People who try to plan trips smartly after a careful reviewof cheap traveloptions such as cheapairplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, discounttravel deals, and cheap vacation packages, alsoneed to review the extra fees that the airline they are considering flying on chargesbefore purchasing any tickets.
Airlines tend to refer to these fees as ancillaryrevenues, whereas fliers call it nickel-and diming. Today there is a dizzying array of feesimposed by the airlines for everything from checked bags to carry-on bags, toseat selection, and to ticket changes.
Airlines ancillary fees have increased by almost 1,200percent between 2007 and 2013, from $2.45 billion to $31.5 billion.
Not all airlines extra fees are equally oppressive. The following from high to low is the averageper person additional fees imposed by airlines charging the most extra fees:
- $55.61 - Jet2.com
- $51.22 - Spirit
- $45.67 - Qantas
- $44.87 - Allegiant
- $44.43 - AirAsia
- $40.97 - United
- $38.93 - Korean Air
- $34.41 - Wizz Air
- $33.92 - Virgin Atlantic
- $32.61 - Alaska Air Group
Extrafees range from small irritating fees such as Sprits fee to redeem mileswithin 180 days of departure to fees for legitimate add-ons, such as hotel orrental car bookings made through airlines websites, as well as from the saleof frequent flier miles.
Jet2,a British leisure airline, packages its flights with hotel stays, making it topthe list of airline fees per person without incurring the consumer wrathregarding fees generated by Spirit Airlines.
Consumersneed a report that shines a clear and bright light on those fees that travelersfind particularly upsetting.
SpiritAirlines, considered by many to be the most abusive when it comes to chargingadditional fees claims that its a-la-carte pricing is the only way to be fairto its customers, charging them only for the extras that they actuallyuse. Others contend that this airlinecharges outrageous fees, citing examples such as:
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$35 to $100 for asingle carry-on bag.
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No more 800 phonenumber. The airline changed its customerservice area code to 801 which has resulted in land line customers having topay between 5 cents to 18 cents per minute when calling.
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Seats near the frontof the plane, with a little extra legroom, cost an additional $199 per seat.
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Charging $3 forbottled water.
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Pay $10 for theprivilege of printing your boarding pass.
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Seat assignment feesstart at $5, and vary according to specific routes and location on the plane,unless you are willing to have Spirit to select your seat for you.
Untilsomeone comes out with an easy to review summary that compares fees across allairlines, airline fee gouging is like going to continue to be like pornography. You may not know exactly how to define it,but you know it when you see it.
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