Fees Surprise Travelers at Check-in
(Dive Travel Buiness News - March 16, 2010) -- It's hard to figure out the true cost of travel these days. Travel Professionals, Tour Operators and their customers are struggling to play catch-up with the changing baggage fee scene along with a surge in airline ancillary fees for meals, premium seating, blankets, WiFi and unaccompanied minors.
In addition to the changing policies on ancillary fees, each airline has its own fee policy for these items. For instance, the fee for a single bag on a United international flight is determined by a combination of baggage weight, direction of travel, ticket class, the date the ticket was purchased, the date of travel and whether the bag will be registered at the airport or ahead of time on United's website. Then there is the question of whether or not you'll get your bag at the other end.
The situation is further complicated when factoring in how these policies affect codeshare agreements between two carriers and international-travel issues such as whether the weight limit on a bag will apply on all legs of the travel itinerary.
Even something as simple as taking a single bag on a United international flight gets complicated quickly. The fee is determined by a combination of baggage weight, direction of travel, ticket class, the date the ticket was purchased, the date of travel and whether the bag will be registered at the airport or ahead of time on United's website. To say that the air travel environment is frustrating is an understatement.
According to Travel Weekly, airline revenues from a la carte fees associated with services such as baggage, premium seating and onboard food and beverages almost quadrupled, to $10.3 billion, in the past two years. According to the IdeaWorks consultancy, American, United and Delta posted revenues of more than $1 billion each.
Airlines are creating a customer service nightmare for themselves as they unbundle and attach fees to services that were once part of the ticket price without providing adequate information to the traveling public, or the on-line and off-line agents and tour operators that book them. With billions of dollars in services being handled at the airport in ad-hoc form with "surprise" fees being sprung on an unsuspecting traveler upon arrival at the airport, airlines are getting an earful from travelers.
The airlines continue to tweak their ancillary revenue strategies. For instance:
* Southwest and JetBlue use their one free check bag as a marketing tool; Continental is now giving economy passengers the opportunity to pay extra for extra legroom;
* Air Canada is rebundling its services into five fee classes allowing for inclusions of various services such as checked bags, airport-lounge access, priority check-in, ticket change-fee waivers and onboard meal services;
* United now offers annual $249 "subscriptions" that allow customers to fly for a year with two checked bags.
With the proliferation of fees, changing fee structures and no standards for getting the information to travelers and the travel industry in general, determining the true cost of travel is a moving target.
Dive travelers in particular are feeling the pain of airline baggage fees. Known for stepping off large aircraft to board small island hoppers for remote dive locations with personal luggage, dive gear and camera gear in tow, dive travelers have always had to scrutinize airline baggage policies. Now, extra fees can have a noticeable impact on the price of a diver's airline ticket and travel pros must help dive travelers to wade through the fees and advise them on how to keep the costs down. Dive travelers are now:
* Diligently using a weigh scale to stay within baggage weight limits;
* Bringing only "essential" dive, camera and video gear;
* Renting dive gear at dive destinations;
* Shipping baggage ahead of time to the dive destination;
* Pulling on the old camera vest and stuffing it with everything from lenses to laptops as a covert carry-on;
* Wheeling and dealing baggage fees with agents at check-in at the destination.
Industry pundits say fees will become more complicated before the situation improves. To help travelers with the challenge of determining the true cost of their flights, Smarter Travel offers a spreadsheet outlining ancillary fees at the major U.S. airlines. Read more on this story at Travel Weekly.
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