A La Carte Airline: Only $99 to Hawaii?
Posted Mon, Dec 8th 2008, 13:28
At “A La Carte Airline” you can get a one-way ticket from Portland, ME to Honolulu Hawaii for only $99, for seats inside the plane… that will be a little extra!
This example for our fictional airline is extreme but the point to be made here is that the price you see for that low airfare on the internet or on the airlines website is probably not the final price you will pay when you actually fly, especially if you take luggage, want a bottle of water or heaven forbid, want to talk to a real person to make your reservation.
The airlines call it “A La Carte” pricing and the theory is that you get a lower base fare when flying and only pay for the extra services that you want. If you don’t check bags or need additional services this might work for you, however for most leisure travelers, especially those traveling this holiday season, you need to be prepared or expect to pay extra fees when you arrive at the airport.
It started with additional fees to book your flight by calling the airlines 800 number instead of booking on their website, but when oil prices skyrocketed, the airlines were desperate to find new revenue sources and they got creative and came up with a host of additional fees for services that travelers once took for granted.
The most common charges among airlines are fees for checked bags and most, if not all of the legacy airlines have fees for a checked bag. Among those airlines charging fees for the first checked bag are American, Continental, Delta, United and US Airways to name a few. If you check a 2nd bag expect fees to rise to about $25 per bag and for bag number 3 be ready to cough up to an additional $125 per bag. Think you can avoid checked bag fees by overstuffing that carry-on bag? You will need to be sure that your carry-on is within the allowable size limits as carry on size limits are now being strictly enforced and it will get checked and you will get charged. Continental recently cut the maximum size for carry-on bags from 51 inches to 45 inches, so if you can’t fit that jam packed carry-on with the zippered gussets wide open into that little chrome plated bag size checker……… to bad, your gonna pay!
What are some of the other fees that you should be aware of when booking your own flight either on-line or over the phone? The most common are fees for advance seat selection, exit row or seats with extra legroom, meals and snacks ($2 for a cup of coffee on US Airways), blankets and pillows, headphones and children under 2 years sitting on the lap of an adult.
While some customers feel they are being nickel-and-dimed the new “fee for service” business model adopted by the airlines is most likely here to stay. In fact, most industry insiders feel that both the industry and the consumer will benefit in the long run. A global airline survey in October by Sabre Airline Solutions Consulting suggested that traveler’s value maximum choice when deciding which airline products and services to buy. An immediate benefit seen by most airlines has been a drastic reduction in the number of 2nd bags checked resulting in less bags for airports to handle and fewer lost bags overall.
Most clients I deal with biggest frustrations with unbundled airline fees are the lack of transparency and thus no way to anticipate the true costs of flying when making air reservations. In reality, you can know the true cost of that ticket before booking with just a little extra effort. My first recommendation of course, is to call your local travel profession. They will know what fees are charged by which airlines and can advise you of the most recent baggage size and weight limits for each airline. Additionally, they may know special routes and city pairs when booking flights that can save you money on the cost of the base fare.
Beyond that, ask questions about additional fees when making reservations over the phone or go to the airlines website for the most up to date information. You can also print a copy of the “Ultimate Guide to Airline Fees” at Airfarewatchdog.com or SeatGuru.com. This guide won’t list all the fees but it is a good reference. I advise my clients that generally US Airways has the most fees and Southwest the least and that when you find that “great fare” on the internet booking sites also check the airlines website and book there to avoid booking fees that are generally charged by sites like Expedia, Travelocity Cheap Flights, etc. One final tip, many of low cost carriers such as Southwest, Airtran or Jetblue do not list there fares on the internet booking engines so check fares at their website.
Bottom line, flying is generally the safest, quickest and most convenient way for most of us to travel. Good deals can be found but you need to be informed and savvy or better yet, find an informed and savvy travel professional to help you get the most from every travel dollar you spend. And the good news, for now anyway, is that in flight bathrooms are still no charge…. I’ll let you know if that changes!
Categories: Travel Columns by Walter
