The roundtrip airfare from Madison, Wis., to London is a reasonable $305 on American Airlines — until you add taxes, fees and fuel surcharges. Then it’s $691. Delta Air Lines charges $742. Wait, make that $942 after you add in all the mandatory extras. And Lufthansa? $580. I mean, $1,034.
surcharge
If you’re under 25, you’re in for an unpleasant surprise when you check into the Oasis Cancun, a pyramid-like, all-inclusive resort on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula: a mandatory “under 25″ fee of $54. And they don’t take “no” for an answer. When Ryan Plaxsun, 24, recently checked into the hotel, he was told to pony up the cash — or leave.
When Larry Chan returns his Hertz rental car late, he doesn’t expect the $66 charge that he finds two weeks later on his credit card bill. But there it is: an extra day’s rental charge. What now? Should he appeal the decision? And what about the reason he was late in the first place — is that relevant at all?
What will the airlines start charging us for next? After you read this, you’ll be sorry you asked. Nigel Appleby’s daughter recently got a survey from WestJet which offers some clues about the Canadian carrier’s next move. It’s troubling, to say the least.
Airlines apparently aren’t the only ones incapable of quoting a total fare. Cruise lines can’t give us a straight price, either. You’ve probably heard about their fuel surcharges and their new steak fees. But have you tried to book a floating vacation recently?
Airlines have started charging $15 for your first checked bag. Here are three clever ways to avoid this extra surcharge for your luggage.
Energy prices may be falling, but airline fuel surcharges are holding steady — if not rising.
At a time when passengers expect their airline to charge for anything that isn’t bolted down, hearing about one that doesn’t is a “man bites dog” story that can give the rest of us hope.
If you think your hotel’s done with you when you check out, think again. It might just be getting started. Charges can be quietly added to your hotel bill after you’ve left. And increasingly, they are.
If you don’t like paperwork, you’d better steer clear of rental cars. There’s fresh evidence that rental agencies are preying on customers who gloss over their vehicle inspections, broadsiding them with surprise bills after they’ve returned their car.
The dreaded single supplement isn’t new. If you travel by yourself, and stay in a room or cabin meant for two, you’d expect to pay a little more. But lately, travel companies have come to see singles as suckers.
You’ve probably heard of hotels overcharging you for what you eat or drink. You know, $10 for a bottle of water. Six bucks for a candy bar. Here’s the latest twist on that scam — a hotel that charges you for what you don’t consume.
Bob Crandall is right. The latest airline crisis, which has unleashed an avalanche of new fees and surcharges on passengers, has nothing to do with high fuel prices. It’s about bad management.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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