Avoiding Sneaky Airline Fees

Travel Expert On The Newest Ones Being Assessed, And Keeping Your Total Tab Down

(CBS) 

Airport vs. Online Check-in: Citing "labor costs," some carriers now charge you MORE per bag if you check-in at the airport rather than online:

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.

Unaccompanied Minors: If your kids are traveling alone this summer, expect to pay for it. Most legacy carriers raised this fee from $50 each leg to $100 for nonstop domestic flights. That's right, the real cost of your child's ticket just soared $200 -- it may even cost less for you to just buy a ticket and accompany them!

Pets: Let's just say that your dog's ticket may now cost more than your own! According to Greenberg, most legacy carriers now charge between $100 and $150 to carry on your pet, and up to $275 to check pets. And those fees are each way!

Choice Seats: Many airlines now charge you an extra fee if you want to sit in the exit row, or even in a specific window or aisle seat. Northwest charges $5 to $35 per flight for some coach seats. Delta, Jet Blue, US Airways and others also charge for some of these choice seats.

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:

Consider shipping bags, rather than checking them! If Peter is heading out of town on a lengthy vacation, he ships his bag to his hotel via FedEx. He finds that the cost can be comparable if you have large or heavy luggage, and it saves him a lot of time. He doesn't have to arrive early at the airport, and he doesn't have to wait around at baggage claim. When he arrives at his hotel, his bags are waiting in his room!

Fly kids non-stop: If you're sending your kids on a plane alone, you can keep unaccompanied minor fees to a minimum by buying a non-stop ticket. Most airlines charge more if your child has a layover.

Dispute undisclosed fees: If any fees show up on your credit card -- booking fees, seating fees, etc. -- that you didn't approve at the time of your ticket purchase, be sure to dispute them. You have 60 days to do so.

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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by peuclid June 9, 2009 9:00 AM EDT

TripAdvisor flights http://www.tripadvisor.com/ has a Fees Estimator to help you see what these total costs could be, including a la carte fees for baggage, food, headphones, etc.

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[peuclid]

TripAdvisor flights http://www.tripadvisor.com/ has a Fees Estimator to help you see what these total costs could be, including a la carte fees for baggage, food, headphones, etc.