BOSTON — If you’re trying to book a flight for the holidays, you’re no doubt shaking off some sticker shock. Airfare prices are sky-high, and a lot of those fares come with additional fees.
Remember when a plane ticket got you everything — a seat, a checked bag, maybe even a meal? These days, it gets you on the plane, and that’s about it.
“It used to be a very sort of all-inclusive experience when you bought your airfare,” said travel expert Gabe Saglie. “These days, instead of selling you a journey, they’re basically selling you a ticket from point A to point B and renting you all of the other ancillary perks.”
The good news: there are ways to beat the system and save money. It just takes a little more work than it used to.
What the extras cost you
Forbes reports airlines generate $157 billion a year from fees. Here’s how it adds up:
- Checked bags: $50 to $100, depending on how many you check. On domestic flights, Saglie said, the first bag can run $35 to $50 and a second bag $50 or more.
- Overweight bags: On international flights, a bag over the 50-pound limit — even by a pound — can cost $150 one way.
- Picking your seat in advance: Another $45 to $90.
- The extras: Meals, priority screening and Wi-Fi. Add it all up, and optional fees can tack another $200 to $300 onto your trip.
Travelers say they’ve noticed. “I don’t like having to pay for food now on the airline. And bags,” one flyer said. Another put it this way: “It feels disingenuous. It feels like it’s the same, so the level of service hasn’t changed — just what you’re paying for.”
How we got here
Saglie traces the shift back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, when low-frills carriers began competing with the major airlines by offering a trimmed-down version of the flight experience. Then came the 2007–2008 global economic downturn and rising jet fuel prices.
Around 2008, the “unbundling” of airfare really ramped up. Airlines began selling a bare-bones price to fly and charging extra for snacks, checked bags and that aisle seat. Saglie said in some cases, 20 to 30% of airline profits now come from these fees, and some low-frills airlines make more money on fees than on the tickets themselves.
Save on seats: Set an alarm for 24 hours out
The seat map you see right after you buy your ticket isn’t the real map, according to Saglie. Airlines often show a few free middle seats and charge for the rest.
“The trick here is to wait exactly 24 hours before your flight,” Saglie said. “That is your best bet at seeing the most legit, most up-to-date seat map. And oftentimes that aisle seat, that window seat, that seat that’s a little further up in the cabin will be available at no cost to you.”
Timing matters — it gets competitive, so 24 hours is better than 23 or 22. And it’s a risk/reward play. If you don’t pick a seat, the airline will still assign you one at no charge, but it may well be a middle seat. Saglie warns that planes will be full during the busy holiday travel season, with far fewer open preferred seats.
Flying with kids? Know your rights
Saglie points to one rule that helps families. Under Department of Transportation rules, if you’re traveling with a child 13 or under, the airline cannot charge you more to guarantee seating next to them.
Save on bags: Travel light and check at the gate
The simplest way to avoid bag fees is to skip checking a bag. Saglie said traveling light not only cuts costs but also lowers the chance your luggage gets lost.
Another option is to bring your bag to the gate, where agents will often check it for free to clear up overhead space. The catch: it goes in the cargo hold, so you’ll have to pick it up at baggage claim. On some shorter regional flights, you may be able to “pink tag” or “valet tag” your bag, dropping it off and picking it up right at the jet bridge.
And don’t underestimate your personal item. “A lot of folks think that you can only have a carry-on and then just a little purse,” Saglie said. “The fact of the matter is that a personal item, that second carry-on option, it has to just fit underneath the seat in front of you.” He said that gives you roughly 18 by 14 by 8 inches of space to work with.
Heading overseas? Saglie notes European low-frills carriers such as Ryanair and EasyJet can be especially strict on carry-ons. You might pay $39 to fly from London to Paris, but it could cost $150 to bring your bag.
Save on food: BYOS
To avoid paying for in-flight meals and snacks, bring your own snacks.
Consider an airline credit card
One of the best and most efficient ways to save is by using a credit card affiliated with an airline. You’ll often get at least one free checked bag and can save on other fees.
“If you fly one airline exclusively or it dominates your home airport, then having the credit card is actually a really wise decision,” said Clint Thompson of The Points Guy, which tracks credit cards and travel award programs. He said that holds true even if you only fly once or twice a year, because extra baggage has gotten so expensive.
Thompson says the real sweet spot is the first level of elite status. “It will help eliminate bag fees, but then if you get that first level of elite status, and that can be as few as a couple of flights a year, that unlocks extra legroom seating, priority boarding, elite status boosts, and also you earn extra miles,” he said.
He added that some airline cards — United and Delta, for example — now let cardholders book flights for fewer miles than other customers. Thompson said a ticket to Japan that would cost a regular customer 300,000 miles has cost him as little as 80,000 miles with his United Quest card.
The big caveat: you have to be a responsible cardholder. “If you carry a balance or you don’t pay the credit card off every month, then it’s not worth it getting these credit cards because you end up paying more than you would for bags or for the signup bonus in additional interest payments,” Thompson said. Do the math carefully before you sign up.
“Don’t be basic”
Both experts warn that the cheapest fare isn’t always the cheapest trip. “My favorite saying is don’t be basic. Don’t book basic economy fares,” Thompson said. He explained that those tickets are typically non-refundable, may not earn points or status, and leave you last in line to be rebooked if something goes wrong.
Saglie says basic economy fares can block you from checking bags, bringing a carry-on or picking a seat early. Once you add those costs back in, upgrading to a regular economy fare could be worth it. The same goes for low-cost carriers: Thompson said by the time you add a bag and a seat assignment, you might as well have booked the lowest fare on a major airline.
Is relief on the way?
For many passengers, the whole process has become exhausting. “It’s constantly trying to figure out from like a credit card standpoint now of, OK, what credit card should we get that’s aligned to an airline that’s going to reduce the fees?” one traveler said.
“I’m infuriated as a consumer advocate,” Thompson said. “This is sort of the nickel and diming of the American consumer to death. There is gonna be a backlash, and the airlines have to be careful that they don’t kill the goose that laid the golden egg.”
Lawmakers have taken notice, but so far, nothing has passed to rein in the fees. Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey has filed a bill targeting consumer travel costs, called the Fair Fees Act, but it is currently stuck in committee.
In Congressional testimony, airline executives defended the fees, saying they allow customers to opt out of services they don’t want, such as checking a bag. As for seats, airline executives say they are simply offering passengers the opportunity to pay for more desirable seating locations.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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