NEW YORK, June 8, 2009
Avoiding Sneaky Airline Fees
Travel Expert On The Newest Ones Being Assessed, And Keeping Your Total Tab Down
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Play CBS Video Video Sky-Way Robbery "A la carte" pricing may help you save money in a restaurant, but its costing airline passengers big bucks. Longtime travel guru Peter Greenberg tells Harry Smith how to avoid extra fees.
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(AP Photo/Andy King)
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The Early Show ConsumerWatch Be informed! Our correspondents keep you posted on scams, faulty prodcuts, dangers, and more. Also -- on where to find the best deals!
US Airways - As of July 9, $20 for the first bag, $30 for the second if you check at the airport. $15 for the first and $25 for the second if you check in online.
United - As of May 14, charges $20 for the first and $30 for the second at the airport; $15 for the first and $25 for the second if you check in online
Spirit - $25 each for the first and second bags at the airport; $19 for the first bag and $25 for the second if you check in online. Spirit also charges a flat fee of $75 each leg for all sporting equipment except for golf clubs. Does that $75 sound excessive to you? Peter believes the discount airline is the *worst* when it comes to fees.
Airlines aren't the only ones nickel-and-diming you when you fly
Quietly, a number of airports have been jacking up parking fees, and prices at retail outlets are heading skyward, Greenberg said. Then, there's something called the PFC, the passenger facility charge. It's built into the cost of your ticket, so you don't notice it specifically, but airports are proposing an increase. With this increase, the PFC on a roundtrip ticket with one stop could cost you an additional $28; a family of four would be looking at an additional $112.
These fees can add up quickly
Here's an example:
LA to NYC (coach) = $285
BOOKING ON THE PHONE $30
CHECKING TWO BAGS $40
SELECTING A SEAT $29
FOOD ON THE PLANE $10
NEW TOTAL = $394
The $70 for booking on the phone and checking bags represents a 25 per cent fare increase, and that assumes the bags don't weigh more than 50 pounds each! If the person in this example wanted to check a dog, it would cost an additional $300, more than the initial cost of the basic airline ticket itself!
SKIRTING THE FEES
The most important thing you can do is to pack lightly: Carry on your bags, and if you're checking any, be sure they don't exceed weight limits.
But if this isn't for you:
One amusing break from all these fees: A hotel in Southern California called the Rancho Bernardo Inn allows guests to choose amenities they're willing to do WITHOUT to lower their room rate. Rooms there start at $219.
The reduced rates:
$219 deluxe accommodations plus breakfast for two
$199 without breakfast
$179 without honor bar
$159 without A/C or heat
$139 without pillows
$109 without sheets
$89 without lights
$59 without linens
$39 without toiletries
$19 without bed
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- Crooks and more crooks they all want your money and will do anything to get it even these underhanded practices by the airline industry. Be careful they don't care about you it is only the $$$$ that counts in the end and how much they can bilk out of you.
WHERE IS THE HONESTY IN BUSINESS? OH! THE CORPORATE GIANTS TOOK PERSONAL OUT OF BUSINESS AND NOW WE HAVE COLD GREEDY AND FACELESS CORPORATIONS TO DEAL WITH. LET'S GO RETRO TO MOM & POP BUSINESSES AT LEAST THEY HAVE A FACE. - Reply to this comment
- Just like the credit card companies charge us for everything so are the airlines doing the same. When will this madness stop?
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