around them, including flying on the airline that actually seems to like having happy customers—Southwest.
Related post: best airline ad ever.
[Flickr photo by infrogmation]
One Response to “Avoiding Sneaky Extra Travel Fees”
By JohnSutherland on Aug 27, 2009
I have had a costly discovery while trying to board my return flight from Monterey, CA to San Jose, Costa Rica. I make my home in Costa Rica but since I am not a legal resident I am required to leave the country for 72 hours every 90 days. Many countries have this or similar policies. My costly lesson cam midway through my return flight as I rushed to make connections. The airlines would not let me on the airplane unless I showed I had a return flight within 90 days. Well, of course I would be leaving to comply with the regulations, but at that moment I had not made plans for my next journey. Before they would let me on the airplane I had to buy a round trip flight out of the country and back. I have visited two countries in a very short time and neither gave a damn what my relationship was with Costa Rican immigration officials. In my view, US airlines, aware of the policy, have forced travelers to buy airlines tickets. As I make ready for another trip to the USA I have also purchased a bus ticket to a neighboring country within 90 days of my return.