Take Control of Airline Fees

OK, you have booked your airline ticket. Great! Got that out of the way, or have you? Once you buy your airline ticket, you tend to believe that you have got the cost of your air travel pretty much covered, but there are plenty of new and hidden fees that can end up costing much more than you expected. It’s time to take control of airline fees.

For instance, some airline fees can outweigh the price of your bargain airline ticket. I am sure you have heard by now that Spirit Airlines decided to start charging as much as $45 for carry-on bags. So far, other airlines have decided not to follow suit. We can only hope so, but just about every airline will charge you to check your bags, and if you are not careful it can really rack up.

Most airlines are charging anywhere between $15 to $25 dollars for the first checked bag, and $25 to $30 for the second bag, and so on. And baggage fees go as high as $50 per bag for international flights. So if you’re not sure of the bag size and bag weight requirements of the particular airline you are flying on, you could end up paying hundreds of dollars just for your checked bags alone.

Solution:  Call ahead and make sure you know what your airline will charge when you check your bags and ask about weight restrictions. You will also want to pack efficiently. Don’t carry everything you could possibly wear on your trip. Pack your clothing by outfit, and not by item. That way you will have a complete outfit for each day, and not a bunch of individual pieces that you may or may not wear. No, it’s not fun to have to limit what you take with you on your trip, but it’s a necessity now.

Once on the plane, you might as well keep your wallet out, because the fees just keep on coming. Typically only soft drinks are free. You will pay for snacks on United Airlines and US Airways, ranging from $3 to $8, and alcohol, headsets, Internet access and airline phones all come with their own price tag.

Solution:  Bring your snacks with you or purchase them at the airport before boarding the plane. Don’t bring beverages. They will be confiscated at the security check-in, but remember soft drinks and water are free, so you don’t need to. You may also want to use your own headset from your iPod or MP3 player instead of paying for the used headphones the airline’s charges you for, and definitely use your own cell phone instead of that phone on the plane.

You are now ready to get on that flight – once you’ve called ahead to make sure you know your baggage and weight restrictions, packed wisely to keep your baggage fees to a minimum and carried your own snacks on the plane to take control of your airline fees as much as possible.

Now Take Off!