10 "Sneaky" Airline Fees

[Stijloor]

Friends,

Here is a very good article from msn.com.

Stijloor.

[Wes Bucey]

This item just confuses the heck out of me

Airport-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

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.

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?

[Jim Wynne]

Originally Posted by Wes Bucey

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?

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.

[Wes Bucey]

Originally Posted by Jim Wynne

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!

[Jim Wynne]

Originally Posted by Wes Bucey

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.

[Stijloor]

Friends,

The US Electronic Passports: FAQ's.

Stijloor.

[Randy]

Originally Posted by Wes Bucey

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

[Marc]

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