When travelers complain about the rise of airline fees, the carriers rolling out the fees like to point out that the charges are strictly optional. No one’s being forced to pay for anything they don’t want, they say. Nonetheless, …
Fees
Could It Be? Some Actual Good News for Airline Passengers
Given soaring fares and fees, concerns about creepy body scans at TSA checkpoints and even instances of needles found in airplane food, it sometimes seems as if there’s only one kind of news when it comes to airline travel — …
4 New Ways Travelers Are Being Tempted Into Spending More
Travelers naturally get agitated when they’re asked to pay for services that used to be provided at no extra charge—airline baggage fees being the most obvious example. While price hikes and new fees are rampant in the travel …
$22.6 Billion in Airline Fees Last Year – and New Fare Hikes to Boot
Think there’s a pattern here? This past spring, travelers found out that airlines were jacking up fares and adding fees. Then, in early summer, a report came out indicating that even as fuel prices were dropping, airfares would …
Your Summer Travel Itinerary: Paying More to Fly While Fighting the Crowds
As gas prices fall and more Americans consider a road trip rather than flying this summer, you might think that airlines would try to lure customers in with cheaper fares and an increased number of flights. Well, sorry.
Top Customer Ratings Go to ‘Low-Cost’ Airlines With Fewest Fees
In the most recent passenger satisfaction survey from J.D. Power and Associates, the two top-rated airlines are JetBlue and Southwest. While both are considered low-cost carriers, compared to the mainstream they’re more generous …
Cheap Last-Minute Road Trip Anybody?
Sometimes There’s a Reward for Not Paying Off Parking & Traffic Tickets
Your mother was wrong about procrastination and irresponsibility. They can, in fact, pay off in a good way down the line. Amnesty programs have been popping up around the country, allowing drivers with outstanding parking and …
Airline Already Collecting the Most Passenger Fees Wants $1 Billion More of Them Annually
In 2011, no U.S. airline pulled in more revenues from fees than Delta. The airline collected an industry-leading $767 million in reservation cancellation and change fees, and another $863 million in baggage fees. Delta isn’t …
Hey Airlines, Do You Really Want to Split Families Up on Planes?
In a purely business sense, it’s easy to understand why airlines are more or less forcing passengers to pay fees for seat reservations on planes: more fees equal more profits. But the scheme is hated by families — and is likely …
The Fee That Credit Card Issuers Are Leaving Behind
Banks, the thinking goes, have never met a fee they didn’t like. Yet one credit card charge that has been standard for years—the “foreign transaction” or “foreign currency” fee, which tacks on an extra 3% or so to every hotel …
Uh-Oh! Fee-Crazed Airlines Are the Most Profitable
Apparently, plenty of travelers aren’t turned off by airlines that charge extra for everything from paying for flights with a credit card to $3 bottles of water on board the plane. Lately, the most profitable carriers in the U.S. …