It seems as though there’s a new airline fee practically every day. Today’s comes courtesy of Southwest, which now charges $10 for “EarlyBird” check-in, that is, the right to stake out your unassigned seat right after members of the airline’s Business Select and Rapid Rewards A-List programs. And for a carrier that based an entire marketing campaign around its lack of fees, it represents a surprising (and disappointing) change of heart.
But however egregious this and other airline fees may be, such extras are just one type of hidden travel charge.
For example, there’s nothing like checking out of a $400/night hotel to discover you’ve been dinged $2 for a newspaper you didn’t want, or charged three times the going rate for parking. (I once paid $45 to park at a city hotel for a single day — and then left my car in the same public lot that the hotel used, which costs a maximum of $15/day.) Economic strictures have many brands looking for subtle ways to shake the nickels from our pockets — but these charges can quickly add up to a substantial hit on our total bill.
Most of us know that using a hotel-room phone comes at a ridiculous cost — but that’s less of an issue now, thanks to cell phones and computer programs such as Skype or Google Voice. Of course, hotels are finding new things to charge their guests for:
It's worth contacting the hotel before you book to find out what mandatory fees you may get charged.
Then there are car rental fees, where the advertised rate is sometimes half of what you'll actually pay at the counter. Some fees seem predatory (a parking tax? I should pay for the agency to park their own cars?), while others are just ridiculous ($6/gallon for gas, if I bring the tank back half-full?). My least favorite, though, has to be the deposit: If I have a $2,000 limit on my credit card, there’s no reason for the car company to eat up $2,500 with a pre-approved deposit — especially if I'm already paying for the grossly expensive collision-damage waiver (or loss-damage waiver), which supplies total coverage for the car.
For the record: I always opt for the waiver, even though my American Express card offers supplementary insurance; I've heard too many horror stories about this sort of coverage falling through, like a friend's experience in Croatia: His parked rental car was hit during the night by another driver, and he didn't notice the damage until the next afternoon. Because he was judged to have not reported the incident in a "timely" fashion — because he was honest, and said he didn't know when the accident happened — he ended up having to pay $3,000.
One more fee to watch out for: The Internet is awash with stories of unsuspecting cell-phone users who’ve been charged thousands of dollars for roaming data service they didn’t know they were using while overseas. Contact your carrier before you travel with your phone, and double-check that your roaming data service is turned off before leaving.
What travel fees do you find most reprehensible? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.
— Diane Vadino
Diane Vadino is a frequent contributor to Bing Travel who writes about travel, art and design from her base in Brooklyn, N.Y.
some airlines charge for facilities"Rest rooms"
an X charge for Airport security, which all tax payers are paying the bill
hotels just ask questions before you even book, and write down the notes and name of the clerk, phone number and address, best by e-mail that way, you have a copy.
Best way to avoid many of these things are a few fold.
Educate yourself in advance, be careful, I don't read the fine print on most things, but I generally know who/where the scams are most likely to come from, and when it's those people/places I read as much as I can.
Hotels are a joke, they are a huge ripoff even with the discounts found online I RARELY stay in hotels, it's just insane the prices. Instead opt for hostels, or budget hotels, where these "services" or frills just aren't even offered. Can't get charged for a mini-bar if there isn't one.
Know who you're flying with. If you're flying on a major legacy carrier, odds are most fees are included in the final price of your ticket. When travelling on a more modern "low-cost" carrier, they keep their initial costs low by driving fees up for "selective" services. You're allowed to bring food through security, so you can even bring it from home to bring on board. If you don't care what seat you sit in, don't select one, if you're forced to select a seat, pick the cheapest (likely a middle) and then scout it out once you take-off, chances are you can move, and I don't think the FAs will forcefully confine you to that middle seat.
I prefer old school...low budget travelling!
The offer to pay for the car rental company to "fill the gas tank" Doesn't matter how much you return the car with they charge you the amount of a full tank, regardless. Most think if they return the car 1/2 full they are only to be responsible for the other 1/2...wrong!!!
Very nice...
Before my cruise I looked up the per minute charges on Consumer Cellular' website, and printed out the page. Later 87 dollars "cruise fee" was added, which was never mentioned on the website. AFter numerous complaints, their website changed to clearly define that the bottom line is not the "per minute" charge listed. They refused to refund my money even tho I have, and still have, the before and after computer screen shots of the website cost listing. !!
Whats currently bugging me is the fees for checked baggage on international flights! Started recently by BA then AA and now Continental and others. These are ludicrous as much as $60 for a second bag each way. I tend to travel for long periods of time as a freelance writer I can write from any spot in the world as long as a I have my laptop and an internet connection but I also like to have clean clothes with me and not dress like a slob now an impossible task when I can check in only one bag with a maximum weight of 50lbs. Forget gifts and souvenirs!
People have be willing to pay a fair price for airline travel. So you pay extra to check a bag. The airlines are only passing on their expenses so they can make a profit. That's how they make money. The alternative is to increase everyone's fare to cover the airlines cost but why should someone who doesn't have to check a bag pay for someone who does? It actually makes sense.
To pay for extra or overweight bags do make sense But to make a passenger pay for 1 or 2 bags for International flights don't make sense. What percentage of international flyers travel with no bags?
Responding to Jim, everyone has some sort of luggage, either a too large carry on that is stowed in a too small overhead bin, purse, electronic equipment, etc. that add weight to a plane increasing the fuel the plane burns. Everyone who flies should pay the extra because they all take space, some weigh more than others (just an obvious fact overweight Americans)making up a weight difference there. Considering the price of the bailout, airlines should be greatful and not as rude as they are, to anyone willing to pay to fly in this economy.
It is so annoying now when you get to the airport nice and early, there is another flight (the same carrier), it has open seats, and the only way they will let you on is if you pay a (usually $75) fee. Things like this make me dispassionate to the plight of the airline.
I find it silly that I have to pay more to fly my pet under the seat in front of me than for my own ticket. I could understand if the flight attendants, airline, someone had to deal with them but they do not. They simply take the place of my carry on and not one person even knows I have them. Why not charge me the usual carry on fee?
All the add-on fees are rediculous, simply increase airline ticket prices.
The baggage charge is simple robbery. I can overpay to visit my family, but I must pay the airline to take my clothes along. The price of each airline ticket from SC to LAX has increased by $100.00 per person since I moved just under 3 years ago. With the increased cost they have not increased services, but reduced them.
I bring my own snacks. I do not check my luggage. I would be more understanding if 1 piece of luggage was allowed and additional bags had a reasonable fee. It is amazing that the airlines claim to be losing money when the fees and cost per ticket has increased so much. It would nice if they would manage their cost better and stop looking for ways to lessen the enjoyment of travel.
Paying extra to pick which seat you what to sit in on the plane is mot comprehensiable to me.