Airline fees: What you'll pay to check a bag, change your ticket, more

[jmbklj]

I am getting so sick of all these fees - what a way to keep gouging the customers. Just raise the base fare already and get it over with!

Can you say......

Nickel & dime your customers to death?

[kyshel]

Can you say......

Nickel & dime your customers to death?

Nope--it's now a la carte air! buy what you want, not what you don't.
I doubt it will get much better. Fuel costs have exceeded all baggage/seat fees, base fares, operating and SAFETY costs and PROFITS. Gee, where do you cut--safety? Nope--services--customers pay per item...

[jmbklj]

Nope--it's now a la carte air! buy what you want, not what you don't.
I doubt it will get much better. Fuel costs have exceeded all baggage/seat fees, base fares, operating and SAFETY costs and PROFITS. Gee, where do you cut--safety? Nope--services--customers pay per item...

Then price the ticket accordingly and let the chips fall. Other industries do. Factor in the price of your raw materials. Yes, for a successful business model, you need to cover your raw materials, fixed costs and some profit.

[kyshel]

Then price the ticket accordingly and let the chips fall. Other industries do. Factor in the price of your raw materials. Yes, for a successful business model, you need to cover your raw materials, fixed costs and some profit.

so you WANT to pay for 2 bags when you have one? You want to pay for a small seat space when someone else got the better seat for the same price? You actually want to pay what you seat is WORTH for the airline to profit to put you in it , as opposed to the market share price of that flight?
I don't think you understand that the base fare of your ticket could SKYROCKET higher than the DOW fell last wk--faster than the fuel prices could rise in 5 days, 5 months, 5 years?
You cuould be in a competive market w/ high demand--LCC charges XX for flt A plus a la carte everything with no recourse if there is a problem w/misconnects etc, legacy charges XX plus a la carte and will reconnect if there are mishaps...you get what you pay for. Everyone wants to fly like a rockstar for $200 and it isn't going to happen that way every day.
That's why the airlines are going a la carte--who wants to pay for stuff they don't want?
I despise icons but this is a case where I wish I had the one where the smiley is banging it's head against the wall!@

[jmbklj]

An interesting real example.....

I have to fly from CMH - MSP and I had been watching fares for weeks. I'm a Delta frequent flyer and I try to be loyal to Delta to maximize my FF benefits, but this time it was just too difficult.

Sometimes Delta fares start out high but get lower closer to the departure date, kind of the opposite of what one might expect. But I've seen it happen. The best fares I could find on Delta for CMH - MSP were from $605 (4 segments round trip) to $806 (2 nonstop flights round trip). Geez!

So I kept watching, had fare alerts going on several websites. And it never got better. I ended up buying a SW flight for $296 round trip. I just couldn't justify that big of a fare difference of $296 vs $605. Who could?

And that low $296 fare includes free checked bags, and priority boarding giving me the ability to board first, pick my seat and access overhead storage bins first, just like when I fly on a legacy airline with my platinum elite status.

[jmbklj]

The era of the $400 airline fee has arrived.

For an overweight checked bag weighing 71-100 pounds, Continental Airlines is charging $400 on most international flights, and American Airlines is charging $450 on its Asian flights. United Airlines charges $400 for checking bags weighing 71-99.9 pounds on flights to another continent.

Fees charged for the same service vary widely. Frontier Airlines charges $50 to change an international ticket, while Delta Air Lines and United charge five times that.

The survey — which USA TODAY has done the last four years — seeks to make the fees transparent to fliers, many of whom complain they can't determine them in advance of a flight or have difficulty comparing them between airlines. In response to complaints, the Transportation Department imposed a rule last month that requires airlines to disclose all fees for optional services with a prominent link on their websites. They also must disclose bag-fee increases on the home page or through a link on the page.

To see the most recent USA Today chart comparing airlines fees, use this link:

Airline fees reach $450 mark, USA TODAY survey finds - USATODAY.com

[kyshel]

When an international bag weighs 71 #s it becomes "freight".
That's the third INT bag for most airlines. There is a weight formula per passenger, no matter their personal weight. Airlines still have to pay for FUEL. People just don't get it: If you take all your worldly belongings on an INT trip, you have to pay for them to come with you.
It's really no different than oversized or irregular sized bags--they require special handling.
Have you ever stood in a check-in line at an Asian airport? Bags are big enough to carry a family INSIDE! It's mind-boggling. And they pay without b!tch!ng...

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I just read a news article saying airline costs and fares are going to go up big time in 2012 and that airlines are planning to cut flights again - the reasoning is that they are thinking the demand will go down. I see more fare hikes and fee hikes in the not too distant future.

I agree with the big fees for those 71lb bags - I see that when I am coming back from Latin America - they have many bags and boxes. I still think that any passenger - coach, business or 1st should get their 1st bag checked for free (although Continental does not charge a bag fee for international flights) something besides the seat has to be included in the ticket price - the bag fee is the main reason I have not done any domestic flying in awhile - after you pay $25 or more for each segment to check your bag it is almost like paying for another airline ticket!

[kyshel]

Every major carrier is cutting flights beyond the usual seasonal frequency adjustments. It won't get better sooner until the economy does.
Airlines have so many logistical issues--like which crew base is certified to fly which aircraft and more. It's quite mind-boggling.
Our family uses the DL Skymiles Amex and first bag free, like jmb mentioned.
It's not easy to "fly smart" these days!

[jmbklj]

Another new, ridiculous fee from Ryan Air. Again, lets hope the US airlines do not follow suit. Bolding is mine....

Posted by Arthur Frommer at 9/19/2011 2:15 PM EDT
You can never underestimate the anti-social tendencies of Europe's leading cost-cutting carrier, Ryanair. In a recent announcement that hasn't received enough exposure, it has announced that passengers will henceforth pay a £6 (about $10) fine if they pay for their flights with a credit card that wasn't issued by Ryanair. You will escape that fee only by first applying for a Ryanair card. And with all the other fees, hidden imposts, charges, and policies of those folks in the friendly skies, you'll need the analytical abilities of a rocket scientist to determine, in advance, how much the flight will actually cost you.


Read more: Two More Items: Ryanair's Latest Outrageous Fee & the T.S.A.'s Shoe Concessions to Kids on Arthur Frommer's Blog - Travel News & Advice | Frommer's