Friends,

Here (http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/TravelForLess/10SneakyAirlineFees.aspx) is a very good article from msn.com.

Stijloor.

This item just confuses the heck out of meAirport-improvement fees

Potential cost: $4.50 to $160.
If Chicago approves O'Hare International Airport's new runway, its travelers can expect an additional $4.50 charge per airline ticket to fund construction. These so-called passenger facility charges aren't uncommon, though the Federal Aviation Administration regulates them carefully, says Perkins, of SmarterTravel.com.

Farecast on MSN Travel: Know when to buy (http://travel.msn.com/articles/aboutfarecast.aspx)International flights are worse. In January, the United Kingdom doubled its air-passenger duty, taxing consumers for the greenhouse-gas emissions created by flights entering or leaving the country. For coach passengers, the new fee is $80, while first-class passengers pay $160.
Solution: If you can, divert your trip to an airport (or country) where the tax is less expensive, Perkins says. For domestic flights, check the Federal Aviation Administration's PFC database (http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/airports/pfc/monthly_reports/).
So why does a first class seat create pollution (greenhouse gases) that costs twice as much as an economy seat?

NEW TOPIC:
Don't get me started on "E-tickets" that aren't! Somebody still has to print something out on paper for the passenger to use to board the plane! What the airline saves, of course, is employee time, paper, ink, envelope, postage, etc. if the sucker (excuse me - "passenger") prints it out on his own paper, using his own ink, and keeps it (and all the others for a multi-leg trip) in his own envelope.

Since all passengers must also present photo ID, why not use that ALONE to board the plane?:confused:

Don't get me started on "E-tickets" that aren't! Somebody still has to print something out on paper for the passenger to use to board the plane! What the airline saves, of course, is employee time, paper, ink, envelope, postage, etc. if the sucker (excuse me - "passenger") prints it out on his own paper, using his own ink, and keeps it (and all the others for a multi-leg trip) in his own envelope.

Since all passengers must also present photo ID, why not use that ALONE to board the plane?:confused:

The boarding pass requirement starts with the TSA. You have to have a boarding pass to get through security. Also, wouldn't having to check IDs against a manifest slow the boarding process down? How much I don't know, but that's probably part of the rationale.

The boarding pass requirement starts with the TSA. You have to have a boarding pass to get through security. Also, wouldn't having to check IDs against a manifest slow the boarding process down? How much I don't know, but that's probably part of the rationale.My Illinois Driver's license has a scanner-readable barcode. Scanners might be more effective than bleary-eyed clerks looking at hundreds of picture IDs each day. My passport does NOT seem to have machine-readable code, though. Pity!

My Illinois Driver's license has a scanner-readable barcode. Scanners might be more effective than bleary-eyed clerks looking at hundreds of picture IDs each day. My passport does NOT seem to have machine-readable code, though. Pity!

I don't disagree, in principle, but there's not much incentive for the airlines to change anything when they know that passengers must have a boarding pass to get through security.

Friends,

The US Electronic Passports: FAQ's (http://travel.state.gov/passport/eppt/eppt_2788.html#One).

Stijloor.

This item just confuses the heck out of meSo why does a first class seat create pollution (greenhouse gases) that costs twice as much as an economy seat?


Many of 1st Class passengers I meet are more full of krap than others therefore they create more methane:lmao:

The summary:

Booking fees
Potential cost: $5 to $25.

Change-of-plans fees
Potential cost: $25 and up.

Airport-improvement fees
Potential cost: $4.50 to $160.

Pick-your-seat fees
Potential cost: $15 to $299.

Curb-side check-in fees
Potential cost: $2 per bag, plus tip.

Baggage fees
Potential cost: $25 to $100 for an overweight bag; $10 to $80 per piece of luggage beyond an airline's checked-bag limit.

Paper-ticket fees
Potential cost: $50 to $75

In-flight amenities fees
Potential cost: $1 to $5.

Fuel fees
Potential cost: $14 to $70.

Fees for redeeming freebies
Potential cost: $15 to $300

Friends,

The US Electronic Passports: FAQ's (http://travel.state.gov/passport/eppt/eppt_2788.html#One).

Stijloor.


I support these features, and expect they will eventually make travel more efficient. However, it is kind of eerie to watch the prophecies in the biblical Book of Revalations to slowly come into place.

International flights are worse. In January, the United Kingdom doubled its air-passenger duty, taxing consumers for the greenhouse-gas emissions created by flights entering or leaving the country. For coach passengers, the new fee is $80, while first-class passengers pay $160.
Solution: If you can, divert your trip to an airport (or country) where the tax is less expensive, Perkins says. For domestic flights, check the Federal Aviation Administration's

Yeah, right. So, instead of flying into Manchester, in the U.K, let's say I go to Paris to save on the $80 fee. And how much does it now cost me to go by car or train to Manchester? Like a lot of these kinds of comments, it's a nice idea, but imagine the extra time, hassle and frustration and cost - to make a savings?

Those of us who fly regularly know - the airlines have got you by tender parts of the body, once you buy a ticket. There are no 'rights' of travel. We get treated worse than some animals. If I had my way, Sir Richard Branson would decide operational policy for all airlines.........

I don't know that I would call any of these fees sneaky. They are all disclosed somewhere. 99% of the problem is people don't read terms and conditions before they click "buy" on the website.

There is a huge difference between a paper ticket and boarding pass. A paper ticket is much like currency in that it is difficult to replace if lost or stolen. If you don't have it, you are not getting on the plane. With an e-ticket any ticket or gate agent can print you a boarding pass with just a flash of your ID.

My Michigan drivers license states on the back "Information contained in bar code and magnetic stripe is limited to date of birth, license/ID number and expiration date.", so it could not be used to match me against the flight manifest by name - and I'm not giving up my DL number to book a flight.

Continental is testing using cell phones and blackberries for electronic boarding passes. While technically I see this working, I doubt it will based on the fact that most passengers out there are clueless. If you don't give them a piece of paper telling them where to be and when they are not going to make it on the plane.

Continental is testing using cell phones and blackberries for electronic boarding passes. While technically I see this working, I doubt it will based on the fact that most passengers out there are clueless. If you don't give them a piece of paper telling them where to be and when they are not going to make it on the plane.

Many people who travel are perhaps not as experienced as you are... If you pay that kind of money, for an adventure with no assurance of timeliness, the least airlines can do is help/tell people where to go. I recently went through 3 gate (inclusive terminal) changes...I appreciated the help. And I do have some clue...

Stijloor.

I get irregular when I fly regularly:lmao:

I get irregular when I fly regularly:lmao:Is that due to claustrophobia from the tiny confines of the toilets on aircraft?:notme:

Yeah, right. So, instead of flying into Manchester, in the U.K, let's say I go to Paris to save on the $80 fee. And how much does it now cost me to go by car or train to Manchester? Like a lot of these kinds of comments, it's a nice idea, but imagine the extra time, hassle and frustration and cost - to make a savings?

Having taken the train into Manchester Airport from parts North, I can vouch for the hassle factor, not to mention the time. I believe I had to be on board by 5:00am, in order to get into the airport to catch my flight. Very difficult to stay awake on the train too, but I was afraid of missing my stop.