I’ve had european airlines play on my fears by trying to charge me “cancellation insurance” – by European law, airlines are required to refund or exchange any flight cancellations, and feed me or put me up in a hotel if the flight is delayed beyond a certain number of hours. (Air Europa, I’m looking at you)

I don’t know if the European rules regarding liquids and gels are that dissimilar to the TSA ones, but I don’t mind paying extra for checking bags in on what are basically commuter flights. The mere existence of these charges makes people less likely to check luggage in, and so having to handle the luggage is more costly per passanger now. However, I do object to ludicrous excess weight fees, and I find some airlines’ idea that you can pay for extra bags, but that doesn’t allow for extra weight quite unfair (easyJet, I’m looking at you) – similarly, using non-standard measurments for allowable hand luggage in the hope that people will be forced to check cabin-sized bags in for extra fees downright insulting (Ryanair, I’m looking at you).

Whilst others seem to be happy to pay for extra legroom, as a tall man, I’m in two minds. I think of it as discrimination – and whilst I can vaguely accept it from so-called “low cost” airlines, I find it despicable that big traditional airlines such as Iberia are now decreasing seat pitch to whatever the minimum allowable is. Especially, as you cannot necessarily reserve these seats online, the class separator moves around enough that sometimes (on some airbusses with emergency exits at row 9 or 10) you’re unsure even of which class to get to find a wide legroom exit seat, and anyway, population in Europe is getting taller on average.

Finally, some schemes have worked well in the past and have just mutated into hollow shells of themselves. easyJet has a priority boarding fee which allows customers who pay for it to use the short queues for checkin, and also be “first onto the plane”. Unfortunately, this has proved so popular that between people who pay the fee, and people who have purchased their frequent flyer card, which basically gives the same benefit, half the plane is now eligible for “speedy boarding” – which makes a mockery of it all. This isn’t in all routes, mind you, but certainly a lot of the more business-flyer heavy ones.

So, yes, there are fees, and I don’t mind paying some of them, and I genuinely prefer good value ones. But some companies do seem to like extracting the urine – somethign apparently Ryanair wants to charge for soon…

I completely agree that the websites could be modified to include optional costs such as luggage. The airlines are lying if they say otherwise. Curiously it didn’t take long for them to add fuel charges. I think the real problem is that if suppose someone buys a ticket and include 2 bags, but only shows up with one. They’ll want a refund for the second bag, which is of course correct. I suspect that the airlines don’t want to manage that.

Except that business routinely try to get us to use other payment methods. Been to a gas station lately. The cash price is cheaper. Even the grocery store tries to get you to us a PIN instead of a signature based purchase.

For wireless to be truly worth it on planes, I think the airlines need to think about adding outlets. I know my laptop battery doesn’t last very long, even on a short flight.

As to charging convenience fees for paying by credit card – the fee that the card companies charge to the airlines is a cost of doing business and has been for years. It’s not defensible to encourage us to use other payment methods. How many people in the US honestly go to the airport any pay in cash? That’s supposed to be a red flag to the airlines, anyway. The NRF is putting together a big lobbying effort to get transaction fees eliminated or reduced, and if that passes it will affect all companies that accept credit cards.

I agree that all non-optional fees should just be included in any quoted price. I think it would be easy for a travel site or airline site to add line item costs for optional items; for example, if you are checking a bag, add X amount. Then consumers could read the list and add the costs to their ticket price themselves and get a better idea of the total investment in their trip.

Completely agree.

Credit cards make things interesting though. In theory you can avoid a credit card fee by paying cash. But paying in cash is highly discouraged. With walk-up penalties, penalties for in person payment, lack of city offices, etc., its really hard to pay for a ticket with cash.

But at the same token, the credit card companies charge airlines a fee for accepting credit cards so it is defensible to encourage people to use other methods.

For example, go to any store where you self swipe your credit card. If its a Visa Debit card, the machine tries its best to get you to use the PIN rather than the VISA because the PIN cost far less to the merchant.

Totally agreed. I also think the fee to simply reserve a seat, or for a window/aisle seat (if it’s a standard seat and not the exit row or one with more legroom) is ridiculous, too, and an example of a pure money grab.

But I don’t have a problem with checked bag fees or any other fee that I can choose not to pay based on not needing a service. I also don’t buy the argument that TSA restrictions make it necessary to check a bag, because I can easily buy travel-size containers of whatever liquids I need to bring, and even though I’m paying more per ounce the convenience of not having to wait for my bag – if the airline didn’t lose it – is well worth it. I check a bag when the amount of stuff I’m bringing makes it necessary to, and I fly whatever carrier is cheapest after I’ve factored in the bag fees.

However, Ryanair is a different case. Their business model is different. Their flights are pretty much free. Seriously, check these fares. Five quid to fly from Liverpool to Krakow. Try and find me a flight from Key West, FL to Kansas City for $7, including taxes and fees (oooh, evil regulation). For me the difference between Ryanair and all other airlines is that al the other airlines forgot to eliminate their ticket pricing, while adding fees.

Having paid nothing for a ticket, I kinda expect being nickeled and dimes. Having paid $359+taxes and fees, I kinda get pissed of when I get nickeled and dimed.

Usually the only thing I put in the overhead is my coat, and I’ve managed to leave 2 on the plane (different times!); my wife taught the kids to say “Daddy, don’t forget your jacket” as soon as we land.

If you pay $15 for a seat assignment, and that seat is not available for whatever reason, the fee should be cheerfully refunded. A reasonable substitute (another window a few rows away) might be acceptable; a middle seat in the back, or separating a couple who paid the fee is not.

Same for bag fees — if the bag isn’t delivered on that flight, the checked-bag fee should be refunded. I’d certainly dispute the charge immediately, and consider small claims court if the credit card company didn’t side with me.